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

The Polish-Slovak Action Strategy for the EGTC TATRY for the Years 2014-2020

The Polish-Slovak Action Strategy for the EGTC TATRY for the Years 2014-2020

The creation of a shared legal entity, the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation TATRY Ltd in August of 1993 by Euroregion Tatry Association on the Polish side and Region Tatry Association on the Slovak side is the natural outcome of the stable cooperation of the two partners as parts of the Euroregion Tatry, a cooperation based on good practice and numerous shared projects. The objective of the EGTC TATRY is the further development, facilitation, and propagation of Polish-Slovak crosborder cooperation for the purpose of strengthening social and economic cohesion in the Grouping's area of intervention on the Polish and Slovak sides of the Tatra Mountains. The tasks of the EGTC TATRY focus primarily on the preparation and implementation of territorial cooperation projects cofinanced by the European Union, as well as projects without the financial contribution of the European Union. The foundation documents of the Grouping also foresee the participation of the Grouping in the management and implementation of programs or parts of programs of European Territorial Cooperation.

The creation of the EGTC TATRY has led to a significant innovation in the way that territorial cooperation is carried out. The Grouping was created at a time when preparations for new programs of territorial cooperation for the 2014-2020 programming period were being completed. Regulations concerning cohesion policy emphasise the role of EGTCs in the realisation of European Territorial Cooperation projects as the public actor managing the program or part of the program, or as sole beneficiaries in ETC projects, which can be independently prepared, implemented, and coordinated.

The use of this potential of the EGTC TATRY represents a chance for the further development of Polish-Slovak crossborder cooperation in Euroregion Tatry. However, for this innovative instrument to function properly and efficiently implement territorial cooperation on the Polish-Slovak border, it has been necessary to elaborate a long-term strategy. Every effort has been made to ensure that the objectives and assumptions of this strategy are consistent with Polish and Slovak local, regional, and national strategic objectives, and with European Union documentation. This strategy will ensure a strong and focused management of the Grouping's activities. It will make coordinated cooperation possible on both sides of the Polish-Slovak border. It will strengthen the operational capability of the EGTC TATRY, while strengthening Polish-Slovak territorial cooperation for the years 2014-2020. First and foremost, it will serve the needs of local governments on both sides of the border by facilitating the realisation of shared crossborder projects for 2014-2020. For this reason, it has been essential to engage a wide range of Polish and Slovak local governments – the members of Euroregion Tatry – in the creation of this strategy. Representatives of these local governments have taken an active role in the consultations, meetings, surveys, and calls for proposals for shared projects. This, together with the advice of experts, has allowed us to define strategic areas of cooperation, objectives, and tasks which take into account the needs of the local governments of the Polish-Slovak border. The results of these efforts are presented in the following publication.

Work on the preparation of The Polish-Slovak Action Strategy for the EGTC TATRY for the Years 2014-2020 was carried out by Euroregion Tatry Association in cooperation with Region Tatry Association as part of a microproject cofinanced by the Republic of Poland-Slovak Republic Cross-border Cooperation Program for 2007-2013.

The Polish-Slovak Action Strategy for the EGTC TATRY for the Years 2014-2020  pdf

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