The Regional Executive of the Friuli-Venezia region in Italy – governed by ECR member president Massimiliano Fedriga – has outlined the strategic priorities for the next seven years in a guidance document to be presented to the public, local and regional authorities and economic and social partners. The proposed pillars include: knowledge and skills in a learning region, a dynamic and sustainable regional economy fit for global challenges, and sustainable and inclusive growth that gets the most out of the region's resources.  

In line with the draft regulations submitted by the European Commission, the priority has been to draw up a planning document providing for maximum synergy not only between the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund, but also with funds dedicated to European Territorial Cooperation. Because of its geographical position, bordering Austria and Slovenia, as well as its long-standing tradition of relations with the countries of central and eastern Europe and those of the Balkans, the Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia has sought to tightly mesh its planning with the cross-border and transnational cooperation programmes and the priorities of the EUSAIR and EUSALP macro-regional strategies.  

The integration of cohesion funds – a key thrust of the Regional Executive's planning document – thus becomes a real commitment to an ever increasing integration of cross-border regions. The region is already a pioneer in this thanks to the only cross-border Integrated Territorial Investment scheme implemented in the INTERREG V-A Italy-Slovenia programme and the "Community-led Local Development" operation carried out by the INTERREG V-A Italy-Austria programme. It now intends to redouble its efforts in promoting an innovative territorial approach in the 2021-2027 period, in order to translate the European integration strategies between mainstream funds and European Territorial Cooperation funds into specific operations to benefit local communities.