The proceedings were opened and closed by Councillor Giovanni Vetritto, Director General of DARA and Head of the ITALIAE Project, who delivered the institutional greetings and final reflections of the day.

The meeting is dedicated to the presentation of the final report of the project, carried out by FULL with CNR – ISSIRFA, which explored two key aspects for the analysis of European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs) in Italy: the regulatory and institutional aspect and the territorial and social aspect.

The event provided an opportunity for institutions and EGTCs with Italian participation to exchange views, share research findings and highlight the future prospects for European territorial cooperation.

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The European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs), established under EC Regulation 1082/2006, are the first European cooperation structures to be granted legal personality. They evolved from forms of cross-border cooperation started in the 1950s, and gained strategic importance with the Interreg programmes (1989) until the recognition of territorial cooperation as a macro-objective of European cohesion policy (2007).

The research focuses on the growing relevance of EGTCs in the post-pandemic context, where COVID-19 highlighted both the fragility of sub-national integration processes – with the unilateral closures of national borders – and the strengthening of a coordinated movement of border regions claiming specific recognition and greater dissemination of cross-border public services.

The project analyses the 14 EGTCs with Italian participation officially registered with the Committee of the Regions (out of a total of 88 in Europe), which are characterised by considerable territorial, institutional and functional heterogeneity. This diversity – ascribable to specific territorial characteristics, longevity, pursued objectives, governance models, funding sources and levels of integration – calls for a systematic analytical approach that has been lacking until now.

The multi-disciplinary methodology combines legal-institutional, territorial and strategic-functional analysis through four operational phases:

• preliminary framing with comprehensive mapping and structured questionnaires;
• comparative analysis with taxonomy and modelling;
• in-depth interviews with the 14 case studies;
• and the elaboration of policy-oriented recommendations for DARA.

FULL conducts the analysis of the territorial aspects of EGTCs, focusing on spatial dimensions, multi-level governance and operational performance. The research examines internal and external governance models, organisational and financial dynamics, contextualising them in the European territorial cooperation landscape. Particular attention is devoted to the litterature review, as well as to the identification of the distinctive features of the most effective experiences in order to gain an understanding of the factors that determine operational success or criticality.

The objective is to produce in-depth scientific knowledge of the legal, organisational and operational forms of the Italian EGTCs, developing taxonomies and systematic comparisons in order to identify performance improvement guidelines. The project also aims at facilitating the exchange of experiences and good practices among EGTCs, supporting DARA in the definition of policies and guidelines for ex-ante evaluations and future assessments.

The results will include a concluding scientific report with policy-oriented recommendations, operational guidelines for EGTCs, academic publications and a public presentation event. The dissemination activities will involve diversified stakeholders – EGTCs, local institutions, civil society, research centres – using the communication channels of the National Research Council – Institute for Studies on Regional, Federal and Autonomous Systems “Massimo Severo Giannini” (CNR ISSIRFA).

Thanks to ITALIAE, it will be possible to set up the first systematic study on Italian EGTCs, providing a solid empirical basis for evidence-based policies and scientific support for the strengthening of European territorial cooperation in a context of increasing cross-border challenges.

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Border regions in the ESPON (European Spatial Planning Observation Network) area face complex obstacles that transcend legal and administrative dimensions, involving economic, political, cultural, cognitive and interpersonal aspects. The diversity of contexts – characterising the 27 EU Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom – requires specific bottom-up approaches for multi-level cooperation, going beyond traditional ‘universal’ solutions.

Developed under the ESPON 2030 programme, CROSSGOV proposes an innovative approach centred on cross-border functional areas as a means of reducing barriers and facilitating the flows of people, goods, materials and knowledge. The perspective adopted goes beyond traditional definitions of ‘border regions’, developing new analytical frameworks to understand real interactions across administrative borders.

Integration is analysed through two dimensions: spatial interactions based on flows and barriers, and convergence of spatial characteristics driven by processes of homogeneity and discontinuity. However, these areas remain inadequately explained in their daily activities, representing a knowledge gap for European cohesion policies.

The methodology combines official Eurostat statistics, georeferenced big data and advanced web scraping techniques to dynamically represent functional areas. The main challenges include: scarcity of harmonised European data, lack of systematic information on functional flows (labour mobility, access to services, production networks), and complexity in the cartographic representation of institutional-territorial intertwining.

Comparative mapping, interactive visualisation and spatial analysis are the key tools to support more effective and evidence-based cooperation policies. The objective is to provide rigorous scientific understanding of functional areas and to formulate concrete recommendations for improving governance mechanisms in the ESPON space.

The research examines status quo and unexpressed potential of functional integration, identifying drivers, structural obstacles, emerging opportunities and evolutionary trends. Specific focus on multi-level governance mechanisms applicable to different European contexts.
FULL is also currently implementing two strategic case studies: the Espace Mont Blanc (Italy-France-Switzerland), an Alpine area with high functional integration and consolidated governance, and the Trieste Karst (Italy-Slovenia), a post-frontier region in the process of re-integration. These cases will make it possible to empirically test the models developed and develop recommendations that can be transferred to other European contexts.

Project outputs:

• Official ESPON website
• Final report
• Case studies analysed by FULL: Espace Mont Blanc and Kras-Carso-Trieste

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Read the working papers here

The post ESPON SMST appeared first on FULL | the Future Urban Legacy Lab.

Looking for new activities and attractions to maintain vibrant town centres and develop appealing urban areas

This study provides supporting knowledge and evidence on the state and development of SMSTs in Denmark by using detailed datasets and by conducting an in-depth analysis of the local context . Based on a quantitative data-driven analysis, it describes the main characteristics of SMSTs in Denmark, how they differ from each other and what role various aspects including tourism and services play. Furthermore, it presents a short update of SMST research as well as a recap of recent Danish policies related to SMSTs. Finally, it provides perspectives on Denmark’s SMSTs within a European policy context.

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