Belarus Denmark Estonia Finland Germany Latvia Lithuania Norway Poland Russia Sweden The Baltic Sea Region INTERREG III B Neighbourhood programme in a.

BelarusDenmarkEstoniaFinlandGermanyLatviaLithuaniaNorwayPolandRussiaSweden

The Baltic Sea RegionINTERREG III B

Neighbourhood programme in a nutshell

by Susanne ScherrerBSR INTERREG III B Joint Secretariat

Content

1. The programme: facts and figures

2. The projects: activities and results

(1) INTERREG III B Neighbourhood programme

• Total programme budget about 210 million EUR

• 129 approved projects

• more than 3200 project partners!

INTERREG III B Neighbourhood programme

Total 210 million EUR from 4 different sources:

• 129 million EUR European Regional Development Funds

• 6 million EUR Norway

• 7.5 million EUR Tacis 2004-2006

• 67.5 million EUR national/Norwegian co-financing from projects

of which for programme management: 14,65 million EUR

• 8 EU Member States + 3 neighbour countries

• 100 million inhabitants

• 11 languages

The programme’s context:

INTERREG III B Neighbourhood

Seeks to combine:

• 3 historically differently organised economic spaces (former EC, EFTA, COMECON)

• 3 different administrative traditions: Scandinavian, Eastern European (former Soviet dominated) and Continental European

• 3 differently organised political systems (Western democracy, presidential democracy, authoritarian regime)

• 3 different Christian religious cultures

Closure of INTERREG IIC and approval of the IIIB

programme (first round was launched in 2001)

September 2001

Introduction of Priority 4 (border regions) January 2002

EU enlargement - from PHARE to ERDF May 2004

Introduction of IIIA priorities (cross-border) May 2004

Transformation to Neighbourhood Programme October 2004

Future challenges

• Objective 3 – Territorial cooperation programme• Introduction of European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI)

2007 - 2015

Turning Points in programme history: The “ever changing environment” of implementation!

Baltic Sea region…

…..a rich common cultural

and natural heritage…..

…but a common identity?

Vilnius, Lithuania

Wismar, Germany

It is not the density, but the intensity that counts!

(2) INTERREG III B Neighbourhood projects

… and many other projects!

STRINGVia Baltica Nordica

Rural Development Connection

SEBTrans-Link

Baltic Sea projects:

• address challenges and risks

• seek to connect regions

• work on common grounds

around our Sea

Challenges and risks

• promote wind-energy-ideas and improve the investment climate by bringing together politicians, planners, lawyers, researchers and medium size companies to exchange knowledge (Wind Energy)

• improve direct access to specialised healthcare to prevent migration from rural areas (Baltic eHealth)

Connecting regions

• develop a region which is dynamic, sustainable, innovative and not hampered by borders (Baltic Palette)

• set up a common strategy for how to improve the transport system in the area (Baltic Gateway)

• build a tourist route, focussing on brick Gothic heritage (European Route of Brick Gothic)

Our Sea

• change the attitudes and behaviour in order to reduce marine pollution (Baltic SeaBreeze)

• decrease emissions by ships in Baltic ports (New Hansa)

BelarusDenmarkEstoniaFinlandGermanyLatviaLithuaniaNorwayPolandRussiaSweden

The Baltic Sea RegionINTERREG III B

Neighbourhood programme in a nutshell

by Susanne ScherrerBSR INTERREG III B Joint Secretariat