Introduction 5 Chapter 1: a description of the organisational structure set up for the implementation of the Strategy 6

Transnational and Interregional programmes

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3.3.2. Transnational and Interregional programmes

3.3.2.1. Northern Periphery programme
Programme Description
The size of the programme area is almost as large as the total area of the EU, but the population of the NPP area is only 7.9 million or 2% of the total EU population:

EU Member States: Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom and Sweden and

non-EU Member States: Faeroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and Norway.

The regions of the Northern Periphery share many features such as sparseness of population, huge distances, rural landscapes, insularity, harsh climate and remoteness.

The geographical flexibility criteria can be used in two different ways:

1. Up to 10% of ERDF, Norwegian or Icelandic funds may be used to finance expenditure incurred by partners located in adjacent regions of Russia and Canada. The adjacent regions of Russia encompass Murmansk, Karelia and Arkhangelsk, and the adjacent regions of Canada primarily include Labrador, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Any such costs incurred must be kept separate and paid through the Lead Partner’s accounting system. They should also be certified by the Lead Partner’s national controller, due to European financial control requirements;

2. Up to 20% of ERDF may be used to finance expenditure incurred by partners located outside the programme area but inside the European Union, and up to 20% of Norwegian funds may be used to finance expenditure incurred by Norwegian partners located outside the eligible programme area in Norway.
Budget: €45 million MEUR + national co-financing from project partners:

1. European Regional Development Fund: €35.1 million

(to finance EU Member States)

2. European Regional Development Fund equivalent: €10.1

(to finance non EU Member States)
Priorities:

Promoting innovation and competitiveness in remote and peripheral areas
1. Innovation, networks and competitiveness
2. Accessibility
Sustainable development of natural and community resources
1. Environment as an asset on the periphery
2. Urban-rural development and promotion of heritage

Contribution to the EUSBSR

Only a very small part of the programme territory belongs to the Baltic Sea Region and the programme operates there through projects with partners from this area. Moreover, an eligible project in the NPP can consist only of partners outside the Baltic Sea Region, and no project partnerships can consist of partners solely from this macro-region. There are also themes in the NPP, related to the specific conditions of the programme area, which do not immediately fit into the EUSBSR priorities.

The following steps taken show the Northern Periphery programme’s commitment to the EUSBSR:

Information about the EUSBSR has been published on the NPP website
The Secretariat gives information on the EUSBSR and refers to EUSBSR documents at seminars where appropriate. Information is also given in the programme manual, including e-mail address of the EUSBSR contact at the European Commission for further guidance.
A section has been added to the activity report template where the projects are asked to describe if they contributed to the EUSBSR and to which priority area. There is also an area open for the projects own comments.
New and existing projects are/will be flagged in the monitoring system to show that they are in line with the EUSBSR and which priority area they are linked to.

EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS LINKED/CONTRIBUTING TO THE EUSBSR

(according to the activity report for 2010)

Project activities based on the recent progress report of involvement in EUSBSR - Alignment with EUSBSR	Priority area of the EUSBSR	ERDF financial contribution to the project	ERDF + ERDF equivalent financial contribution to the project
Project Name: RRR
RRR project has some common features with the EUSBSR, for example the action line ‘Implementing the Small Business Act: to promote entrepreneurship, strengthen SMEs and increase the efficient use of human resources’, and within this action line, especially, ‘Promoting trade and attracting more investments into the Baltic Sea Region’ and ‘Facilitating rural entrepreneurship’.	Priority area 8	€ 569 478.59	€ 741 159,05
Project Name: WATER
General: Priority area nine of the EUSBSR concerns the reinforcement of sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries (coordinating MS: Finland). WATER seeks to develop sustainable shellfish production in peripheral areas. Specific: A Flagship Project ‘Sustainable development in aquaculture’ is being adopted under area nine (Project 9.4). This project was still in the planning stage at the start of the current reporting period. Most communication has involved the finfish production industry, not the shellfish industry relevant to WATER. WATER is, however, maintaining a watching brief in this area.	Priority area 9	€ 573 491	€ 870 555
Project Name: Roadex
The ROADEX network of partners is improving accessibility on the road network in the Baltic Sea Region and therefore the project is in alignment with the BSR Strategy.	Priority area 3. To make the BSR an accessible and attractive place	€ 1 005 241.06	€ 1 194 205,20
Project Name: Co Safe
‘Increased sustainability of transnational cooperative networks’	Priority areas 1 & 4	€ 688 239	€ 828 684

