EU funding of over 100 million Euros for Hungarian-Romanian Infrastructure Developments21 January 2009
For what objectives can we be approved funding? How should we plan a successful project? What criteria do we need to satisfy? Experts attempted to provide answers to these, as well as other question at the Information Day held on 12 January in Debrecen and Satu Mare. Allocating 105 million euros among applicants is what is at stake in the second round of the Hungary-Romania Cross-Border Cooperation Programme.
248 million euros has been made available for applicants in the two countries over the 2007-2013 period from funding granted within the framework of the European Territorial Cooperation Programme for strengthening the social and business contacts of regions and communities in the Hungarian-Romanian border region as well as the development of cross-border cooperation.
The National Development Agency and the Romania Ministry of Development, Public Works and Housing announced the first call for applications in October last year. This paved the way to making funding of more than 16 million euros in value granted by ERDF available for organisations operating in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, Hajdú-Bihar County, Békés County and Csongrád County, as well as the four neighbouring cross-border counties. The main aim of the call to be closed on 30 January 2009 is to support activities underpinning preparation and targeting cooperation, experience exchange and the formation of partnerships.
The second call for applications was announced in December 2008 and creates the opportunity for implementing specific developments with the help of substantially higher rates of funding. The combined Community funding framework of this call amounts to nearly 105 million euros. Mostly large-scale infrastructure projects will be approved funding within this framework, if these projects adjust to the priority axes defined within the framework of the programme, as well as any one of the activities eligible for support connecting to these. Primarily transport, community and environmental protection and infrastructure developments and investments implemented in the field of business communication, research and development and innovation and healthcare will be funded within the framework of this call.
Deadline for submission of applications: 16 February 2009
The second call is the first phase of the two-round tendering procedure: applicants only have to submit a concise summary of their project concept to the Joint Technical Secretariat of the Programme in this round. Only applicants that submitted quality project concepts in the preliminary selection procedure will proceed through to the second round, in which round applicants are required to submit the complete application package. (www.huro-cbc.eu)
The unique characteristic and key component of the European Territorial Cooperation Programme is that projects jointly implemented within the framework of Hungarian-Romanian partnerships with a proven cross-border impact are eligible to receive funding within the framework of this programme. This is why at least one Hungarian and one Romanian partner operating in the area eligible for support must be integrated as a project partner. At least two of the following criterions must be satisfied for the project to be approved funding: joint management, joint planning, joint financing, joint implementation. Therefore, establishing the closest and most comprehensive cooperation possible is a fundamental prerequisite for applicants. This criterion is equally enforced in the operating system: project partners need to nominate a „Leading Partner” from amongst themselves; this partner will be the contact person responsible for managing relations with the Joint Technical Secretariat and implementing the project.
The general objective of the event was to provide assistance to organisations that plan to submit applications within the framework of the second call for understanding the technical, financial and administrative criteria presented in the call and its connecting documents. In addition, responses were also provided to questions raised by applicants.