European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation as the European Union Instrument of Cohesion Policy Implementation

Abstract

Observing the political processes taking place in the modern European Union, one can see the anchoring of the position of the cohesion policy as one of the most important policies of the organization, and within it its growing role of “territorial cohesion”. In legal terms this is reflected even in Treaty on European Union, and clearly confirms the same meaning given to the territorial dimension as economic and social dimensions were given in previous treaties. This fact, can have a significant impact on the shaping of the future of European territorial cooperation – its priorities, benchmarks, implementation forms and purposes. Increasing importance of territorial cooperation is strictly connected with the role of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), which is one of the most important new instruments for its implementation.