Banat-Triplex Confinium EGTC

The pilot project entitled “Serbian members in an EGTC” has been launched with the aim of promoting deeper, more structured cross-border cooperation between local governments and institutions operating in the Hungarian-Serbian border region.

The project focuses on a specific legal and institutional obstacle that currently limits the participation of Serbian actors in European territorial cooperation. Serbian local governments can only participate in European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) as observers. As a result of their observer status, Serbian partners cannot enjoy the key benefits of full EGTC membership, such as:

• participation in strategic decision-making,
• the possibility of long-term, institutionalized cooperation,
• access to financing and development opportunities related to the EGTC framework
• the applicability of the “sole beneficiary” principle in the case of integrated territorial projects.

The initiative is led by the Banat-Triplex Confinium European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (BTC EGTC), which has long been an active player in cooperation in the Hungarian-Serbian-Romanian border region. The project builds directly on the expert report completed in February 2025 as part of the AEBR’s b-solutions 3.0: Solving Border Obstacles to Facilitate Cooperation program and puts its recommendations into practice.

During the one-year duration of the project, legal and policy preparation, as well as professional events based on personal participation, will contribute in parallel to addressing current institutional obstacles:

• Preparatory and coordination activities
• Coordination of professional and organizational tasks related to the launch of the project.
• Workshops and professional events
• Professional events in Hungary and Serbia aimed at presenting the functioning of the EGTC and ECG models, jointly interpreting current legal and institutional barriers, and discussing possible solutions with the involvement of the municipalities, institutions, and professional actors concerned.
• Preparation of a joint statement

With the participation of Hungarian and Serbian local governments and cross-border cooperation organizations, a joint statement will be drafted and agreed upon, expressing the support of the stakeholders for legal and institutional changes that would enable Serbian local governments to become full members of the EGTC.

• Preparation of background materials
• Preparation of targeted background materials for decision-makers and professional actors, summarising the benefits of EGTC membership, presenting the main findings of the b-solutions expert report and providing an overview of possible ways forward.
• Establishing coordination frameworks
• Professional preparation of a future national-level EGTC/ECG coordination structure that can support the participation of Serbian municipalities in institutionalized cross-border cooperation in the longer term and facilitate coordinated action among stakeholders.
• Communication of results
• Sharing the experiences and results of the project.

Project ID: b-solutions case 176

Beneficiary: Banat-Triplex Confinium EGTC

Amount of support: EUR 29,746

Project duration: 7 July 2025 – 6 July 2026

The source of the news is available at this link.