Interreg
Encyclopedia
Interreg is an initiative that aims to stimulate cooperation between regions in the European Union
. It started in 1989, and is financed under the European Regional Development Fund
(ERDF). The current programme is Interreg IV, covering the period 2007–2013.
between member states of the European Union on different levels. One of its main targets is to diminish the influence of national borders in favor of equal economic
, social
and cultural
development of the whole territory of the European Union.
The Interreg initiative is designed to strengthen economic and social cohesion
throughout the European Union
, by fostering the balanced development of the continent through cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation. Special emphasis has been placed on integrating remote regions with those that share external borders with the candidate countries.
Interreg differs from the majority of Cohesion Policy programmes in one important respect: it involves a collaboration among authorities of two or more Member States. Interreg measures are not only required to demonstrate a positive impact on the development on either side of the border but their design and, possibly, their implementation must be carried out on a common cross-border basis.
Once the Operational Programmes have been approved by the European Commission
, the implementation of the programmes is co-ordinated by Steering Committees, which consist of representatives of the authorities responsible for Cohesion Policy measures in each Member State. These can be both central state agencies and regional agencies. Like almost all Cohesion Policy measures, Interreg projects require co-funding to be provided by Member States, regional authorities or the project leaders themselves. The amount of co-funding required differs by region, ranging from 50% down to 0% in the poorest regions.
The final beneficiaries of Interreg funds are usually public authorities, interest associations and non-profit organisations, such as chambers of commerce, employer organisations, unions or research institutes. Under Interreg IV, private firms are only eligible if they apply through a consortium of several firms; in previous programme periods, they were not eligible at all.
is often used to refer to the resulting entities, provided there is some degree of local activity involved. The term Euroregion
is also used to refer to the various types of entities that are used to administer Interreg funds. In many cases, they have established secretariats that are funded via technical assistance: the Interreg funding component aimed at establishing administrative infrastructure for local Interreg deployment. Interreg A is by far the largest strand in terms of budget and number of programmes.
Within this context, the priorities for action wereas follows:
In the specific case of ultra-peripheral regions, transnational cooperation encourages the following initiatives:
Co-operation under Interreg IIIC gave access to experience of other actors involved in regional development policy and created synergies between "best practice" projects and the Structural Fund's mainstream programmes. The overall aim was to improve the effectiveness of regional development policies and instruments through large-scale information exchange and sharing of experience (networks) in a structured way.
Priorities for action included research, technology development, enterprise
, the information society
, tourism, culture and the environment
.
WINSENT provides a networking opportunity and free assistance, guidance and a range of supports to any social entrepreneur or social enterprise based in Dublin and surrounds in Ireland or based in North Wales in the counties of Denbighshire and the Isle of Anglesey, including opportunities to network with other like minded “change agents” through the WINSENT Networks: socialenterprise.ie and WISEA
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. It started in 1989, and is financed under the European Regional Development Fund
European Regional Development Fund
The European Regional Development Fund is a fund allocated by the European Union.-History:During the 1960s, the European Commission occasionally tried to establish a regional fund. Only Italy ever supported this, however, and nothing came of it. Britain made it an issue for their accession in...
(ERDF). The current programme is Interreg IV, covering the period 2007–2013.
Aims of the programme
Interreg is designed to stimulate cooperationCooperation
Cooperation or co-operation is the process of working or acting together. In its simplest form it involves things working in harmony, side by side, while in its more complicated forms, it can involve something as complex as the inner workings of a human being or even the social patterns of a...
between member states of the European Union on different levels. One of its main targets is to diminish the influence of national borders in favor of equal economic
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
, social
Social cohesion
Social cohesion is a term used in social policy, sociology and political science to describe the bonds or "glue" that bring people together in society, particularly in the context of cultural diversity. Social cohesion is a multi-faceted notion covering many different kinds of social phenomena...
and cultural
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
development of the whole territory of the European Union.
The Interreg initiative is designed to strengthen economic and social cohesion
Cohesion
Cohesion may refer to:* Cohesion , the intermolecular attraction between like-molecules* Cohesion , a measure of how well the lines of source code within a module work together...
throughout the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, by fostering the balanced development of the continent through cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation. Special emphasis has been placed on integrating remote regions with those that share external borders with the candidate countries.
Organization
Interreg was launched as Interreg I for the programming period 1989–1993, and continued as Interreg II for the subsequent period 1994–1999. It moved on to Interreg III for the period 2000–2006. Projects from that closed by the end of 2008. Interreg IV is currently operational, covering 2007–2013.Interreg differs from the majority of Cohesion Policy programmes in one important respect: it involves a collaboration among authorities of two or more Member States. Interreg measures are not only required to demonstrate a positive impact on the development on either side of the border but their design and, possibly, their implementation must be carried out on a common cross-border basis.
