Dear Visitor,
Welcome to the homepage of the European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation.
The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (hereinafter: EGTC) is the first diverse instrument of the European Union facilitating institutional cooperation that provides a framework with legal guarantees for the integrated development of isolated border areas and for the management of comprehensive, transnational cooperations and programmes.
An EGTC brings the players of at least two Member States or third states (municipalities, regional authorities or the state) into an organisation. An EGTC has legal personality and full legal capacity. It may act as an independent legal entity, has its own budget, organisation and contracting capacity, may acquire mobile or immobile properties and act before a court. The members elect the director and set up the assembly consisting of the representatives of the members.
This form of cooperation is highly suitable for a wide range of goals: in addition to traditional projects related to tourism, local products and culture in border areas, EGTCs now implement transport, tourism and infrastructure projects on a larger scale (e.g. community transport, incubator houses, road links).
As the institutionalised grouping of its members, an EGTC can draw EU funds more simply and effectively: being the direct beneficiary of trans-frontier and EU funds, it allows for predictable strategic planning and implementation with fewer administrative tasks.
It supports multi-level management structures: as a legal person under EU law and with its membership of local, regional or national authorities, it is a bridge linking the local to the governmental, it helps eliminate administrative and legal obstacles that stem from the divergent regulations in Member States and contributes to the development of complex areas as a bottom-up initiative.
In cohesion and regional policy, the European Commission specifically encourages Member States to make use of the EGTC as an instrument of cooperation and potential for the joint management of trans-frontier areas.
EGTCs can be established in Hungary since 1 August 2007; in the EU currently there are 71 EGTCs with a final registration: from those 25 have Hungarian members and 21 have their registered office in Hungary.
Péter Kiss-Parciu
Deputy State Secretary for Regional and Cross-border Economic Cooperation