Interreg stakeholders and citizens preparing for the future: Central Baltic Harvesting Report Available

Launched in November 2023, the extensive consultation of stakeholders and citizens in Interreg programme areas has been concluded. Accordingly, the Central Baltic Programme has published the results of this consultation to foster dialogue on future regulations.

The final document is called the Harvesting Report. The contents of this report reflect the programme’s best effort to collect and share the perspectives of our stakeholders and citizens in the regions and aim to identify the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. 

All in all, the European Commission received 67 Interreg reports presenting ideas of key stakeholders and citizens about the future Interreg. Despite significant efforts needed to organise such consultations and present their results, more than ¾ of all Interreg programmes submitted the reports so far, and more are yet to come.

Such vast consultation requested by the Commission to the programmes was the first of its kind and unique in the Interreg context. It allows the Commission and the programmes get valuable views and recommendations of people directly impacted by cooperation actions.

The Commission has entrusted an independent expert to summarise the results of the consultations. They will be discussed during the Interreg GO! high-level event in Gorizia-Nova Gorica at the end of March. The results of all consultations, including that of Interreg programmes by Interact and outcomes of the Interreg GO! discussions will be presented in a comprehensive post-2027 Harvesting report, published after the event.

The ideas of the Interreg community, stakeholders and citizens sensitive to the cooperation potential will feed into the process of creating the future EU legal rules for Interreg as well as for policy orientations for cooperation.

The reports also represent an exquisite opportunity to connect the Interreg programmes with the local communities they operate in, and promote the programmes. The results should be discussed at the monitoring committees, drawing conclusions from the opinions presented. Some of the recommendations for improvement may be implemented immediately.

Reference: This text is partially referred from the European Commission website at: Inforegio – Consultation of Interreg stakeholders and citizens preparing for the future: a big success