Once the Operational Programmes have been approved by the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
, the implementation of the programmes is co-ordinated by Steering Committees, which consist of representatives of the authorities responsible for Cohesion Policy measures in each Member State. These can be both central state agencies and regional agencies. Like almost all Cohesion Policy measures, Interreg projects require co-funding to be provided by Member States, regional authorities or the project leaders themselves. The amount of co-funding required differs by region, ranging from 50% down to 0% in the poorest regions.
The final beneficiaries of Interreg funds are usually public authorities, interest associations and non-profit organisations, such as chambers of commerce, employer organisations, unions or research institutes. Under Interreg IV, private firms are only eligible if they apply through a consortium of several firms; in previous programme periods, they were not eligible at all.
Strands
Interreg is made up of three strands: Interreg A, Interreg B and Interreg C. They are described in more detail below.Strand A: cross-border cooperation
Cross-border cooperation between adjacent regions aims to develop cross-border social and economic centres through common development strategies. The term cross-border regionCross-border region
A cross-border region is a territorial entity that is made of several local or regional authorities that are co-located yet belong to different nation states.- Cross-border regions in Europe :In Europe, there are a large number of cross-border regions...
is often used to refer to the resulting entities, provided there is some degree of local activity involved. The term Euroregion
Euroregion
In European politics, the term Euroregion usually refers to a transnational co-operation structure between two contiguous territories located in different European countries. Euroregions represent a specific type of cross-border region.-Scope:...
is also used to refer to the various types of entities that are used to administer Interreg funds. In many cases, they have established secretariats that are funded via technical assistance: the Interreg funding component aimed at establishing administrative infrastructure for local Interreg deployment. Interreg A is by far the largest strand in terms of budget and number of programmes.
Strand B: transnational cooperation
Transnational cooperation involving national, regional and local authorities aim to promote better integration within the Union through the formation of large groups of European regions. Strand B is the intermediate level, where generally non-contiguous regions from several different countries cooperate because they experience joint or comparable problems. There are 13 Interreg IVB programmes.Strand C: interregional cooperation
Interregional cooperation aims to improve the effectiveness of regional development policies and instruments through large-scale information exchange and sharing of experience (networks). This is financially the smallest strand of the three, but the programmes cover all EU Member States.Strand A: cross-border cooperation
Priorities for action in strand IIIA were:- Promotion of urban, rural and coastal development
- Strengthening the spirit of enterprise
- Developing small and medium-sized enterprisesCompanyA company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
, including those in the tourism sector - Developing local employment initiatives
- Assistance for labour market integration and social inclusion
- Initiatives for encouraging shared use of human resources, and facilities for research and development, education, culture, communication, health and civil protection
- Measures for environmental protection, improving energy efficiency and renewable energyRenewable energyRenewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
sources - Improving transport, information and communication networks and services, water and energy systems
- Increasing cooperation in legal and administrative areas
- Increasing human and institutional potential for cross-border cooperation
Examples of Interreg IIIA programmes
- Alcotra, a French-Italian cross-border programme in the Alps
- Italia-Malta, an Italian-Maltese programme
Strand B: transnational cooperation
Proposals for transnational cooperation under IIIB had to take account of:- Experience from previous Interreg programmes;
- Priorities for Community policies, especially trans-European transport networksTrans-European Transport NetworksThe Trans-European Transport Networks are a planned set of road, rail, air and water transport networks designed to serve the entire continent of Europe. The TEN-T networks are part of a wider system of Trans-European Networks , including a telecommunications network and a proposed energy network...
; - Recommendations made in the European Spatial Development Plan (ESDP).
Within this context, the priorities for action wereas follows:
- Drawing up regional development strategies at transnational level, including cooperation between towns or urban areas and rural areas
- Promoting effective and sustainable transport systems, together with better access to the information societyInformation societyThe aim of the information society is to gain competitive advantage internationally through using IT in a creative and productive way. An information society is a society in which the creation, distribution, diffusion, use, integration and manipulation of information is a significant economic,...
. The aim here is to facilitate communication between island or peripheral regions. - Promoting protection of the environment and natural resources, particularly water resources.
In the specific case of ultra-peripheral regions, transnational cooperation encourages the following initiatives:
- Economic integration and improved cooperation between these regions and regions in other Member States
- Improved links with the countries of their wider geographic area (Caribbean, Latin America, Atlantic Ocean, North West Africa and the Indian Ocean)
Examples of Interreg IIIB projects
- HST Connect, an INTERREG IIIB North West Europe Programme project on high speed trainHigh Speed TrainThere are three types of trains in Britain that have been traditionally viewed as high speed trains:* Advanced Passenger Train - Tilting trains which never entered into regular revenue-earning service....
connections - The European Garden Heritage NetworkEuropean Garden Heritage NetworkThe European Garden Heritage Network is a nonprofit organization established in 2003 within the EU-Programme INTERREG IIIB NWE to foster transnational co-operation in regional development and cultural heritage...
