Consultation workshop “Shape the future Interreg!”

This workshop is part of a wider consultation carried out by Interreg Programmes all over Europe to inform the regulations for the next generation of Interreg programmes post-2027.  

Approximately 15 participants joined the workshop from Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden. The majority of participants represented higher education and research institutions, and many participants were relatively new to the Interreg NPA, with less than 1 year of involvement with the programme.  

Before the facilitated discussions, a video message was given by Prof. John Bachtler, Director European Policies Research Centre at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, and Member of the Group of High-Level Specialists on the Future of the Cohesion Policy. He provided some insights into the ongoing discussions about the future Cohesion Policy, and Interreg’s place in it.  

Next, Dr. Irene McMaster from the same institution gave an overview of how Interreg had matured over the years, and more specifically how the Interreg NPA has evolved since its inception in the Nordic-Scottish Cooperation in the late 90s. She commented that throughout the different funding periods, the programme had maintained a strong community focus, which had allowed it to respond well to changing policies.  

In smaller groups, the participants discussed potential cooperation topics they would like to see in the future, and what ideas they have been able to test with NPA support that would not have been possible otherwise. In addition, they discussed how the programme can to an even larger extent target real needs in the region, how the programme can better support capacity building, and help to better prepare organisations for cooperation. And finally, if they could add a new feature to the future NPA programme, what would it be. 

The outcomes of the discussions will feed into a harvesting report that will be submitted to the European Commission by the end of the year.  

As part of the same post-2027 consultation, an online survey is still open until 30th September. 

Watch the recording of the workshop below or on YouTube.