The Managing Authority of the Interreg IPA South Adriatic Programme, Claudio Polignano, participated in the Interreg Leaders’ Forum held in Brussels on 7 May 2026. The event was organised by the Interact Programme under the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026.

Bringing together high-level representatives from Interreg programmes across Europe, the Forum provided an important opportunity to discuss the future of European Territorial Cooperation and to exchange views on the evolving strategic framework for the 2028–2034 programming period.

The event opened with welcome addresses by Penelope Papavassiliou, Permanent Secretary of the Directorate-General for Growth under the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, and Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms.

Discussions focused on current policy developments, the European Union’s strategic priorities for the next programming period, proposed changes to implementation and delivery mechanisms, and new territorial cooperation perspectives.

The Forum offered Interreg programmes a valuable platform to share their views on the challenges and opportunities emerging from these proposals, while contributing to the broader reflection on the future architecture of cohesion policy.

European cooperation remains essential to addressing shared challenges and strengthening territorial cohesion. In this context, Interreg continues to play a key role in transforming borders into bridges and fostering sustainable, long-term collaboration across regions.