Liason Office Brussels of the Autonomous Province of Bozen/Bolzano-South Tyrol
The institution of a common „economic window“ in Brussels had already been the objective of a contract signed in 1995 in which the Autonomous Province of Bozen and the Chamber of Commerce of Bozen agreed with the Chamber of Commerce of Trento and the Liaison Office of Tyrol upon their cooperation.
Only one year later, in 1996, the Italian government gave the possibility to Regions and Autonomous Provinces to set up their own or common liaison offices at the European institutions. In 1998 the disposition was broadened so that the Regions and Autonomous Provinces were authorized enabled to institute such kind of liaison offices also for the scope of cross-border cooperation on international law agreements with all regions and institutions belonging to the European Union.
Originally launched through the cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce, the opportunities that were created in 1996 were immediately put into practice and the Liaison Office became the external office of the Autonomous Province of Bozen. As such it is embedded in a common Liaison Office of the European Region Tyrol with which it also shares the location. The external office of Brussels can look back on a decennial activity which brought much success and contributed to the strong position of South Tyrol within the European Region.
Thanks to the common Liaison office with the Austrian federal state of Tyrol and the Autonomous Province of Trento, the external office of South Tyrol fosters contacts and networks regarding the integration process and establishes ties with other regions and countries in order to advance common interests which lie mainly in the sectors of Alps regions, structural funds and autonomy.
The office understands itself as a wheel because it interacts with significant European institutions such as the Committee of Regions, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the European Union. As platform it fosters the use of synergies together with its partners Tyrol and Trento and with many other liaison offices in Brussels. In this regard, it turns its attention to external offices of the new member states with parallel situations and, thus, common interests.
Within the provincial administration the external office is in constant contact with the Office for European integration which is focusing mainly on the implementation of structural fund programs and other initiatives. The accompaniment and assistance of corporations, enterprises and citizens who wish to contact any of the European institutions and the process of consciousness building are also part of the activities of the office in Brussels.
More than ten years in Brussels have proved that it is very important to be close to where the action takes place. A challenge day by day!
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