On Thursday, the 14th of February 2019, the European Commission approved the modification of the Interreg-IPA Cross-border Cooperation Romania-Serbia Programme.
Specifically, nearly 10 million euros are reallocated under the programme to support the 2.4 million inhabitants of the counties of Timis, Caras-Severin, Mehedinti and neighbouring districts from the Republic of Serbia by improving medical and transport services, by supporting cultural exchanges or joint actions to protect the environment.
Among other things, the cross-border programme invests in two strategic projects, one in the field of transport – the main objective being to repair the navigation infrastructure on the Bega Canal – and one in the health sector, where there is a joint initiative of the two countries fighting cancer with the aim to improve the diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumours.
The total budget of the programme is €88,124,999 of which €74,906,248 represents the European Union funding. For the 2014-2020 programming period, projects are funded under 4 priority axes in the following areas:
- employment promotion and basic services strengthening for an inclusive growth,
- environmental protection and risk management,
- sustainable mobility and accessibility,
- attractiveness for sustainable tourism.
The eligible area of the Programme consists of the counties Timis, Caras-Severin and Mehedinti (from Romania) and the districts South Banat, Central Banat, South Banat, Braničevski, Borski, Podunavski (Republic of Serbia).
Following the first call, 34 projects (32 normal projects and 2 strategic projects) were contracted, amounting to approximately €46.8 million.
On the 31st of January 2019, the Joint Monitoring Committee of the Programme has approved for financing 33 new projects within the second call for proposals, amounting to approximately €20 million. The new projects are currently in the contracting phase.
All those interested in the cross-border cooperation funded by the European Union under the Interreg-IPA Cross-border Cooperation Romania-Serbia Programme can get more information by visiting www.romania-serbia.net
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Romania fulfils the role of Managing Authority through the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, the National Authority being established within the Ministry of European Integration within the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and the Joint Secretariat is organized within the Regional Office for Cross-Border Cooperation Timisoara. The audit at the level of the Programme is carried out by the Audit Authority attached to the Court of Accounts in Romania, and the certification tasks are performed by the Managing Authority.