According to the EU Commissioner responsible for regional policy, Danuta Hübner, who spoke on the future of border regions in Europe in Saarbrüucken, July 5 2006, the 2007-2013 programming period will see cross-border cooperation focus on strengthening the competitiveness of border regions, contributing to their economic and social integration. Actions in this area will include labour market integration initiatives, the promotion of knowledge transfer, and the development of cross-border commercial activities.
In 2007, major changes will be introduced to the support mechanisms for cross-border, transnational, and interregional cooperation in Europe. This mechanism has traditionally been referred to as the Interreg programme. It will now become a strategic objective in its own right – Objective 3 – and termed, 'European Territorial Cooperation'.
In the 2007-2013 period, the EU will spend a total of 308 billion to support regional growth agendas and to stimulate job creation. The European Territorial Cooperation objective will have 2.5 percent of these funds (7.75 billion) made available to it. The EU budget for the current Interreg programme (2000 – 2006) is 5.85 billion (including the new member states).
The new Objective 3 is an affirmation of the integration of cross-border initiatives into an overarching approach that is set to take into account the Lisbon and Gothenburg objectives of the balanced, harmonious, and sustainable development of the European territory.
This calls for a strategic re-thinking of the relationship between cross-border projects and general development policies in the territories in question, and in neighbouring territories.
Future transnational cooperation programmes should seek to increase social and economic integration in macro-regions. This covers issues such as the creation of European transport corridors, natural hazard prevention, water management issues, and integrated maritime cooperation.
From 2007, the Commission plans to implement a new European neighbourhood and partnership instrument (ENPI) to support cross-border cooperation. In addition, with the regulations of July 2006, the Commission have instituted a separate cooperation instrument for the creation of cooperative groupings invested with legal personalities. These groupings, 'European groupings of territorial cooperation' (EGTC), will be able to facilitate, implement or carry out actions of territorial cooperation (programmes or projects).
The reason behind the EGTC feature is the difficulties experienced in running trans-national programmes, due to differences in national laws and regulations. National, regional, or local authorities involved in a programme may themselves in the future decide if an EGCT would be a suitable framework for running a cross-border or trans-national programme.
By Jon Moxnes Steineke, previous at Nordregio