European Union
The EGTC in the EU: Current trends
and perspectives under the next
programming periodWelcome
2014-2020 to the
Alpeuregio Summerschool
Committee of the
Regions
Christian Gsodam
9 July 2012
Advisor to the Secretary General
Committee of the Regions of the EU
The European Grouping
of Territorial Cooperation
What is an EGTC?
EGTC – European Grouping
of Territorial Cooperation

Created by Regulation (EC) 1082/2006

Public entities from different Member States can get together under
an entity with European legal personality.

The EGTC has its own organisation, budget and staff.

It may implement programmes and projects of territorial
cooperation, with or without EU funding.

Entered into force on 1 August 2007, the Member States adopt
national provisions.
What for?
Missions of an EGTC

Art. 1 (2) “To facilitate and promote cross-border, transnational
and/or interregional cooperation between its members with the
aim of strengthening economic and social cohesion”.

Art 7 (3) Tasks of the EGTC:





Implement ETC programmes co-financed by ERDF, ESF
or Cohesion Fund
Implement ETC projects […]
Other specific cooperation actions with EU funding
Other cooperation actions without EU funding
Limits: Powers of the State such as police, regulation, justice or
foreign affairs.
Who can participate?
Who can be a member?

Basically, entities of Public Law (reference to the Directive
2004/18/EC on public procurement) and associations

Participation of entities from third countries:

2 EU Member States needed (minimum 2 EU + 1 non EU)

The third country adopts similar legislation or signs an agreement
with the country of seat of the EGTC

The EU Member States involved authorize it
How to set up an EGTC
The basic procedure

Location of the registered office
 The seat determines the applicable Law

Drafting of a convention and the statutes of the EGTC

Authorisation by the Member States
 The Regulation says 3 months

Publication in the national journal and in the OJEU

Notification to the CoR

Launching of the EGTC
EGTC trends
and developments
Examples of EGTC
Grande Région



First EGTC to become management authority of a programme
Involves FR, DE, LU, NL, BE
www.interreg4a-gr.eu
Examples of EGTC
Amphictyony

Twinning 53 cities of the Mediterranean

More than 39 non-EU cities associated

www.amphictyony.gr
Examples of EGTC
Archimed

Cooperation structure among Mediterranean islands

Joint defence of common
interests
Examples of EGTC
Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai

Conurbation between Belgium and France, 3 regions, 2
languages, 1.7 Mo inhabitants

www.eurometropolis.eu
Examples of EGTC
Galicia-Norte de Portugal
Big euroregion with more than 20 years
of co-operation History

Projects:




Transport: Guide, study on interoperativity
Cooperation between technology centres and campuses
Sectors: Sea, automotive, creative and cultural industries
TOURISM: Project ‘One destination, two countries’
www.gnpaect.com
Examples of EGTC
Duero-Douro

Rural development: 187 municipalities with an average
population of <500 inhabitants

Projects:




Econometric model for investments
Goat livestock to prevent forest fires and create jobs
Culture, education
TOURISM VITAL: Turn the border area into a touristic
destination of excellence
www.duero-douro.com
Examples of EGTC
West Vlaanderen / Flandre - Dunkerque - Côte d’Opale

Integration of a highly urbanised border area

Projects:



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Interreg IVA project 'Cross-border cooperation‘
Project ‘Coast to coast’ and ‘Tourism without borders’
Public transport and recreational mobility
Health cooperation
Training and employment
Cross-border GIS
Culture
Examples of EGTC
Abaúj az Abaújban and Bodrogközi

2 different Groupings between HU and SK municipalities

Mainly oriented to rural tourism and development.
www.abauj.info
www.bodrogkoziek.com
Examples of EGTC
Duero-Douro

Rural development: 187 municipalities with an average
population of <500 inhabitants

Projects:




Econometric model for investments
Goat livestock to prevent forest fires and create jobs
Culture, education
TOURISM VITAL: Turn the border area into a touristic
destination of excellence
www.duero-douro.com
Examples of EGTC
Cerdanya cross-border hospital


Service to 60,000 inhabitants in the Pyrenees
www.hcerdanya.eu
EGTC trends and developments
Advantages of the EGTC

