Interact amplifies voices of cooperation at the European Parliament
04 February 26 3 mins read
Interreg was given a dedicated moment at the European Parliament to present how European territorial cooperation is experienced and delivered on the ground.
Interact supported and facilitated this moment by helping structure and convey the voice of Interreg at EU level, ensuring that concrete experiences from programmes, projects and initiatives could be shared directly with European institutions.
The roundtable discussion, hosted by Vladimir Prebilič, brought together Members of the European Parliament, representatives of the European Commission, and the Interreg community.
Interact contributed to connecting these institutional discussions with practical cooperation realities, drawing on its role as a support programme for Interreg.
The exchange focused on the current state of Interreg implementation and on perspectives for the future, including its place in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the European Union’s seven-year budgetary and programming period.
Making cooperation visible and understandable at EU level
Beyond regulatory frameworks and implementation rules, the discussion highlighted how cooperation translates into concrete change for regions, communities and citizens across Europe.
This reflects Interact’s core role: helping make cooperation mechanisms, results and challenges understandable by bringing practical experience into policy-level dialogue.
Throughout the event, examples from programmes and projects were used to illustrate how European territorial cooperation works in practice.
Interact supported the identification, structuring and presentation of these examples, ensuring that discussions remained grounded in real-life implementation.
Stories of Cooperation as a shared reference point
A central element of the exchange was the presentation of Stories of Cooperation, a publication highlighting concrete experiences from Interreg projects across Europe and beyond.
Interact contributed to positioning Stories of Cooperation as a practical resource, helping anchor institutional discussions in lived experience rather than abstract policy considerations. The Stories illustrated how cooperation is implemented across different territorial contexts, from cross-border areas to transnational and neighbouring regions.
Youth perspectives supported through Interreg Volunteer Youth
The event also gave space to young people involved in Interreg through the Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) initiative. Four IVY volunteers shared experiences from projects they supported across Europe.
Interact supported the visibility of these contributions, highlighting how youth engagement initiatives connect directly with cooperation practice and programme implementation. Their testimonies illustrated cooperation in areas such as climate resilience, sustainable food systems, urban development and cross-border security.
Concrete cooperation examples informing institutional dialogue
Interreg programmes and projects also presented examples of how cooperation changes the way services are organised and accessed across borders.
An example from the Interreg Danube Region Programme highlighted a project developing a single digital gateway for travellers with disabilities across the Danube region. The initiative aims to allow users to plan and book assistance for journeys covering multiple countries through one single application.
Such examples illustrate the type of concrete implementation experience that Interact helps bring into wider exchanges, supporting mutual learning and evidence-based discussion at European level.
Reflections shared during the parliamentary exchange
Within this institutional exchange, Members of the European Parliament shared reflections in response to the experiences and examples presented.
Raquel Garcia Hermida-van der Walle emphasised the contribution of those involved in Interreg programmes to bringing Europe closer to citizens through tangible action, while Lukas Mandl reflected on the importance of regional cooperation as part of Europe’s identity and cohesion.
These reflections were part of a broader dialogue facilitated by Interact, connecting institutional perspectives with cooperation realities on the ground.
Supporting the Interreg community in EU-level dialogue
The roundtable concluded with exchanges on the future of Interreg in the context of the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
By supporting the organisation of the event and the articulation of cooperation experiences, Interact contributed to ensuring that the voice of Interreg was clearly and coherently represented at EU level.
This reflects Interact’s ongoing role in supporting Interreg programmes and initiatives by facilitating exchange, visibility and understanding of European territorial cooperation.
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