Europejskie Ugrupowanie Współpracy Terytorialnej – nowy instrument prawny i ekonomiczny ułatwiający rozwój turystyki transgranicznej w Polsce

Abstract

The European grouping of territorial cooperation (EGTC) is a new legal instrument of the EU which facilitates the development of cross-border tourism. The EU and state legislation obliges EGTCs to improve economic and social cohesion by indicating four basic objectives. Specific objectives are determined by the EGTCs themselves. Tourism is the most popular objective of all fifty-four EGTCs operating in Europe. Three EGTCs were established in Poland. Self-government territorial units were their initiators. Foreign members come from the following four countries: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden and Hungary. All Polish EGTCs, despite the fact that they have been operating since 2013, have already taken actions to develop cross-border tourism despite legal, financial and political barriers. They have prepared development strategies in which tourism is one of the strategic objectives. They have taken actions concerning the development and promotion of transnational destinations. They implement tourist projects in which they are usually their leaders. A barrier in the development of cross-border tourism is the absence of consent of the Polish government to fulfil a role of an institution that manages the EU programmes as well as the lack of a procedure for accepting non-EU members to EGTCs.

Keywords

• EGTC
• euroregion
• territorial cooperation
• crossborder tourism