This is Europe
Interact, Interreg
Stories of collaboration and cooperation from across the European Union, brought to you by the Interreg community.
The Drive for Green Mobility
In the German city of Bremen, the local government has worked with an Interreg project encouraging locals to ditch their own cars for simply hiring one when they need it. Counting over 20,000 users so far, project coordinator Rebecca Karbaumer tells us how the scheme has managed to remove over 6,000 privately owned cars from the city’s streets, lowering its carbon footprint while improving locals’ quality of life.Meanwhile, in the Austrian town of Graz, local Mayor Jakob Frey has been encouragin
Recycling is Silver, Reuse is Gold
Across the sparse landscapes of the far north of Europe, scientists have collaborated with master beer brewer Mattias Bergström to show how much can be done with waste wheat leftover from the beer making process. Mattias tells us how important the support of Interreg is in getting this ‘circular’ economy up and running in Europe, and of the commercial opportunities it could eventually present across the continent.Meanwhile in Austria, an industrious network of Reuse advocates have come together
The Power of Social Inclusion
Following a flight from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, Bruno Tot, from the Croatian Blind Union, is ready to inspect the work of a project helping blind and visually impaired people to travel independently. Visually impaired himself, Bruno tells us of the challenges involved in travelling Europe today and how the programme is improving accessibility for people like him. Meanwhile in Lebanon, amidst one of the worst crises in the country’s history, Interreg is funding work developing a drastically new mode
Feeding Our Future Generations
In Sweden, a food revolution has been going on for some time. Consumers are increasingly demanding local produce of superior quality. We hear how meat farmer Agnetha Björnsdotter Berglund has capitalised on the trend, transforming her business by going local thanks to an Interreg programme linking small producers to national supermarkets.Meanwhile, perched a few miles from the French riviera, the small town of Mouans-Sartoux has held out against the advances of property developers to build a far
Seeking refuge
Shahidha Bari hears from refugees that have fled violence for the continent and the Interreg funded projects helping them to integrate into their new lives.In the Italian city of Parma, the ‘Wonderful House’ is providing refugees with accommodation, visa application support, language training and other resources to help them become fully fledged citizens of their new home. Pedro Apollos, Wonderful House manager and former refugee, tells us about his incredible story. Meanwhile, in the Limburg re
Culture in crisis
From the northern Italian city of Bologna, Interreg has funded an innovative pilot programme helping artists build their connections across the continent, finding new work opportunities and broadening their creative community. Musician Guido Manfrini tells us about his work with the project and how the industry has coped with performance venues being shut for over a year.Meanwhile, in the far south western corner of Europe, two Portuguese towns have teamed up with their Spanish neighbour across
Welcome to This is Europe - Season 2
There are 27 countries which make up the European Union, a union whose official motto is, ‘United in Diversity’. But how exactly do you cultivate unity across a region with such a diverse mix of culture, language and heritage? In the second series of This Is Europe, broadcaster Shahidha Bari talks to the Europeans whose lives have been transformed by Interreg - a community that was created in a spirit of knowledge-sharing and collaborative thinking both within the EU and beyond to help create a
What now for Europe?
Shahidha Bari convenes a panel of European thinkers for a conversation about the future of cooperation on the continent.Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist and the author of ‘A Short History of Europe: From Pericles to Putin’.Birte Wassenberg is Professor in Contemporary History at the University of Strasbourg.Reinier Zweers works with Interreg as Coordinator of European Cooperation in the Gelderland province. Together, they tackle the big questions facing Europe – from populist politics to t
The Next Generation of Europeans
For the third edition of This Is Europe, Shahidha Bari journeys to the outer perimeters of the European Union – and beyond – in search of the stories that are shaping the future of life on the continent.In a small village in rural Saxony, proximity to the Czech and Polish borders provides an excellent starting point for the most European of educations. Primary school teacher, Kamil Prisching, brings us along for a border-hopping school day, as his young German pupils travel to their partner scho
Neighbours
In the second edition of This is Europe, Shahidha Bari hears from members of the Interreg community who are working together, across borders, to shape the future of the EU, and establish meaningful connections with their European neighbours.A new tram line connects the French city of Strasbourg to Kehl, its German neighbour. Cathy Gebhart-Levy, a mobility planner for Strasbourg, takes us on a ride over the river Rhine, to explore the ways the new tram has strengthened a relationship with a long
A Green Europe
In the first edition of This is Europe, Shahidha Bari hears from members of the Interreg community who are creating a greener Europe. Shahidha hops on her bike to take a tour of Steffen Nozon’s hometown of Rostock in northern Germany. Steffen, an avid cyclist, is a mobility manager transforming his local area into green, car-free ‘living streets’. Meeting local residents on her bike ride, Shahidha also hears from Stefanie Maack, communications officer for Interreg, who explains that Rostock is j
Welcome to This is Europe
There are 27 countries which make up the European Union, a union whose official motto is, ‘United in Diversity’. But how exactly do you cultivate unity across a region with such a diverse mix of culture, language and heritage? In this brand new podcast, broadcaster Shahidha Bari talks to the Europeans whose lives have been transformed by Interreg. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2020, Interreg was created in a spirit of knowledge-sharing and collaborative thinking both within the EU and bey