Most of the Interreg Programmes are relatively new, implementing in 2021-2027 the third or fourth generation of Programmes. Cumulated with the socio-economic context of Central and Eastern Europe, this feature determines a different level of maturity as compared with the Western European Interreg Programmes.
Because of the high density of borders, the majority of the population from Central and Eastern Europe live in a CBC Programme area. Moreover, in many situations, specific territories are covered in more than one or even two CBC Programmes. Not the least, due to its geographical and geopolitical position, the Central and Eastern Europe region concentrates the highest number of IPA and NEXT Programmes.

All these characteristics ask for an enhanced communication and cooperation among territorial cooperation Programmes from Central and Eastern Europe, since they can build on each other’s experience and expertise. Széchenyi Programme Office would like to initiate such a process by organizing a conference dedicated to the most stringent challenges the Interreg Programmes are facing at the moment.

Therefore, this event is meant to provide a platform for exchanges and dialogue between the Programmes from Central and Eastern Europe. We intend to facilitate a dialogue which, due to the physical proximity and similar interest, may evolve in the future and create closer ties among the Interreg programmes from the region.
The conference, named Art of Cooperation, to be held in Budapest provisionally on the 17-18th of October 2023, on the eve of the European Cooperation Day, is based on a series of parallel panel discussions. When selecting the topics of the panels, we took into account the current phase of Programme implementation, trying to identify the most interesting and challenging tasks Interreg Programmes are facing at this stage, as the enhanced implementation of the simplified costs options by the different programmes, the control systems, the challenges faced by the new generation of IPA and NEXT Programmes, or the governance of the electronic platforms used by the programmes in the area.

On the second day of the conference, the Programmes hosted by Hungary will present the results of 2014-2020 programming period as well as introduce the specificities and opportunities of the new programmes. The two-day event is accompanied by a project fair with the project beneficiaries as exhibitors selected by different Programmes.The fair is a great opportunity for the dissemination of project results and networking.