E.G.T.C. AMPHICTYONY

The Mediterranean, our sea, is the lake of its Peoples. Those Peoples marched through time and space, alone, sometimes as nomads and tribes and later as independent entities or in the shadow of great empires, with periods of peaceful co-existence, rivalries, friendships, defeats and victories highlighting civilizations whose roots can be found throughout the modern world, always having as common denominator the history written in this particular part of the world. 

Maintaining relations of cooperation and twinning with one another, the Twinned Municipalities, Associations and Areas of the Mediterranean believe that it is a matter of great importance for their peoples to live in a continuously peaceful environment and one of constant development, financially effective, socially just and environmentally viable with cohesion and security in their areas. 

The Twinned Municipalities, Areas and their Associations of the Mediterranean, members of the AMPHICTYONY Network of Twinned Cities and Areas of the Mediterranean that was established with its 1997 charter, realizing the need to adjust the existing charter to the Regulation EK 1082/2006 of the European Parliament and Council of July 5th 2006 for the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation , decide to amend the Charter of AMPHICTYONY as follows in order for it to evolve into an E.G.T.C Network.

 

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Workshop of the EGTC Platform OPENDAYS, 9 Οκτωβρίου 2012

Workshop of the EGTC Platform OPENDAYS, 9 Οκτωβρίου 2012

More than 150 were participants in the workshop of the EGTC Platform during the Open Days. The title of the conference was "Newspeak, better performance - The EGTC, programs and projects for the next programming period, opportunities and challenges for the future of cohesion policy" ...

Workshop of the EGTC Platform
OPENDAYS, 9 Οκτωβρίου 2012
 
More than 150 were participants in the workshop of the EGTC Platform during the Open Days. The title of the conference was " Newspeak , better performance - The EGTC , programs and projects for the next programming period , opportunities and challenges for the future of cohesion policy" . In the workshop was chaired by Mr. Herwig van Staa who succeeded Mr. Michel Delebarre, Mayor of Dunkirk as a political coordinator of the Platform Committee of the Regions on EGTC .

The objectives of the workshop were threefold:
 
· Increase awareness of the new opportunities opened up for the 2014-2020 EGTC
· To identify the main questions concerning the EGTC new political cohesion and neighborhood
· And to pave the way for the creation of new partnerships , and hence the creation of new groups.
 
The possibilities of the EGTC will be strengthened in the 2014-2020 period : The new cohesion policy creates new opportunities and challenges for the EGTC on issues such as: partial or total management of European Territorial Cooperation and coordination of activities of the EGTC with priorities European Territorial cooperation as well as the new management areas that are open on EGTC in activities such as participation in joint action plans , local development schemes included in the CBC programs , action as an intermediate body responsible for an integrated territorial investment . The EGTC is also a useful tool ca improve the structure of the macro strategies.
 
Besides the above , the new EGTC Regulation will open new possibilities for clustering with entities from third countries, which would represent a leap forward in terms of how to implement cross-border operations in the context of neighborhood
 
The 2020 time horizon , the Committee considers the EGTC key aspect of promoting cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation in accordance with the objective of territorial cohesion. The EGTC will gradually become a tool for political objectives multilevel governance , local democracy and territorial cohesion.
 
In the current economic climate , the Committee emphasizes the role of the EGTC as a lever for economic growth in these regions , and in particular for the implementation of the 'Europe 2020 '.
 
During the workshop presented the main points of the EGTC Monitoring Report for 2011.
 
The report describes developments regarding the adoption of legal provisions in Member States and regions concerned, and the reasons for non- approval, as appropriate . In early 2011 , had adopted legal provisions in nearly all Member States except Austria , Belgium and Germany, because of strong federal structures of these countries. Today, all Austrian Länder have adopted legal provisions on EGTC ( while in 2010 it was only five ), but the adoption of the federal law is still pending. Similarly , discussions about the federal legislation is still ongoing in Germany. Consultations with existing EGTC in order to feed appropriate future national legislation , which is expected to enter into force between 2013 and 2014. In the case of Belgium , an interview with a representative of the Belgian Federal Public Service of Foreign Affairs revealed that while approved rules of Brussels , Wallonia , Flanders and the German-speaking community , the approval at the federal level has been delayed because of the three government crisis and therefore still pending.
The monitoring report included for the first time basic information (public / private law , range of responsibility, authority ) for all Member States and the federal regions ( where applicable) . However , the essence of the national provisions are not the same in all Member States or in federal areas
 
New EGTC mentioned in the monitoring report for 2011 ( appended table )
The main findings of the report are:
The eight new EGTC established in 2011 have common characteristics , they face similar challenges and are registered in countries with similar characteristics. The main findings are as follows :
n Hungary seems to lead the way in creating an EGTC .
n Three new EGTC involving collaborations between France and Spain.
n The EGTC Linieland van Waas Hulst and is the first Belgian EGTC with partners from Holland.
 
All new EGTC aimed at cooperation with neighboring countries to build an institutional framework for cooperation in projects of common interest , transcending national legal boundaries. It is interesting that the EGTC Rába-Duna-Vág seeks to contribute actively to the implementation of activities under the EU Strategy for the Danube Region .
 
The EGTC emerged as a challenge for the majority of new groups, either because of the long wait for official approval or due to legal incompatibilities between different Member States or between national and European law.
 
However, the report confirms that the establishment of EGTC aims at strengthening regions or communities from different Member States, enabling them to act as a single legal entity at the regional , national and international context. Moreover, the EGTC offer local, regional and national organizations the opportunity of joint decision making.
 
Respondents expressed the hope that there will be adequate funding for the EGTC , and that future EGTC will gain the ability to seek as partners funded by the European Union.
 
The EGTC were established before 2011 have evolved steadily, focusing mainly on capacity building or implement specific projects. During 2011 most groups unified staff and structures . Although most EGTC implement many different measures , their participation in projects funded by the EU is still relatively limited, despite the fact that associated with EU programs and not only in the field of European territorial cooperation.
 
The budgets of the EGTC not exceed 1,500,000 euro (excluding hospital La Cerdanya) and the average ranges between 100,000 and 300,000 euros. EGTC Some have reported problems due to the economic crisis, although in general the members were able to meet their financial commitments made , despite the corresponding difficulties with which they were confronted .