A bridge for Europe
The European Interreg Program
The territorial cooperation in Europe, also known as Interreg, is an instrument aimed at fostering economic and social development by removing cross-border obstacles between states and regions.
Interregional cooperation
What is Interreg?
Interreg is a territorial cooperation program co-funded by the European Union (EU) covering the 27 member states, Switzerland, and Norway.
The program was created with the objective, embodied in the EU’s Cohesion Policy, to equalize economic and social inequalities within the European territory in order to pursue harmonious and sustainable regional development, as well as European cohesion and competitiveness.
As such, Interreg is the main instrument for implementing the Cohesion Policy mentioned and provided for in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) in Articles 174-178.
The ABCs of territorial cooperation
To advance territorial cooperation in Europe, the Interreg program is structured through three branches:
A bit of history
The beginnings of the program
Over more than 20 years of history, the program has implemented well over 800 cooperation projects involving more than 2,000 organizations.
In the 90s, the European Commission launches the European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) and begins the first experiments in cooperation between border regions.
At first, cross-border cooperation focuses on internal EU borders (Interreg I).
With Interreg II, the program also extends to borders outside the Union.
A new strand of Interreg, later named Interreg B, dedicated to transnational cooperation is launched.
Interreg III kicks off and branch C is born with which to consolidate support for interregional cooperation. Within Interreg IIIC four programs are developed divided first by geographical area and later by thematic area.
In total, the intervention sections become three: A. Cross-border cooperation; B. Transnational cooperation; C. Interregional cooperation.
A new EC regulation on “European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation” (EGTCs) is adopted to provide internal territorial cooperation with a more solid and homogeneous legal basis.
A specific regulation concerning territorial cooperation actions supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is adopted for the 2014-2020 program cycle.
To reinforce the thematic concentration of cooperation actions and their focus on results, it is stipulated that Interreg programs should invest at least 80% of the budget in up to 4 thematic objectives shared by the European Structural Investment Funds (EIS).
With Interreg VI, the European Commission wanted to harmonize programs, insisting on thematic concentration, and accelerate green transformation.
Italian-Austrian cooperation
What is Interreg Italy-Austria?
The Interreg Italy-Austria program supports cross-border cooperation in the border region between Italy and Austria.
The Interreg IT-AT program area
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@Credits by Abteilung Europa, Autonome Provinz Bozen - Südtirol
@Credits by Abteilung Europa, Autonome Provinz Bozen - Südtirol
@Credits by Envato Elements Pty Ltd.European legislation
Interreg - The European frame of reference
The program is part of the broader framework of the European regional policy (Cohesion Policy), which is the EU’s most important investment priority. By means of this policy, the EU seeks to promote job creation, competitiveness, economic growth, sustainable development and improved quality of life without leaving any region behind. At the same time, it aims to help member countries achieve a wide range of communal goals, for example those contained in the European Green Deal.