Shëngjin, Albania recently hosted the 11th Regional CBC Consultative Forum, from 11 to 13 June 2025. This gathering brought together a vital community of practice and served as a strategic platform for the IPA Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) community. Its main goal was to assess the progress of IPA II and IPA III CBC programmes and facilitate discussions on topics of regional importance, also fostering synergies and knowledge exchange between Interreg-IPA and IPA-IPA programmes. The forum aimed to provide guidance and generate concrete recommendations for CBC stakeholders, promoting effective communication and shared understanding among all of them.
The forum was officially opened with powerful addresses, including one from Eridana Çano, National IPA Coordinator of Albania, who emphasized that “Cross-border cooperation remains one of the most tangible expressions of the European integration process in our region”. She highlighted its transformative impact on infrastructure, environment, economic development, and, more important, “on people-to-people connections”. Her sentiments were echoed by Hubert Perr, Head of Cooperation in the Delegation of the European Union to Albania. Nuria Aldao from the Directorate General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood further reinforced this, stating that IPA CBC programmes build trust and “showcase the benefits of European integration at a grassroots level, thereby reinforcing public support for the enlargement process”.
Discussions throughout the forum delved into the experiences and challenges of implementing 2014-2020 IPA cross-border cooperation programmes, including call for proposals and addressing delays under the 2021-2027 IPA CBC programmes. Participants also explored the new IPA III CBC regional monitoring system and handbooks on indicators as well as received guidelines on establishing European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC).
A focus of the ‘Building synergies among Interreg-IPA and IPA-IPA CBC programmes”, event organised back-to-back with Regional Forum was connecting IPA programmes and projects to macro-regional cooperation, synergies between Interreg -IPA and IPA-IPA programmes and capitalisation exercises.
A significant segment involved group work focused on multi-programme cooperation and common challenges, particularly the quality, assessment, and sustainability of projects. Lively exchanges followed each session, highlighting the collaborative spirit of the forum.
In conclusion, the forum provided a comprehensive overview of the current phase, highlighting progress, existing challenges, and the paramount importance of regional ownership in IPA implementation. The discussions pointed towards increasing impact through targeted investment and thematic focus within IPA III, with particular emphasis on green and digital transitions. The gathering further explored avenues for developing flagship initiatives and joint cross-border or regional actions under IPA, thereby enhancing coherence with macro-regional strategies.
The consensus was clear: events like these are “essential to advance a more integrated and result-oriented approach to European territorial cooperation”.