BSR INTERREG III: Cross-Border Cooperation for Sustainable Territorial Development

1. INTERREG III Baltic Sea Region INTERREG III Strand A Christine Kassl-Hamza Silbergasse 25/10 1190 Wien Tel: +43 (0)6991 187 15 60 Fax: +43 1 9425952 email: christine.kassl-hamza@chello.at LV2002/IB/CBC 01 - TL Latvia INTERREG III (Source: Nordregio at www.nordregio.se)

2. INTERREG III What`s so special about BSR INTERREG III? • INTERREG III A north and south are included in the INTERREG III B program. • Priority 5: Priority Estonia-Latvia-Russia (North) • Priority 6: Priority Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus (South)

3. Priority Estonia-Latvia-Russia (North)

4. Priority Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus (South)

5. INTERREG III STRAND A PURPOSE Cross-border co-operation between neighbouring authorities is intended to develop cross-border economic and social centres through joint strategies for sustainable territorial development.

6. Organisation of INTERREG III A Transnational Monitoring Committee Responsible for the program process Transnational Steering Committee Project decisions Structure & Procedure Joint Technical Secretariat Riga Office supports the Monitoring and the Steering Committees provides information to applicants collects applications pre evaluation of application forms supports applicants during the project

7. INTERREG Documents Communication from the commission to the member states BSR INTERREG Program Other INTERREG Programs Program Complement Application Form 1st Call Other calls

8. INTERREG III III A • Bilateral or trilateral cross border co-operation • Easier to apply • Smaller projects • 1 to 3 partners possible • Broad topics • Border region between Latvia and its neighbouring countries involved III B • Wider sub regional and transnational co-operation • Substantial size • Focus on particular topics • Minimum of 3 partners • Whole region of several countries involved What is the difference between INTERREG III A and III B

9. INTERREG III What is the difference between INTERREG III A and PHARE CBC • Same topics • Smaller budget • Other rate of national co-financing INTERREG III A 75% ERDF 25% national co-financing PHARE CBC 80% PHARE 20% national co-financing • In-kind contribution is possible in INTRREG III A

10. INTERREG III STRAND A Priority actions (not exhaustive): • urban, rural (incl. coastal) development • entrepreneur ship, SME, local development • labour market integration & social inclusion • RTDI, culture, info/communications networks, • environment and energy (esp. renewable) • transport infrastructure • institutional capacity building But only select a few priorities!!

11. Project development process Approval/ Rejection application fulfilment contact JTS find partners project idea get info Longest: 1/2 a year for a project to be prepared for application

12. INTERREG III STRAND A Project topics What can be applied in INTERREG IIIA? • all soft people to people projects • small scale infrastructure projects (not exclusively) • pre feasibility studies and feasibility studies • know-How and experience exchange • establishment and maintenance of co-operation networks • workshops and seminars • dissemination of information • analyses such as market research • joint pilot actions • implementation of best practice • building up networks

13. INTERREG III STRAND A Who can apply Public and public equivalent bodies Private partners • Public authorities on national, • regional, • sub-regional and • local level • Research and training institutions • Foundations • NGOs and non-profit organisations from the EU Member States • Private partners must not be lead partners(all in all max 10% for the private sector)

14. INTERREG III STRAND A What is public equivalent • governed by public or private law • established for the specific purpose of meeting needs of the general interest • not having an industrial or commercial character only • having legal personality

15. INTERREG III STRAND A Howto look for partners and develop project ideas • contact the respective regional institutions and organisations • ask partners from already approved projects for advice • team up with partners in your region that face a similar problem • consider building on already existing co-operation networks, e.g. twin-regions / twin-cities co operations.

16. INTERREG III STRAND A Lead PartnerPrinciple Who can be a Lead Partner? • Public, regional and local authorities and other public organisations • in a member state Examples: • associations; • academic institutions; • research institutes; • foundations; • NGOs and non-profit organizations (community-based, humanitarian, industrial, cultural, etc.); • development agencies, etc.

