An award for the EGTCs
The Committee of the Regions launches the Award 'Building Europe across Borders' for the European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation. The objective of the award is to give visibility to the EGTC as an instrument for fostering economic growth and especially for implementing the Europe 2020 strategy.
Mr Herwig Van Staa (AT/EPP), political coordinator of the EGTC Platform, presented on Monday 7 October the initiative to the Bureau of the Committee of the Regions: 'The award intends to recognize concrete achievements made by the EGTCs. It aims to show the specific added value of this instrument and to make the EGTCs serve as examples for other groupings of similar structures. It can thus serve as a stimulus for all the EGTCs to perform better', he said. 'It is in line with the priorities of the Presidency of the CoR', he added, underlining its link with the Strategy Europe 2020.
Mr Van Staa presented the EGTC award on 9 October, during the workshop of the EGTC Platform in the Open Days.
The new award will be oriented exclusively toward the EGTCs. It will highlight the added value presented by these groupings, in line with the commitment of the CoR to the promotion of this instrument of territorial cooperation.
The Committee will give visibility to the awardee in its activities of communication and media, in particular during events like the Open Days. The winner will not receive any monetary compensation.
The award will be bi-annual, and the editions of 2014 and 2016 will focus on growth and jobs. 'Building Europe across Borders' will award actions implemented or in way of implementation by the EGTCs. The selection criteria will include, among others, the measurable impact and outcome of the action, its contribution to the Europe 2020 strategy, its sustainability, visibility and the potential for replication as best practice.
The first call for the award will be launched before the end of 2013, and it will be delivered during the annual meeting of the EGTC Platform in February 2014. The CoR will open the jury to other EU institutions and will invite one external expert as member of the Jury.
More information:
Bureau decision in English version. All versions available in TOAD
Source: the EGTC Platform