Project activities based on the recent progress report of involvement in EUSBSR - Alignment with EUSBSR	Priority area of the EUSBSR	ERDF financial contribution to the project	ERDF + ERDF equivalent financial contribution to the project
Project Name: Rural Transport Solutions
Rural Transport Solutions project is aligned with EUBSRS priority 2 (external and internal accessibility targets). Smooth public transport for citizens in deeply rural areas of the European Union is RTS’s main goal and the project contributes new solutions and strategies for how transport services should be organised in rural and coastal regions of Europe: - Rural Transport Solutions will in WP 3 and 4 develop new ICT services to facilitate better connections in disadvantaged areas; - Increased sustainability of transport services is our approved target as it is part of EUBSRS policy; - Transnational common development and networking - Northern Periphery programme countries have similar disadvantages and, in the field of rural transport development, it is natural to exercise close cooperation; - RTS is influencing policies (transnational, regional) to clear possible legislative barriers which are hindering the sustainable organisation of public transport services in rural regions.	Priority area 2	€ 970 200	€ 1 050 200
Total		€ 3 806 649.65	€ 4 684 803,25

3.3.2.2. Baltic Sea Region

Programme Description

The programme area covers approximately 2.4 million km² - almost half of the EU - and its population of 110 million amounts to 23% of EU population. The average population density is about 46 inhabitants/km (EU 112) and the aggregated GDP is about 16% of the EU.

EU Member States:

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden, the following Federal States (Länder) of Germany: Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein and part of Niedersachsen (NUTS II area Lüneburg).

Non EU member states:

Belarus and Norway, the following parts of Russia: St Petersburg, Leningrad Oblast, Republic of Karelia, oblasts of Kaliningrad, Murmansk, Novgorod and Pskov; also cooperation with Archangelsk Oblast, Komi Republic and Nenetsky Autonomous Okrug is envisaged.

The programme is focused on the preparation of investments, which can:

1. improve the territorial potential of the region;

2. minimise the differences in the level of socio-economic development between the western and eastern parts of the region (East-West divide);

3. resolve issues of common concern for all the countries around the Baltic Sea.

Priorities: 1. Fostering innovation

2. Internal and external accessibility

3. Baltic Sea as a common resource

4. Attractive & competitive cities and regions

Budget: €236.6 million + national co-financing from project partners:

1. European Regional Development Fund: €208 million

2. European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument: €22.6 million

3. Norway: €6 million

Contribution to the EUSBSR

The programme has been the main source of funding for the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. As of 30 May 2011 almost half of the programme's budget (€88 million) and projects (31) were linked to the Strategy: 13 are the Strategy Flagship Projects and 18 projects are contributing to it.

Moreover the programme has actively participated in the preparation and implementation of Strategy in the following ways:

1. Input into the Strategy preparation during the open consultation process;

2. The Strategy is a standing item on the agenda of Monitoring Committee and Task Force meetings;

3. The addition of one chapter to the programme manual informing readers about the Strategy;

4. The inclusion of the analysis of the Strategy as a new policy framework for the programme in its strategic evaluation;

5. Giving priority to the Strategy Flagship/contributing Projects during the selection, unless they are deficient in quality or inconsistent with the programme's priorities (a letter of commitment from the responsible Priority Area Coordinator is compulsory);

6. Obligating all applying projects to describe their relation to the Strategy;

7. Developing a system of labelling projects contributing to the Strategy: Flagship Projects, projects that are a part of a Flagship Project, projects clearly contributing to the Strategy, and projects in line with the Strategy (the programme mainly promotes the first two categories of projects).

8. Giving publicity and visibility to the Strategy: through the website, printed documents and events such as the programme annual conference.

Examples of projects

All four programme priorities are relevant to the Strategy. The programme finances Flagship Projects in almost all priority areas of the Action Plan, with exception of Priority Areas 2, 6 and 15 (see also Annex 1). The limited programme resources do not allow for a contribution to major investments described in the Strategy. Instead, the projects funded by the programme often represent the starting phase of transnational cooperation for innovative solutions to joint Baltic Sea Region challenges.

The programme priority 1 (innovations) is mainly supporting the priority areas 7 and 8. However, there are also projects in this priority dealing with climate change, SMEs as well as health issues linking to the priority areas 5 and 12.

The project StarDust is an example of a priority 1 project clearly linked to the Strategy. StarDust is the starting point of the Flagship Project 7.1 ’Develop a Baltic Sea Region Programme for Innovation, Clusters and SME-Networks (BSR Stars)’. The objective of StarDust is to link research environments, clusters and SME networks and to create a number of research and innovation hubs in the region that can become global leaders. In turn, this shall lead to achieving a critical mass and a more competitive international position for the BSR. The project is led by national innovation agencies with the strong support of national ministries.

The project ICT for Health is another example of a priority 1 project. It is the Flagship Project 12.13 ’Strengthening social capacities for the utilisation of eHealth technologies in the framework of an aging population’. ICT for Health aims at increasing knowledge and acceptance of eHealth technologies for the prevention and treatment of diseases. The project is led by universities in the health sector.

The programme priority 2 (accessibility) is clearly linked to the priority area 11. However, it is not directly contributing to investment in the transport infrastructure that is the focus of the priority area but rather contributing to the development of so-called ‘green corridor’ solutions as well as creating relevant stakeholder partnerships along the corridors. Priority 2 projects are also linked to the priority area 4 which covers the topic of clean shipping.

Directory: regional policy -> sources
sources -> Commission staff working document
sources -> Commission staff working document
sources -> Commission staff working document

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