EU Programme Experiences: Italy-Slovenia cooperation in the Interreg IIIA research programme ‘Settlements models and typologies in the view of environmental sustainability in cross-border territories

of local communities in European unification process. Since on May 1st 2004 Slovenia entered European Union, the drawing of planning tools to apply both to Italian and Slovenian countries has become more and more important, as well as the rethinking of the role and spatial organization of cross-border areas. In the sphere of the most recent actions envisaged within the programme Interreg IIIA Italy-Slovenia (2000-2006), the Department of Architectural and Urban Planning of the University of Trieste has been involved by the Directorate of Building and Technical Services of the italian Region Friuli Venezia Giulia to perform the research project “Sustainable models and typologies in the view of environmental sustainability in Italy/Slovenia cross-border territories”. The aim of the research - which started in December 2003 and will finish in May 2005 - is the working-out of shared tools for territorial government, landscape protection and settlements development in order to promote the construction of transnational visions and to enhance the knowledge of sustainability principles.