Interact brings EU neighbours together: knowledge across borders in Belgrade

General

26 May 26 3 min read

Building the spaces where cooperation programmes learn from each other 

On 19 and 20 May 2026, Interact brought together programme authorities and national stakeholders from EU and candidate countries in Belgrade for two days of exchange on the strategic value of cross-border cooperation. 

The EU shares more than borders with its neighbours. Cooperation programmes between EU Member States and candidate countries have been building stability and trust in border regions for years. But these programmes face real structural obstacles: complex regulatory frameworks, uneven capacities between partner authorities, and the difficulty of communicating results.  

As EU enlargement progresses and more countries move closer to membership, cooperation programmes at Europe's external borders will need to adapt. When a candidate country joins the EU, external cooperation programmes become Interreg programmes, bringing new rules, new management systems and new requirements. The authorities running these programmes today must be ready for that transition. 

On top of these, the post-2027 programming period is approaching fast. 

This is why knowledge exchange across borders is not optional. When programme authorities exchange what works and what does not, operational knowledge stops being local and starts shaping cooperation across the region. Experience then becomes a collective asset. 

Creating the space for peer exchange 

Interact organised EU Neighbours in action: Knowledge across borders to create exactly that space: a place where programme authorities from Interreg IPA, Interreg NEXT and IPA-IPA could meet as peers, exchange experiences, address shared challenges and build a common understanding of what cooperation with EU neighbours actually delivers. 

The opening day set the tone with a clear message from DG REGIO, DG ENEST and the EU Delegation in Serbia: cooperation at Europe's external borders is a strategic asset, not an administrative exercise. 

Challenges do not stop at borders. And neither does the work to address them. A panel of voices from the European Parliament, the Ukrainian Institute for International Politics, and programme authorities on the ground pushed that conversation further. Working across borders is not just a funding mechanism. It is how countries learn from one another, build resilience, and contribute to a Europe that is stronger when it works as one. 

Six sessions. Six conversations that matter

Interact facilitated workshops and discussions designed to turn shared challenges into shared solutions.  

Over six sessions, participants tackled the issues that matter most for cooperation programmes at Europe's external borders: 

• Achieving project quality and building the right partnerships 
• Turning cross-border results into impactful messages 
• Connecting cooperation to wider EU policy priorities 
• Asking whether cross-border programmes can bring real stability and trust to the regions that need it most 

From achieving project quality and building the right partnerships, to turning cross-border results into impactful messages, connecting cooperation to wider EU policy priorities, and asking whether cross-border programmes can bring real stability and trust to the regions that need it most. 

An open Agora debate closed the first day with a question that sits at the heart of the event's purpose: can cross-border cooperation programmes and projects bring added stability and trust to their regions? Drawing on programme and project experiences, participants brought concrete answers to a question that matters more than ever in the current geopolitical context. 

The second day turned its focus to the future. Two sessions addressed the questions that will define the next programming period: 

• How to enhance cooperation programmes beyond 2027 
• How to move from reactive crisis management to building programmes that are truly resilient 

Both discussions are directly linked to the EU enlargement process, as candidate countries move closer to the EU, the programmes connecting them to Member States must be ready to evolve. 

Knowledge that travels 

By bringing these actors into the same room, Interact helped ensure that the experience accumulated across years of cooperation programmes does not stay local. It travels. It informs. It shapes what comes next. 

Cross-border cooperation strengthens resilience, builds trust, and prepares EU neighbours for future integration into wider European cooperation frameworks. That potential is only realised when the people running these programmes talk to each other. 

That is what Interact made possible in Belgrade.