Strand C: interregional cooperation
Interreg IIIC promoted interregional co-operation between regional and other public authorities across the entire EU territory and neighbouring countries. It allowed regions without joint borders to work together in common projects and develop networks of co-operation.Co-operation under Interreg IIIC gave access to experience of other actors involved in regional development policy and created synergies between "best practice" projects and the Structural Fund's mainstream programmes. The overall aim was to improve the effectiveness of regional development policies and instruments through large-scale information exchange and sharing of experience (networks) in a structured way.
Priorities for action included research, technology development, enterprise
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
, the information society
Information society
The aim of the information society is to gain competitive advantage internationally through using IT in a creative and productive way. An information society is a society in which the creation, distribution, diffusion, use, integration and manipulation of information is a significant economic,...
, tourism, culture and the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
.
Examples of Interreg IIIC projects
- Interregional Co-operation on Biomass Utilization, aiming to establish an interregional network of actors in the field of biomassBiomassBiomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
utilization - Adriatic Action Plan 2020, on sustainable developmentSustainable developmentSustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
- Connected Cities, on sustainable mobility and spatial development
- TranSUrban, on urban regeneration and public transport
- Urbike, on cycling in cities
- Wireless cities, which aims to increase ICT usage in some cities
Interreg IV
Interreg IV has a budget of almost 7,8 billion euro (2006 prices), up from 4,9 billion euro in Interreg III (1999 prices).Strand A: cross-border cooperation
The A strand of Interreg IV covers 52 programmes, which use up to 74% of all resources (some 5,6 billion euros).Examples of Interreg IVA projects
- ISLES projectISLES projectThe ISLES is a project to facilitate the development of offshore renewable energy sources, such as wind, wave and tidal energy, and renewable energy trade between Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland...
– "ISLES", accelerating the development of renewable energy off the coasts of Scotland and Ireland - WINSENT project: WINSENT is an ambitious project to promote social entrepreneurship in Ireland and North Wales.
WINSENT provides a networking opportunity and free assistance, guidance and a range of supports to any social entrepreneur or social enterprise based in Dublin and surrounds in Ireland or based in North Wales in the counties of Denbighshire and the Isle of Anglesey, including opportunities to network with other like minded “change agents” through the WINSENT Networks: socialenterprise.ie and WISEA
Strand B: transnational cooperation
The 13 transnational cooperation programmes cover larger areas such as the Baltic Sea, Alpine and Mediterranean regions with an ERDF contribution of 1.8 billion euros.Examples of Interreg IVB projects
- BLAST (Bringing Land and Sea Together) is a collaborative project of public, private and academic partners from seven North Sea countries, which is developing prototype tools for better data integration, coastal zone management and navigation in the North Sea.
- MP4: 'Making Places Profitable, Public and Private Open Spaces' is a transnational project involving partners from seven countries in the North Sea Region focusing on innovative approaches to 'place-keeping' – the long-term management of private and public open spaces. Funded by the North Sea Region ProgrammeNorth Sea Region Programme- North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 :The North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 supports transnational regional development projects connecting regions from seven countries around the North Sea. It is part of the European Territorial Cooperation Objective under the European Regional Development...
. - 'Collabor8.me', a transnational programme involving nine partners in five different North West European countries that aims to contribute to the economic prosperity, sustainability and cultural identity of North West Europe in increasingly global markets.
- SmartCities, creating an innovation network between 8 municipal governments and 4+ academic partners in six countries, leading to excellence in the domain of the development and take-up of e-services. Funded by the North Sea Region ProgrammeNorth Sea Region Programme- North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 :The North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 supports transnational regional development projects connecting regions from seven countries around the North Sea. It is part of the European Territorial Cooperation Objective under the European Regional Development...
. - SoNorA, on improving transport infrastructure and services between the Adriatic and the Baltic Sea
Strand C: interregional cooperation
Strand C covers the interregional co-operation programme (INTERREG IVC) and 3 networking programmes (URBACT II, INTERACT II and ESPON). Each programme covers all 27 Member States of the EU. They provide a framework for exchanging experience between regional and local bodies in different countries. Strand C has an ERDF contribution of 445 million euros.Examples of Interreg IVC projects
- Regioclima, on adaptation to the new climate conditions
- Pre-waste, on waste prevention in cities and regions
External links
- Interreg IVA (cross-border co-operation programmes
- Interreg IVB (Transnational IVB co-operation programmes)
- Official Interreg IVC website
- Transnational programmes under the European Territorial Cooperation Objective
- BLAST project website
See also
- ESPRIDESPRIDEuropean Spatial Planning Research and Information Database is a web-based Information Resource managed at Newcastle University....
- European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation
- European Regional Development FundEuropean Regional Development FundThe European Regional Development Fund is a fund allocated by the European Union.-History:During the 1960s, the European Commission occasionally tried to establish a regional fund. Only Italy ever supported this, however, and nothing came of it. Britain made it an issue for their accession in...
- European Spatial Development PerspectiveEuropean Spatial Development PerspectiveThe European Spatial Development Perspective is a document approved by the Informal Council of Ministers of Spatial Planning of European Commission in Potsdam in 1999. It is a legally non-binding document forming a policy framework with 60 policy options for all tiers of administration with a...