Nearly HUF 4 Billion HUF awarded for Hungarian-Croatian Joint Development Projects29 April 2011
The winners of the Second Call for Proposals within the Hungary-Croatia IPA Cross-border Co-operation Programme has been selected. EU funding awarded to the 59 projects amounts to HUF 3.9 billion. The first round of Subsidy Contracts is expected to be signed in June of 2011.
The Hungarian National Development Agency and the Croatian Ministry of Regional Development, Forestry and Water Management launched the Second Call for Proposals of the Hungary-Croatia IPA Cross-border Co-operation Programme in June 2010.
Within the three month tendering period 94 project proposals were submitted, among which the Joint Monitoring Committee decided on awarding the funding to 59 projects. EU funding awarded to the projects amounts to nearly EUR 13.9 (HUF 3.9 billion).
The programme is open to non-profit organisations active in the counties from each side of the Hungarian-Croatian border (on the Hungarian side: Zala, Somogy and Baranya Counties; on the Croatian side: Međimurska, Koprivničko-križevačka, Virovitičko-podravska, Osječko-baranjska, Varaždinska, Bjelovarsko-bilogorska, Požeško-slavonska and Vukovarsko-srijemska; the latter four being adjacent regions with the possibility to take part in the Programme to a maximum of 20%).
The main long-term objective of the Programme is to support culture and knowledge based development on the basis of intense socio-economic interactions between the two sides in the eligible area, and to facilitate the successful management of natural and cultural heritage. As the result of the Second Call for Proposals, the biggest number of projects will be realised within two distinct programme areas: Cross-border education, training and exchange programmes and People to people projects.
Within the supported actions numerous and manifold project activities can be realised if the supported projects fulfil the contracting conditions set for them. Supported projects include "Rehabilitation of land mine contaminated sites in the Drava-Danube area", which plans to map the mine suspected areas on the Hungarian side of the border within 24 months, and to start mine clearance in the most contaminated parts. On the Croatian side an area of 1.56 km2 will be cleaned from mines.
The project "Paths of the past" of the local government of Marcali that includes joint activities in education and training is a continuation of "Green Kindergarten", a project successfully realised within the First Call for Proposals. Four municipalities (Marcali, Molnári, Zalamerenye and Donja Dubrava) co-operate in organising a training for the staff of local pre-schools providing them with innovative knowledge in the field of drama pedagogy and value preservation to use in transferring the knowledge of the common Hungarian-Croatian historical and cultural heritage to their young pupils.
The project of the Hungarian Green Thought Equestrian Order Public Benefit Organisation facilitates people to people relations. The project foresees setting up the first Croatian open air school in the Kalnik area on the basis of existing Hungarian experience in the field.
In order to ensure the direct cross-border effect, each project is realised with the involvement of both Croatian and Hungarian partners in close co-operation and includes financing from both sides of the border.
The next Call for Proposals of the Hungary-Croatia IPA Cross-border Co-operation Programme with tourism related actions is expected to be launched in the autumn of 2011.
Further information on the Programme, as well as the list of the supported projects can be found on the website of the Programme (http://www.hu-hr-ipa.com).