Commissioner Fitto, Commissioner Kos and Minister Jevšek attend the Interreg GO! event

In his opening address, Minister Jevšek emphasized that the Interreg GO! event demonstrates the value of cooperation: “Without the long-standing cooperation between Nova Gorica and Gorizia, we would not have been as successful in obtaining the European Capital of Culture title.” For the first time in history, two cities from two different countries are linked as the European Capital of Culture across a cross-border region. It is also the first project in the history of the EU for which two countries and two cities have contributed funds from the Integrated Territorial Investment mechanism, the European Cohesion Policy’s mechanism for urban development.

“More cohesion enhances competitiveness, resilience and security; it brings better functioning of the single market, and above all more Europe! That is why Slovenia is committed to keeping Cohesion Policy a key element of the new multiannual financial framework. Slovenia is also in favour of strengthening the Interreg programmes, which are crucial for continuing with joint projects and maintaining close cooperation with cross-border partners and partners in macro-regional strategies,” Minister Jevšek added.

Minister Jevšek also held a bilateral meeting with Rafael Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reform. They discussed Cohesion Policy, its role, relevance and future challenges.

The two-day Interreg GO! event drew around 500 local, regional, national, and European decision-makers interested in the future of European Cohesion Policy, as well as its territorial cooperation and enlargement dimensions. The event is also an important milestone in the preparation of future Interreg territorial cooperation programmes under the multiannual financial framework 2028-2034.