17. INTERREG III STRAND A Lead PartnerPrinciple Full financial and legal responsibilityfor: • project management system • submitting Application Form • signing the Subsidy Contract • reporting of the project progress • requesting payments

18. INTERREG III STRAND A Eligible Costs • Personal costs (incl. Overhead Costs) • Project related durables • Project co-ordination costs • Meetings and dissemination material costs • Travel and accommodation • External expertise and audit • Small scale investments • External costs such as sub-contracting • Project related investments • Preparation costs (including translation of the projects)eligibility dates will be set by the JTS

19. INTERREG III STRAND A Project sizes Priority north • Normal projects in INTERREG III A: 50.000 - 1 MEUR • no duration limit • Small projects in INTERREG III A: 5.000 - 50.000 EURO • small scale projects 10% of total grants available • duration: 1 year • lighter procedure Priority south • Normal projects in INTERREG III A: 50.000 - 1 MEUR • Small projects in INTERREG III A: 5.000 - 50.000 EURO

20. INTERREG III STRAND A Number of partners Priority north • involvement of partners from at least two countries is an obligatory requirement • 1 partner will be allowed only in case of investment projects • bilateral projects will be supported in both Measures • trilateral projects on only in Measure 2 • financial limit for partners from outside the eligible border region Priority south • involvement of partners from at least two countries is an obligatory requirement • single applicants are only allowed for infrastructure projects but it has to have a clear cross border impact • Bilateral and trilateral (trilateral should be promoted)

21. INTERREG III STRAND ANORTH Measure 1: Development of the Estonian-Latvian border region • promotion of tourism development • environmental management and protection • support of municipal co-operation • widening and deepening of local co-operation contacts (people to people projects) • staff training programmes and training projects in the above listed fields, activities related to labour markets.

22. INTERREG III STRAND ANORTH Measure 2: Development of the EU external border regions Specifically for municipalities and NGOs • IT related services • development of new business opportunities • development of transport (only small scale investments) • tourism development • environmental management and protection • establishing new contacts between local and regional institutions - small-scale people-to-people projects • staff training programmes and training projects in the above listed fields

23. INTERREG III STRAND ASOUTH Topic 1: Utilising the cross-border co-operation to enhance the competitiveness of involved regions and improve the access to markets across the borders • promoting the tourism development • promoting the business development along the transit corridors • fostering the co-operation in the field of business development • improving the accessibility across the borders • municipal services, providing information services related to border crossing issues and Schengen requirements to local inhabitants, • preserving the environment in the border areas

24. INTERREG III STRAND ASOUTH Topic 2: Supporting the development and strengthening of co-operation on a people-to-people level and between the institutions located in border regions. AIM • facilitate the creation of contacts and networks among the local inhabitants • understanding of the cultures on both sides of the borders and creating and sustaining interest in further development of joint cross-border co-operation Example activities • joint studies, future project competitions, cultural and recreational events, training, exchange of experience, developing innovative solutions to providing services to inhabitants, information activities, local language courses, development of joint institutional co-operation strategies, etc.

25. Application Procedure • Priority north • continuous submission • decisions on large projects will be made twice a year, on SP 3 times a year • it was not decided, whether to have continuous submission or calls for proposals • JS will carry out eligibility check and quality assessment • application forms will be in English; other documents (in appendices) can be in national languages; translation costs are eligible under preparation costs • all documentation of projects involving Russian partners must be in English (TACIS rules)

26. Application Procedure • Priority south • Continuous submission • 2 times a year fixed deadlines of the assessment and decision making for large projects • 3 times a year with fixed deadlines for small projects • application process should be harmonized with TACIS rules

27. Application Form Some general remarks • Application form in English for all projects • Specific annexes for large projects can be in national language • What is the difference between aim, objectives, outcomes and results • Activities are eligible form the date of submission

28. Links • JTS Baltic Sea Region: www.spatial.baltic.net • INTERREG information in Norwegian: www.interreg.no. • INTERREG III information in Swedish: www.interreg.nu. • INTERREG information in German: www.bbr.bund.de • INTERREG III information in Polish: www.interreg.gov.pl. • Database for Business and Public Administration (on Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Russia): www.balticdata.info