Green light for the implementation of 53 Hungarian-Romanian cross-border projects 5 December 2012
The Joint Management Committee of the Hungary-Romania Cross-border Co-operation Programme has decided to support 53 large-scale proposals for infrastructural development. The EU funding awarded for the projects amounts to more than EURO 68 million.
One of the main objectives of the Programme is to ensure long term, harmonious development for the border regions in such cross-border areas which require common approaches and solutions and possibilities so that their citizens may exploit the specific endowments of their own region optimally.
The Programme’s fifth call for proposals for – large-scale, cross-border - investments was announced a year ago, with almost EUR 51.4 million allocated community framework. The winners were selected from 201 applicants. The amount of the grants requested by the applicants was close to EUR 256 million, five times the available European Regional
Development Funds (ERDF). With consideration to the high quality of the applications the original financial framework was increased, allowing for the support of 53 applicants in the amount of more than EUR 68 million.
26 of the winning ideas aim the development of cross-border infrastructure: cross-border traffic – renovation or construction of roads leading to the border or crossing them, bicycle paths, and developments in the area of environment protection. With a cost of EUR 2 million two sewage systems can be built (in Székelyudvar and Kétegyháza), and a sewage treatment station to protect the above surface waters. The project is aimed at the rehabilitation of contaminated land in the border area; it reduces the threat of the pollution of rivers and groundwater, thus leading to an improved quality of life.
27 applications focus on the coordinated development of business, tourism, and health infrastructure. For example, in Csongrad County the instrumentation of the centres providing the diagnostic background for breast screening and the organization of the screening itself may be improved, in a total amount of EUR 2 million. The long-term objective of the investment is to increase the turnout for breast screening in the cross-border areas - early detection and early treatment will result in a reduced number of breast cancer deaths.
As a result of the calls nearly 400 applications have been approved so far in the framework of the HURO program, with a total amount of around EUR 150 million ERDF grant.