Research Project: European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation–support during the preparation phase

Concept

The project focused on advisory services and model solutions to overcome general challenges for EGTC set ups, and the promotion of exchange between EGTC players. Three work packages structured these activities:

1. Analysis. First, the project team identified existing legal and other difficulties and challenges that usually arise during the EGTC set up process. To this end, it conducted interviews with EGTCs already founded with German participation and with EGTCs in the process of being founded as well as with the respective competent approval authorities of the German federal states ("Länder"). This was the basis for compiling a collection of recurring problem areas, for which approaches to solve them and model solutions were developed. They served as the content basis for the advisory services. In addition, the project team discussed them with all participants of the workshop. Subsequently, they were further developed or revised. The final approaches and solutions are presented in a publication.
   (Implementation period: November 2017–April 2019)
2. Advisory services. With this work package the project team offered legal advice for four EGTCs in the foundation process. The focus was on general issues for which a nationwide interest could be assumed. The questions concerned both the internal and external relationship of the EGTC. For each EGTC founding process supported, the project team specified the concrete needs with the German EGTC stakeholders and prepared a legal expert opinion with approaches for solutions or concrete proposals for the formulation of the founding documents.
   (Implementation period: April 2019–November 2019)
3. Workshop. The main purpose of the workshop was to exchange experience and knowledge between EGTCs being set up and approval authorities. The focus of the workshop was on the discussion of issues raised in previous work packages. In addition to the representatives of the EGTCs in the process of being set up and those interested in setting up an EGTC, representatives of experienced approval authorities, EGTCs and the European Commission also attended the workshop.
   (Implementation period: December 2018–April 2019)

These three work packages were supplemented by a publication, which particularly aims to make the final model solutions permanently available.