Mega Transport Infrastructure Projects as an Opportunity for Local Cohesion

Abstract

The eastern part of the Friuli Venetia Julia (FVG) region in Italy and the territory of the Republic of Slovenia nearest to the Italian border, is a privileged area for the relations between Italy, the Baltic and the Central Eastern Union’s markets, a significant aspect in light of the European Union (EU) eastward enlargement. The Province of Gorizia has defined several structural actions for the functional upgrading of this area by outlining the main strategic guidelines aimed at strengthening the local territory and its crucial role together with neighbouring Slovenian areas within the system of the national and international “large networks”. In particular, the Province of Gorizia has tackled infrastructural aspects by acknowledging the specificities of a cross-border area, regarded as a crossroads between east and west, and assuming a central role thanks to strategic decisions made at higher levels regarding the Venice–Trieste–Koper–Ljubljana axis (e.g. the Mediterranean Corridor).