INTERREG INITIATIVE

Interreg III is a Community initiative of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the cooperation between European Union regions in the 2000-2006 period. The initiative hinges on actions that concern borders and border regions between Member States and between the European Union and non-EU countries.

The initiative comprises three main sections:

• section A:cross-border cooperation for the promotion of an integrated regional development between contiguous border regions, including external borders and some maritime regions;
• section B: transnational cooperation for the promotion of greater integration between wide groups of European regions with the aim of achieving sustainable, harmonious and balanced development within the EU and a better territorial integration, also with EU candidate countries and other neighbouring non-EU countries.
• section C: interregional cooperation over the entire EU territory (and neighbouring countries) to foster regional development and cohesion.

The PORTOLANDO project has been financed within section A of the initiative known as Italy-Slovenia Interreg IIIA/ Phare Cross Border Cooperation Programme, which in Italy involves the provinces of Udine, Gorizia and Trieste for the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and the province of Venezia for the Veneto Region, through a territorial mandate that involves and qualifies for eligibility, as regards some of the actions covered by the Programme, also the provinces of Pordenone in Friuli Venezia Giulia and of Rovigo in Veneto (especially actions concerning the Po Delta Park). With regard to Slovenia, the admissible areas are instead the two statistical regions Obalno-kraška and Goriška as well as the Municipality of Kranjska Gora.

The primary objective of the initiative is to promote sustainable development of the cross-border region and territorial integration, with the aim of reducing the isolation that characterises this border areas, by enhancing cooperation networks, strengthening collaboration and improve each other's knowledge.
The initiative envisaged are structured over 3 main Axes:

Axis 1 – Sustainable development of cross-border territories;
Axis 2 – Economic cooperation;
Axis 3 – Human resources, cooperation and systems harmonisation.

The Portolando project falls under Axis 2, measure 2.2 “Cross-border cooperation in the tourism sector”.
Thus, the goal of the measure is to enhance, strengthen and improve tourism activity across the entire region concerned. This is the reason why the planned actions focus on the diversification of tourism resources, cross-border promotion of products, eco-compatible use of the territory and the revitalization of those infrastructures that are relevant from the tourism point of view. These actions tend to promote and improve local tourism systems with a view to environmental sustainability as well as diversification and innovation of tourism products.