European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation and international cooperation of local governments

Mgr Rafał Kuligowski - doktorant w Zakładzie Prawa Europejskiego Wydziału Prawa Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku, podinspektor ds. współpracy zagranicznej w Gabinecie Prezydenta Miasta w Urzędzie Miejskim w SłupskuThe European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) is a new instrument for carrying out international cooperation by the institutions concerned, local and regional authorities. EGTC are appointed by decree of 5 July 2006 of Regulation No 1082/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on a European grouping of territorial cooperation (Dz. U. UE, L 210/19), and the laws of the Member States of the European Union. Without a doubt, this instrument allows a new and more effective cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation to be run. Currently, the European Union has registered 32 EGTC’s, including one in Poland. Although the current number of EGTC’s generated is only small, which seems to result from a complex registration process, I think it will soon be a fundamental instrument for co-operation of local and regional authorities of the European Union.Uniwersytet w Białymstok