Improving governance for cooperation in central Europe
Turning shared challenges into coordinated action for stronger regions
Central Europe is connected by longstanding cultural, economic and functional ties. Yet many of the challenges its cities and regions face extend beyond borders, administrative boundaries and institutional responsibilities. Projects funded under this priority help authorities and regional actors work across these boundaries and develop more coordinated ways to plan and manage their territories.
Across this priority, the focus is on what cooperation can achieve when places address shared challenges together: stronger public capacities, more integrated territorial strategies and better coordinated action that reflects how people, services and communities are connected in real life.
19
Projects helping regions plan and act together
154
Partners cooperating for a better governed central Europe
186
Outputs supporting better territorial governance
22
M € invested in better governance across central Europe
Strengthening governance for integrated territorial development
Cooperation is central for regions and cities to address shared challenges across borders and administrative boundaries
People’s daily lives rarely follow administrative boundaries. They travel between municipalities for work, rely on services in neighbouring areas and share natural, cultural and economic resources across regions and borders. Yet the authorities responsible for these places often plan and act separately.
This makes it harder to respond to challenges such as demographic change, access to public services, tourism, culture, mobility, health and economic development. Strategies may be prepared for individual territories even when the problems, resources and communities involved are closely connected.
The challenge is not simply to develop better strategies. It is to help authorities plan and act around how places function in real life.
Projects supported under this objective test new ways of governing territories with shared needs. They bring together authorities at different levels, regional organisations, service providers and citizens to develop more coordinated policies and integrated strategies. They also work to reduce administrative barriers, strengthen participation and use digital tools to make cooperation more open and effective.
Working across borders allows partners to compare governance systems, learn from different approaches and develop solutions that no single authority could implement alone. This is especially important where everyday connections extend across several municipalities, regions or countries.
The results are practical:
- public authorities coordinate planning and services more effectively
- regions cooperate more closely across borders and administrative levels
- citizens and local organisations gain a stronger role in decision-making
- connected territories develop shared strategies around common needs
- administrative barriers to cooperation are reduced
- successful governance approaches can be adapted in other regions
Together, these results help authorities govern territories around the real connections between people, services, businesses and places.
