TESIM Project, which provides technical support to the Interreg NEXT Programmes, and DG Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) of the European Commission organized a conference entitled “Neighbors in Cooperation” in Brussels. Experts from the Interreg NEXT Programmes and EU’s high level officials for the EU's external borders attended the conference. European Neighborhood Policy (ENI) and NEXT Progranmmes for 2014-2020 and 2021-2027 were represented at the event.

At the opening of the event the Director-General of the European Commission Themis Christophidou and EU’s Special Envoy for the Mediterranean Patrick Simmonet  made a speech.

Türkiye took part in the conference concerning Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme, which it has been participating in since 2007, and the Interreg NEXT Mediterranean Basin Programme, which it is participating in the period 2021-2027. Şebnem Sözer, Head of Department for Cross-border Cooperation Programmes at the Directorate for EU Affairs, which is responsible for the implementation of the programme in Türkiye as the National Authority, and the experts of the Programmes, Kubilay Sitrava and Serkan Bozkurt, attended the conference on behalf of Türkiye.

During the conference, panels titled “Neighbourhood Cooperation in Progress”, “Cooperation Programmes for Stronger Partnerships”, “Cooperation Programmes for More Attractive Territories”, “Cooperation Programmes Because Neighbours Matter” were held.  Sözer was a speaker at the “Cooperation Programmes for Stronger Partnerships” panel of the conference. Experts from Egypt, Spain, Hungary and Ukraine participated in the panel, while Türkiye contributed to the panel as a bridge connecting the Black Sea and Mediterreanean Programmes.

In her speech at the panel, Ms. Sözer underlined the cooperation with the programme countries not only on the basis of programmes but also on the basis of projects in their ongoing experience in Cross-border Cooperation Programmes, in Türkiye since 2003. She stated that as a result of this successful cooperation, the societies in the programme area have had the opportunity to get closer to each other. Drawing attention to the intense interest in the applications to the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin and Interreg NEXT Mediterranean Basin Programme, Sözer emphasized the importance of the cooperation and synergy opportunities that can be developed on the basis of projects between the two programmes in this context.

In other panels, the management of Interreg NEXT Programmes and examples of succesful projects were presented and debates were held.