EUfutuR

EUfutuR

Future Europe - Identity, Internationalization and Institutionalization - Geopark Karawanken

The Karawanken-Karavanke UNESCO Global Geopark (hereinafter GP) covers the territory of 14 municipalities on both sides of the border. Legally and formally, the Geopark operates as a cross-border working community whose founders are municipalities and associate members.

Despite the detailed defined statute, the bilateral cooperation in this form, due to different legal and financial national frameworks, represents a great operational challenge. The latter is primarily addressed to the EUfutuR project, whose main objectives are: the establishment of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), the strengthening of the bilateral identity and the international launching of the Geopark.

The activities within the EUfutuR project will lead to the first municipal and inter-institutional cooperation between Austria and Slovenia, which intends to establish itself as an EGTC. Through this, the Karavanke Geopark will gain the appropriate legal, formal organization for further strengthened cross-border territorial cooperation. Through public events (implementation of educational and professional events, language courses, Geofestival) and creative cooperation in the territory of the Geopark, a new form of bilateral cooperation of the Geopark territory will be created for locals. Active involvement in the activities of the UNESCO Geopark Network (GGN) will also improve the international positioning of the Geopark area.

The EUfutuR project will strengthen cooperation between local communities, schools and kindergartens, the local population as a general target group and institutions involved in regional development activities based on the development of joint management bodies, educational strategies and awareness raising events to strengthen the common linguistic, cultural and natural identity of the area.

The EUfutuR project enables a conscious, lived bilateral identity and contributes significantly to the increase of awareness of the project area at the international level. The Geopark offers schools an active approach to their living space and strengthens the language skills of the citizens.

The project is a cross-border project, implemented in the cooperation program Interreg V-A Slovenia-Austria in the program period 2014-2020 and is co-financed by the funds of the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund and funds of the province of Carinthia.

Lead partner:

ARGE Geopark Karawanken 

Project Partner:

RRA Koroška, regionalna razvojna agencija za Koroško d.o.o.

Zavod Republike Slovenije za varstvo narave/OE Maribor

Društvo Kulturni dom Pliberk/Bleiburg

Duration: 1.7.2016 - 30.6.2019.

Approved ERDF contribution: € 614,963.62