An EGTC may implement a whole programme

An EGTC is visible, is flexible, is permanent, is accountable and
empowers peer local and regional authorities

The EGTC facilitates the obtention of funding for projects

The EGTC is a good instrument to pool public expenditure or
public services

An EGTC may grant the future sustainability of a project, and can
be foreseen in a project proposal or in an operational programme

The EGTC can materialise bottom-up initiatives at macro level
EGTC trends and developments
Source: INTERACT handbook ‘The European Grouping
of Territorial Cooperation’
EGTC trends and developments
Factors
Negotiation
Trust
Vision
Choice
EGTC trends and developments
Figures

29 EGTC set up,
one of them
pending notification

More than 600 LRA
involved

A reality in 15
Member States,

Impact on the life of
26 Mo Europeans
EGTC trends and developments
Some trends about the implementation of EGTC

National implementation varies, but also approach and perception

There is only one EGTC for programme implementation, and
structural funds are not the main object

Although ‘laboratory for multi-level governance’, most of the EGTC
group public entities of the same level

Although it is ‘territorial cooperation’, EGTC are mainly CBC

Main areas: Axis Benelux-FR-DE, around HU-SK-CZ and Med
 Precedent cooperation started in the 90s.

Need of awareness among LRA, public and EC services
Engagement of the CoR
The role
of the Committee
of the Regions
Engagement of the CoR
Legal basis:
 Treaties (art. 306 TFEU)
 Consultative remit in cross-border cooperation
 Regulation (EC) 1082/2006, Art. 5
 The new EGTCs must notify the CoR
Political action:
 The EGTC is strategic for the CoR
 Inter-institutional cooperation
 Political proactiveness
24
Engagement of the CoR
Political support:
 4 opinions on EGTC in 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2011
Shared experience:
 Expert Group, EGTC Platform
Information and debate:
 Consultation in 2010
 Workshops and stands during the Open Days
 3 studies and annual report from 2011 on.
Registry of EGTC:
 Art 5 of the Regulation (EC) 1082/2006
25
CoR opinion on EGTC 2011

Own-initiative opinion, adoption the 27/01/2011

Rapporteur: Mr Alberto Núñez
(ES/EPP) President of Galicia.
Feijóo,
•
Contituity with the opinion of Ms Bresso
(IT/PES) in 2008
•
New scenario: Treaty of Lisbon and new
financial perspectives
•
Importance of the EGTC
• For programmes and projects of ETC
• For Europe 2020
• For Multi-level governance
•
Defence of the EGTC as “preferential
instrument for cooperation”.
26
CoR opinion on EGTC
Contents:

Substantial measures: Legal status; harmonisation of national
regimes; staff; participation of private entities; clarifications.

Procedural measures: Reduction of the delays, hearing the
promoters of the EGTC; common act for autorisation;
publication in section C of the OJEU.

Financial measures: Consider the EGTC automatically as
transnational partnership; suppress obsolete methodes of
management; autonomous pole of cooperation.

Participation of entities from Third countries on the basis of
Title V of the Treaty; allow 1+1 bilateral EGTCs.
CoR opinion on EGTC 2012

Opinion on the legislative proposal, to be
adopted on 15 February 2012 (COTER 5 Dec)
•

Consultation to the EGTC Platform
Rapporteur: Mr Michel Delebarre, (FR/PES)
Mayor of Dunkerque, President of COTER and
coordinator of the EGTC Platform.
•
Support to the proposal, in particular
simplification, staff, larger tasks, territories of
3rd countries.
•
Other ideas proposed: to allow companies of
services of general economic interest,
clearer criteria to reject proposals (including
participation of 3rd countries), use of EGTC
in other sectors, procedural improvements.
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The revision of the EGTC Regulation
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Analysis – the ETC proposal
More budget: 3’48% and €11’5 billion
Previous 2'5%, €8'5 billion
Possibility of using of the Connecting
Europe Facility and part of the
funding for outermost and sparsely
populated regions


30
Analysis – the ETC proposal
Components:
 Transnational cooperation  larger
transnational territories, covering maritime
in cases not covered by cross-border
cooperation.
 Interregional cooperation  promote
exchange of experiences in investment for
growth and jobs goal, sustainable urban
and rural development, actions of
territorial cooperation including EGTC,
and studies.


