Detailed consultations on the Interregional Territorial Planning Concept (ITPC) began on 20 October, launching the next stage of work on one of Bridge2EastCE’s key project outputs. The consultations will help partners shape the concept and prepare its first version, drawing on the needs and experience of the participating border regions.
The ITPC is intended to provide a practical framework for more coordinated territorial planning across the eastern border areas of Central Europe. The regions involved face challenges that cross administrative boundaries, while planning responsibilities and policy approaches can differ from one country to another. The concept will therefore consider how partners can improve cooperation, connect planning processes and develop responses to shared regional needs.
The consultations will give project partners an opportunity to examine the proposed approach in detail and consider how it can work in different institutional and regional settings. This includes discussing the methods and tools that could support joint planning, the policy guidance needed to make cooperation effective, and ways to involve relevant stakeholders in the process.
A central aim is to make the ITPC applicable to the practical challenges faced by the regions. Bridge2EastCE’s pilot work focuses on migration and labour market issues, where changes in population and movement across borders can affect local services, employment and regional development. The project is also considering how a migration flow observer network could help partners better understand these developments and support informed planning.
The ITPC is being developed as a shared project framework rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. The consultations will help account for differences in national policies and regional conditions while identifying opportunities for partners to coordinate their work. The emerging concept is expected to support long-term cooperation, strengthen multi-level governance and provide recommendations that can be adapted beyond the immediate project partnership.
The discussions launched on 20 October will feed into the preparation of the first version of the ITPC. As the work continues, partners will refine the concept together and consider how its methods and recommendations can help border regions plan more effectively for common challenges and future change.