Europejskie Ugrupowanie Współpracy Terytorialnej
Project partners:
miasto Nowy Targ miasto Kezmarok

The conference “EGTC TATRY as a tool for the development and enhancement of regional international cooperation”

The autumn of 2018 marked 5 years since the establishment of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation TATRY by the Euroregion “Tatry” Association on the Polish side and Združenie Euroregion Tatry on the Slovak side. It was then the first such entity on the border of Poland with the participation of an Euroregion. The 5 years which have nearly passed helped develop the Grouping’s activities, implement many projects, establish its position as an entity with considerable experience and potential. A moment has come to summarise a certain stage of activities, draw conclusions and set more goals and plans. This is particularly relevant since preparations have already started to the new 2021-2027 perspective in which draft regulations concerning the cohesion policy provide for enhancing the role of Groupings, inter alia, through managing the small project fund.

Because of that, on 30.11. 2018, EGTC TATRY organised an international conference held at the Centre for Polish-Slovak Cooperation in Nowy Targ. The conference was attended by representatives of the founders of the Grouping – the Euroregion „Tatry” Association and Združenie Euroregion Tatry, Polish and Slovak local governments, institutions engaged in the Polish-Slovak cooperation, euroregions and institutions engaged in the Polish-Slovak cooperation, euroregions and groupings, opinion-creating circles from Poland and Slovakia.

The visitors were welcomes by the Chair of the Meeting Štefan Bieľak and Director Agnieszka Pyzowska. In the first part, contributions were made and presentations were given on theoretical and practical aspects of the functioning of European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation. The place of Groupings in the system of international cooperation was discussed, amongst others, by Professor Dr hab. Kazimierz Jóskowiak, from the Helena Hodkowska University of Technology and Economics in Warsaw. In turn, Dr Marcin Krzymuski, of the Law Firm Hempel Krzymuski Partner Frankfurt(Oder) analysed  the role of EGTC and the new mechanism for eliminating legal and administrative barriers in the cross-border context in EU draft regulations for 2021-2027. The concepts of the new financial perspective, and the functioning of the Small Project Fund in particular in Interreg programmes after 2020 and the new proposals put forward by the European Commission were covered by Tomasz Kołodziejczak, Head of the Monitoring and Evaluation Department, Ministry of Investment and Development. This part of the conference was concluded with a presentation of the activities of EGTC TATRY in 2013-2018 and an analysis of the development potential and the directions for further actions of EGTC TATRY in the future perspective of 2020+ which was presented  by Agnieszka Pyzowska, EGTC TATRY Director.

Part two of the conference was in the form of a debate on European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation functioning on the Polish-Slovak cross-border area – their experiences, opportunities and threats. In the debate, Štefan Bieľak, Chair of the EGTC TATRY Grouping, Antoni Nowak, Honorary Member of the “Tatry” Euroregion and Marta Slavíková, Director of EGTC Tritia, shared their observations. Also conferences participants joined in the discussion.

An information brochure came out on the occasion of the conference about cross-border cooperation and the activities of EGTC TATRY, in Polish, Slovak and English, which is also available in an electronic version.

You are welcome to peruse the presentations:

  • Role of EGTC and the new European Cross Border Mechanism in the cross-border context in the draft EU Regulations for 2021-2027, Dr Marcin Krzymuski pdf
  • Small Project Fund in Interreg Programmes after 2020, Tomasz Kołodziejczak, Ministry of Investment and Development  pdf
  • The activities of EGTC TATRY in 2013-2018 and an analysis of the development potential and directions for further actions of EGTC TATRY in the future perspective of 2020+, Agnieszka Pyzowska, EGTC TATRY   pdf

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Public task co-financed by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland in the call for projects
“Support for the local-government and civic dimensions of Poland’s 2018 foreign policy”


Project co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development
Fund under the Republic of Poland - Slovak Republic Cross-border Co-operation Operational
Programme 2007-2013 and from the funds of the Malopolskie Voivodship