Policy objective: ISO 1 - A better cooperation governance

Specific objective: ISO 1.(b) - ISO 1.(b) - enhance efficient public administration by promoting legal and administrative cooperation and cooperation between citizens, civil society actors and institutions, in particular, with a view to resolving legal and other obstacles in border regions

Typology: Standard project

Short description of the project: The CO ADRIA project tackled the common challenge of climate change in the Italy-Slovenia programme area, with the overall objective of contributing substantially to the attainment of climate neutrality by 2050 in line with European objectives. The overall objective of the project was to promote climate neutrality in the cross-border area through coordinated actions that helped improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions and promote the deployment of renewables in key industries and through the preparation of a common structure. The expected change that the project made to the current situation was that it facilitated shared initiatives and helped overcome cross-border administrative barriers in order to achieve climate neutrality through new approaches and behaviour. The project contained several innovative elements both in its strategic approach and in the actual solutions it intended to develop. First, the preparation of the EGTC promoted a truly cross-border cooperation model, bringing together Italian and Slovene partners in the definition of a joint structure with the potential to act on both sides of the border and that could be further enlarged in the future to include other adjacent countries outside the programme area. Furthermore, the project tested energy management models on a cross-border scale, with the active engagement of local communities in the definition of priorities and actions for energy transition. Pilot actions were implemented and the viability of future cross-border energy communities, where users played an active role in energy generation and management, was tested. The main outputs of the project were:
i) a strategic cross-border collaboration network among all PPs for the achievement of climate neutrality in the EU by 2050 and the preparation of all the necessary documentation to set up an EGTC, providing a unified and high-level cross-border governance instrument to address the climate neutrality concerns shared by all PPs; ii) two action plans: the first plan included climate change response measures and actions, a review of best practices and the successful adoption of the EU’s Mission on Climate Change Adaptation common measures; the second action plan included a roadmap for the future EGTC on the initiatives for the creation of energy communities that could also envisage the use of hydrogen; iii) joint cross-border information events aimed at enhancing civil servants' competencies and helping the population to recognise the importance of territorial cooperation, as well as environmental and climate issues. The project results were: i) the preparation of the basis for the future institutionalisation of the cross-border cooperation network in the form of an EGTC, which could act as a hub for cooperation on climate neutrality in the area; ii) the adoption of joint energy efficiency action plans and innovative energy solutions in the cross-border area; iii) the participation in joint training and information initiatives for the promotion of climate neutrality in the Programme Area, initially organised within the project. There were several beneficiaries of the project outputs and results. Local partner authorities improved their competencies on energy and climate issues and therefore their ability to plan and implement sustainable local policies. Businesses and SMEs in the area were involved in pilot actions and developed sustainable energy solutions. The local communities became more aware and involved in energy community initiatives, taking an active role in the transition. The adoption of participatory approaches to the development of energy conversion projects and the creation of synergies provided a replicable model of cross-border governance on sustainability issues and contributed to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Cross-border cooperation was mandatory as environmental and climate challenges spread across geographical or administrative boundaries and required a coordinated and joint effort by communities and partners located on both sides of the border. Furthermore, the sharing of knowledge, experience and good practices between Italian and Slovene partners fostered more effective solutions than those that could have been achieved through isolated actions at a local or national level.