31
Analysis – the ETC proposal
Geographical:
 Transnational  NUTS 2 territories
following criteria of coherence.
 Interregional  The whole territory of the
EU, and also territories of 3rd countries.
 Cross-border  NUTS 3 and max 150 Km
in maritime regions.
 No specific reference to urban areas, periurban and rural areas, and intra-regional
differences.




32
Analysis – the ETC proposal
Priorities:
 Transnational:
 Thematic objectives of Europe 2020
 Development of macro-regional strategies.

 CBC
 Thematic objectives of Europe 2020
 Cross-border mobility, equal opportunities,
education and training, legal and administrative
cooperation
 Some objectives like culture disappear


33
Analysis – the EGTC proposal
Programming:
 Definition
 Structure of ‘chef de file’ kept
Monitoring and evaluation:
 Indicators;
 ETC is excluded of the conditionality
Management:
 Possibility of a joint audit authority





34
Analysis – the EGTC proposal
Principles  flexibility; clarification; continuity
Applicable Law
 Primacy of Convention; then Regulation; then Law
of the seat

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Members
 Clarification of national bodies of public Law
 Not only Dir 18/2004 but also Dir 17/2004, “public
companies”  But services of general interest not
mentioned
 Overseas equivalents


?
35
Analysis – the EGTC proposal
Participation of 3rd countries and overseas

 Clarifications needed about the discretionality of the
Member State
Procedure of constitution
 Simplification  Approval of the convention only
and tacit approval after 6 months
 Need of definition of ‘national interest’
 Publication in section C of the OJEU



36
Analysis – the EGTC proposal
Mission:
 Territorial cooperation in general:

 Programmes and projects
 Europe 2020
 Notion of ‘task’
 References in other regulations
 Management of a part of a program
 Common action plan of the RDC
 Action of local development integrated in CBC
 Integrated Territorial Investment
 Not for partnership contracts

?




37
Analysis – the EGTC proposal
Convention and statutes



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Clarification of the content of both documents
The EGTC may chose the regime of the staff
The members may choose their auditor
Challenge  The Single Market
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
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Liability
 Insurance regime with Ltd
 Problem with incompatibility of liability regime
between countries
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
38
The EGTC Platform
of the CoR
The EGTC Platform

Its it integrated by all the EGTCs existing, the EGTCs in
constitution, experts and different organisations of support
(including INTERACT).
Open to other cross-border structures.



Launched the 28 January 2011 in Brussels
Online forum www.cor.europa.eu/egtc
Contact: egtc@cor.europa.eu

The EGTC Platform
Mission of the Platform





Legislative monitoring  What’s going on?
Peer exchange of experiences, advice and practices
 How do we do it?
Dissemination and visibility of the EGTC
 What can we do?
Explore the opportunities and challenges of the EGTC
 How to do it better?
Contribute to the consultative works of the CoR providing
factual input about cross-border aspects of the EU
legislation and policies
 What happens at cross-border level?
The EGTC Platform – Conferences and meetings
January 2011  Launching conference
October 2011  Open Days
29 March 2012  Interinstitutional conference in Brussels
9 October 2012  EGTC workshop during the Open Days
The EGTC Platform – Resources and publications
Sources available in www.cor.europa.eu/egtc
Go to ‘EGTC Platform’ and find them in ‘Publications’
The EGTC Platform – Online community
 > 150 registered contacts
 Peer-to-peer support
 Forum online
 Social networks
E-mail: egtc@cor.europa.eu
Twitter: @EGTCPlatform
FB group: EGTC
Conclusion:
Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It
will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de
facto solidarity.
Declaration of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Robert Schuman,
9 May 1950
Eυχαριστώ πάρα πολύ! Grazie! Merci!
Committee of the Regions
Direction of horizontal policies
and networks
Alfonso Alcolea Martínez
Administrator EGTC & territorial cooperation
URL: www.cor.europa.eu/egtc
E-mail: egtc@cor.europa.eu
Twitter: @EGTCPlatform
FB group: EGTC