The future of Interreg discussed at the Venice Film Festival

The afternoon of 30 August was particularly bright for the future of Interreg.

 In the sunkissed Lido of Venice, where international movie stars were convening to take part in the 81^st Venice Film Festival, the Interreg Italy-Croatia programme held its Conference "Italian and Croatian Stakeholder Dialogues on the Future of Interreg".

 The Conference gathered representatives of programme authorities, of the European Commission, as well as stakeholders active on the cooperation area and project beneficiaries. It constituted one remarkable occasion in which such a variety of actors involved in Interreg came together to exchange in person.

 In a city that is historically symbol of cooperation and exchange, Simona Pohlová, Deputy Head of Unit for Cross-Border Cooperation at DG REGIO, reminded that Interreg “is there to solve shared problems and generate new ideas, and to build a European identity. Across Europe, without Interreg, such cooperation would not exist, or it would not bring benefits on the same scale.”

 Participants highlighted the game-changing role of Interreg investments for many beneficiaries, as well as the value of cross-border exchanges to find joint solutions to common challenges. Small-scale projects were particularly praised for their tangible value-added and accessibility to the population.

 Among the challenges for the future, structural issues such as demographic imbalances in the region were brought up, as well as the need for further allocations, harmonisation, and administrative simplification.

 This event was part of a wider consultation process organised by Interreg Italy-Croatia and which also includes two online surveys – for citizens and stakeholders respectively –, face-to-face interviews, and world-café rounds. Surveys are still open for contributions until 30 September 2024.