Verkhovsky Ivan Anatolievich – Master’s student, Faculty of International Relations, Political Science and Foreign Regional Studies, Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH).
The article is devoted to the analysis of the key features of cross-border interaction between Slovenia and Italy at the turn of the 2010–2020s. The relevance of the Italian-Slovenian partnership is conditioned not only by the current foreign policy priorities of the two states, but also by the importance of their cooperation within the framework of transregional and supranational associations. Slovenia views the importance of cooperation with the Italian Republic through the prism of Central European self-identification and orientation towards Euro-Atlantic institutions, in which Italy plays an important role. For the Italian Republic, seeking to expand its influence in the Balkans, the position of Slovenia as a potential leader of the post-Yugoslav space is of fundamental importance. The implementation of mutual priorities occurs within the framework of regional cooperation associations, including the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative and the Central European Initiative, and the EU leadership pays significant attention to the development of these projects. The study characterizes the main problems of the Italian-Slovenian borderland, including the issues related to national minorities and the specifics of the Gorizia – Nova Gorica agglomeration. The author comes to the conclusion that these problems are both connecting and dividing factors in bilateral relations. The final part of the article evaluates the prospects for solving the problems of the Italian-Slovenian borderland. On the one hand, a clear indicator of the success of bilateral cooperation, in addition to already existing innovative initiatives, was the proclamation of the Gorizia – Nova Goriza agglomeration as «European Capital of Culture 2025» within the framework of the relevant EU program. On the other hand, the consequences of the migration crisis caused by the escalating conflict in the Middle East still remain a pressing threat. On October 18, 2023, Italy announced the suspension of the Schengen Agreement with Slovenia. In order to prevent stagnation of cross-border cooperation, both states need to take comprehensive measures based on a thorough study of the socio-political, historical and cultural issues of their interaction.
Italian-Slovenian relations, Euroregion, transregional cooperation, transboundary cooperation, Adriatic-Ionian Euroregion, Gorizia – Nova Gorica, migration crisis.
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