We took part in the international conference "Interreg GO!" organised on 27-28th March 2025 by the European Commission in the partner cities of Gorizia (Italy) / Nova Gorica (Slovenia), which jointly enjoy the title of European Capital of Culture this year.
The first day of the conference focused on the results of the public consultation on the future of Interreg. In this part, reference was made to the PL-UA Programme and the extensive consultations we carried out in its area (Report “Consultation on Interreg post-2027”) by both Sławomir Tokarski, Director of DG REGIO at the European Commission, and Jan Szyszko, Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy of Poland.
In his introduction, Director Tokarski emphasised that it is to the flexibility of programmes involving Ukraine and the determination of Ukrainian institutions that we owe the continuation of cross-border cooperation, which is taking place despite the war in that country. Director Tokarski pointed out the particular needs of the regions bordering Russia and Belarus, which must also be recognised in future Interreg programmes.
In this part of the event, in a video, participants were welcomed by Ihor Yaremenko, Deputy Secretary of State in the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, who noted Ukraine's strong commitment to the European values and the Interreg initiative itself. The Deputy Secretary of State also acknowledged the invaluable support Ukraine receives from its European partners and stressed the need for even stronger Ukrainian participation in the EU's future cohesion policy.
Discussing the conclusions of the consultations conducted by, among others, the PL-UA Joint Secretariat, Deputy Minister Szyszko also referred to the situation of both the Polish regions bordering Belarus and Ukraine, mentioning the expectations of their communities towards the next edition of the Interreg:
Analysis of the results of the consultation shows that the regions bordering Russia and Belarus and those bordering Ukraine currently have significantly greater needs to ensure security and promote development. Due to threats, economic and social challenges, they require special attention and support, said Deputy Minister Szyszko.
Among the expectations for future Interreg cooperation in the area, the Deputy Minister also mentioned the need for more predictable and strong funding. He stressed that it is crucial to build a strong position and competitiveness of these regions to attract investment to them and the Interreg is an excellent tool for this.
The second day of the conference focused on the various thematic areas currently being addressed under the Interreg. Among these, of course, is the topic of HEALTH, which is also key to the PL-UA Programme, and it was in a panel discussion on this area that we took part, showing numerous experiences of Polish-Ukrainian cooperation between health services. We shared our conclusions from already several years of supporting access to medical care through the Programme and highlighted the still enormous challenges in this area.
The conference, held at a symbolic location on the Italian-Slovenian border, was at the same time a celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Interreg initiative, which in the course of its history has taken shape as a strong and significant tool throughout Europe for improving the quality of life of people living in border regions. We hope that it will continue to be an even stronger tool in the next EU financial perspective.
Read more about the event on the EC website here.
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