Interreg

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Interreg is a joint initiative of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) , which on the promotion of cooperation between EU - Member States and neighboring non-EU countries targeted. The programs are embedded in the European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) . In addition to the “convergence” objective and the “regional competitiveness and employment” objective, it is an independent instrument of European structural policy.

The program promotes cross-border cooperation measures such as infrastructure projects , cooperation between public utilities, joint actions by companies or cooperation in the field of environmental protection , education, spatial planning or culture and thus around 37.5% of the citizens of the European Union who live in border areas at home, along the 38 internal borders and helps to reduce the disadvantages of geographical and linguistic barriers and obstacles to development.

General goals

Basically, Interreg has three orientations:

  • Orientation A is cross-border cooperation . This promotes the further development of economic and social cooperation in neighboring border regions.
  • Orientation B is transnational cooperation. The cooperation between national, regional and municipal partners in transnational cooperation areas is intended to increase the territorial integration of these areas.
  • Orientation C interregional cooperation. Cooperation networks and the exchange of experience are intended to improve the effectiveness of existing instruments for regional development and cohesion.

According to the EU, the general aim of Interreg is "to ensure that national borders are not an obstacle to the balanced development and integration of the European area". Border areas have two problems: the border represents a division in an economic, cultural and social sense, and border regions are often neglected by national politics. For these reasons and because internal borders are increasing and new external borders are being created, cross-border projects need to be funded.

For transnational cooperation (Strand "Interreg" B) the "European territorial cooperation" promotes the European Union with funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) , the transnational cooperation with the aim of an integrated territorial development. This means that projects should take into account the spatial conditions such as infrastructure , resources , settlement structures , economic, social, ecological and cultural conditions as well as effects on other areas in the respective territory in order to support a balanced spatial development. The focus is on the promotion of innovation, the promotion of sustainable environmental and risk management , the improvement of internal and external accessibility of the cooperation areas as well as the promotion of attractive and competitive cities and regions. In addition, policies at national, transnational and European level, such as the European Spatial Development Concept (ESDP) or the EU's Territorial Agenda should be taken into account.

Characteristics of transnational projects

  • Exemplary: Development of example solutions and generalization of experiences and learning processes
  • Transferable : Elaboration of solutions for coherent, transnational development zones or corridors
  • Transnational : Participation of partners from different countries
  • Territorial : Treatment of problems with significance or effect for the cooperation area or larger parts of it
  • Process-related: Securing joint transnational project development, implementation, financing and implementation

Interreg V

The Interreg V initiative has a total EU-wide budget of 10.1 billion euros in the period from 2014 to 2020.

Interreg VA

Interreg VA is continuing cross-border cooperation between neighboring regional authorities on the basis of joint strategies for the period from 2014 to 2020. As before, all NUTS-3 areas along internal and external borders as well as certain coastal regions are eligible for funding.

Interreg VB

Interreg VB includes 15 cooperation programs. They are subsidized with funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with a total of 2.1 billion euros for the period from 2014 to 2020.

Cooperation rooms
  • North Sea area
  • Northwest Europe
  • Northern Periphery and Arctic
  • Baltic region
  • Danube region
  • Atlantic area
  • Alpine space
  • Central Europe
  • Adriatic-Ionian region
  • Balkan Mediterranean
  • Southwest Europe
  • Mediterranean area
  • Caribbean area
  • Amazonian area
  • Indian Ocean space

Interreg VC

Interreg VC covers the four interregional cooperation programs Interreg EUROPE , INTERACT , URBACT and ESPON in the time frame from 2014 to 2020. The programs are supported by the European Regional Development Fund with 500 million euros.

Interreg IV

The Interreg IV initiative had a total EU-wide budget of 8.7 billion euros.

Interreg IV B

With Interreg IV B , the European Commission continued from 2007 to 2013 to support the transnational cooperation on spatial development that was tried and tested under Interreg II C (1996–1999) and further developed by Interreg III B (2000–2006) .

Cooperation rooms

The transnational cooperation within the framework of Interreg IV B takes place in large, transnational cooperation areas. Some of these were newly tailored in the course of the previous Interreg collaboration. Germany is involved in the cooperation in five of the thirteen cooperation areas:

Programs with German participation

Involved: Germany, France, Italy, Slovenia and Austria as well as the non- EU member states Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein
EU funding until 2013: around 98 million euros

Involved: Germany, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Sweden as well as the non-EU member Norway
EU funding until 2013: 139 million euros

Involved: Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden as well as the non-EU members Norway, Russia and Belarus
EU funding until 2013: 208 million euros

Involved: Germany, Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom as well as Switzerland
EU funding until 2013: 355 million euros

Involved: Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary in close cooperation with the Ukraine
EU funding until 2013: 246 million euros

Other programs
  • Atlantic area
  • Caribbean area
  • Indian Ocean space
  • Azores-Madeira-Canary Islands area
  • Mediterranean area
  • Northern periphery
  • Southeast Europe
  • Southwest Europe

Interreg III

In the third edition (Interreg III) for the period 2000 - 2006 in particular, regions in outermost regions and regions along the borders became the candidate countries encouraged. The initiative had a total EU-wide budget of 5.8 billion euros . Programs supported by Interreg funds must be co-financed by the Member States . This means that a maximum of 50% of the total costs (in Objective 1 regions 75%) may be financed with Interreg funds.

For the first time, a distinction was made between three program parts:

  • Interreg III A: Cross-border cooperation,
  • Interreg III B: Transnational Cooperation,
  • Interreg III C: Interregional cooperation.

Through the INTERACT project , the actors of Interreg are to be better networked with each other and the experiences gathered are to be made more mutually usable.

Interreg III A

The aim is cross-border cooperation between neighboring local authorities. On the basis of joint strategies, spatial development should be promoted and cross-border economic and social poles created. The aspect of sustainability must be taken into account.

All areas along internal and external borders as well as certain coastal regions are eligible. All must fall under the NUTS -3 criterion .

Designated areas

Interreg III B

Objective
The objective is transnational cooperation between national, regional and local authorities to promote spatial integration with the candidate countries of the EU and other third countries. In addition, a sustainable, harmonious and balanced development should be ensured.

Eligible areas
The EU area is divided into 13 so-called program areas. Depending on your local position, you can (mostly) only take part in one Interreg program. However, there is also some overlap.

Interreg III C

Aim The
aim is to build networks in regions that are lagging behind or are in the process of conversion. The instruments of regional development and cohesion are promoted.

Eligible areas
In principle, all areas of the Community are eligible. ( see: Greater Region )

See also

literature

  • Project team of the Interreg III-A project "Wet grassland and stork habitats between the Alpine Rhine and Danube", Wilhelm Schöllhorn (project manager) and Dieter Schmid (project manager): Interreg III-A project wet grassland and stork habitats between the Alpine Rhine and the Danube - results . Friedrichshafen May 2008.
  • S. Marzelli: EU project WIKIAlps links Interreg project results for users . (PDF; 0.3 MB) In: ANLiegen Natur , 36 (1), 2014, pp. 117–119.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Interreg III online ( Memento of December 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ Interreg B - Transnational cooperation