MORO Focus on municipal and regional aspects – Transnational cooperation (Interreg B) 2028–2034
The model project for spatial planning “Interreg 2028+” supports the BMWSB, BBSR, and the federal states in creating favorable conditions for strong participation by target groups in future Interreg B programs. The project analyzes how transnational cooperation can be set-up and structured in the future so that cities, municipalities, and regions in Germany can benefit more from Interreg B. The focus is on funding conditions, thematic priorities, and practical starting points for the 2028–2034 funding period.
Preparations for the EU cohesion policy in the 2028–2034 funding period are underway. The publication of the proposal for the multiannual financial framework, initial draft regulations from the European Commission, and ongoing political discussions suggest some continuity, but also numerous changes to the funding architecture, which will also affect transnational cooperation within the framework of Interreg B. Among other things, new governance approaches, performance-based elements, and a stronger focus on topics such as transformation, competitiveness, resilience, and security are being discussed.
Against this background, Germany has a particular interest in ensuring that future Interreg B programs continue to offer clear added value for cities, municipalities, and regions. Local and regional actors play a central role in implementing integrated territorial development approaches, as called for in the Territorial Agenda 2030, but often face formal, structural, and content-related hurdles when participating in transnational projects. At the same time, the spatial challenges in the individual program areas differ and require tailor-made funding themes and instruments.
In order to make future transnational cooperation practical and stakeholder-friendly, it is therefore necessary to identify both the changed European framework conditions and the specific needs and challenges of the federal government and the federal states involved in the program areas and their cities and regions.
The aim of the Interreg 2028+ project is to provide technical support to the federal and state governments in creating favorable conditions for strong participation by German cities, municipalities, and regions in transnational cooperation within the framework of Interreg B in the 2028–2034 funding period.
To this end, the project examines which formal and structural funding conditions favor or hinder the participation of municipal and regional actors, which thematic priorities are particularly relevant from a German perspective in the individual program areas, and how these fit in with future funding opportunities for transnational cooperation. Building on this, concrete starting points are developed to align programs, procedures, and content more closely with the needs of the target group. The results will serve as a basis for information and decision-making in the preparation of future Interreg B programs and will contribute to strengthening the links between transnational cooperation and national funding and research programs and to securing the European added value of integrated territorial projects.
REM Consult, together with SPRINT – wissenschaftliche Politikberatung PartG, forms the working group for this model project of spatial planning. Together, they support the BBSR in analyzing the framework conditions for future transnational cooperation, conducting a broad consultation process among project and program stakeholders, analyzing international best practices, systematically investigating obstacles, and developing starting points for greater participation.
