EZÚS is the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), a legal form allowing entities from several member states to create a joint organisation with its own legal personality. Members tend to be self-governing regions, towns, municipalities and their associations from neighbouring border regions. The grouping can prepare and carry out joint projects, manage cross-border cooperation programmes, operate shared services and act as a single applicant, which removes the problem of differing legal systems. Several such groupings operate along Slovakia's borders, focused on transport links, tourism, healthcare and joint planning. For border municipalities, it is a practical route to projects they would not be able to carry out on their own. Establishing a grouping requires the consent of the member states concerned and an approved convention, so it is a step with a longer lead time, worth considering for long-term cooperation.
See also: Cross-border project, Interreg, Cooperation project.
