Project title: Establishment of city cooperation in the cross-border region between eastern Styria, eastern Slovenia and south-west Hungary with the aim of developing a common strategy and realization of the first pilot projects

Project type: international

Status of project: completed

Duration: May 2008 - December 2013.

Financing: ERDF - European Territorial Cooperation, cross-border program Slovenia - Austria 2007-2013, www.si-at.eu

Partners:

• Scientific Research Centre Bistra Ptuj (Slovenia),
• Eu - Regionalmanagement Oststeiermark (Austria) - Lead Partner,
• Development center Murska Sobota (Slovenia),
• LTO Prlekija Ljutomer (Slovenia).

Head of the project at SRC Bistra Ptuj: Sašo Kafel

Project objectives: The City Cooperation Project pursues the following specific objectives:

1. Building a lasting partnership in the project involving 24 cities in a triangle triangle between Austria, Slovenia and Hungary.
2. Joint analysis of the situation and exchange of experience during the project of the participating cities.
3. Develop a coordinated strategy for the future-oriented positioning of cities in the border region in the following areas:

• intensifying the participation of cities within and between the countries of the border region,
• Conservation and revitalization of urban centers as traditional economic centers of the region with great social and cultural value for urban and regional identity,
• the positioning of cities in a triangle of triangles as economic junctions between Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe,
• promoting the economic development of business in cities as facilitators for the joint development of the border region,
• Intensifying social and economic connections at all levels between cities and regions of the border region.

4. Development of joint pilot projects, activities and actions and the establishment of a common development strategy.
5. Development and establishment of an organizational model for the planning and implementation of these joint activities of cities within and between individual countries.
6. Formulation of the concept for the permanent establishment of a jointly designed strategy and for continuing cooperation after the end of the presented concept, project.

Meaning for the local environment:

The City Cooperation project, with its activities, raises promotional power to the local environment, with the help of the project, smaller partner cities can be placed alongside large, tourist towns and their offerings. The local environment will connect the project along the tourist side to the cities in eastern Slovenia, Austria and Hungary, thereby helping to work more closely in other areas. Various promotional products (magazines, catalogs, maps, booklets of benefits ...) are organized within the project, they organize events around towns, and our promoters participate in recognized international fairs, thereby increasing the visibility of our area.

Results of the project:

Within the City Cooperation project, the close cooperation between the cities of the border regions of eastern Styria, eastern Slovenia and southwestern Hungary will be established for the first time in order to create a common future.

• Building sustainable cooperation between the participating cities in Austria, Hungary and Slovenia.
• Creating a common strategy for sustainable cooperation.
• Develop a common strategy for sustainable urban development in the border region.
• Creating a joint strategy for intensifying social, economic and cultural links between the cities of the border region.
• Development of measures and project proposals for the establishment of a joint strategy in the field of cooperation, communications, urban development and the development of the economy.
• Establishment of selected pilot projects in the area of ​​the developed strategy of jointly defined leading cooperation sectors.
• Creating a common concept for sustainable cooperation after the end of the presented project.

More about the project