The objective of this project is the training of a professional figure that is crucial in the context of the EU enlargement process, a person who is responsible for the planning and management of EU projects, particularly aimed at the promotion and development of the Italian-Slovenian cross-border territory. The training programme refers to a business manager or consultant, deeply familiar with transnational and cross-border development and cooperation policies adopted by the EU and able to identify local and environmental economic factors that can lead to the internationalisation of SME, using support opportunities such as the access to information on the markets of interest and on national and international funding, the management of application procedures as well as the methods to cooperate with foreign partners. Given the difficulty in comparing the two realities - close in geographical terms but far apart in organisation, administrative and political competences - it is necessary to set up a common pathway for youth residing in the Italian-Slovenian eligible Programme area, that through the compared analysis of the various bodies participating in the project can assist in the development across the border area of the knowledge of shared tools facilitating dialogue and cooperation. Hence, the expert on EU programmes is a professional who is able to identify, in the local economic context - in a cross-border dimension - development opportunities and tools, to set up their technical use, and to manage cooperation processes, technology transfer and exchange in a networking perspective.