Brussels time
The Interreg Europe programme brings together policy organisations from at least three different countries in the 27 EU member states, Norway and Switzerland. For four years, they learn from each other and work together on a shared policy issue.
The lessons they learn lead to the improvement of regional policies and a more sustainable economic, social and environmental impact on the ground for the people and the place they serve.
This call supports policy-relevant organisations from different countries in Europe working together on a common regional development issue in line with EU Cohesion Policy.
The programme is structured around one single cross-cutting priority, the Interreg-specific objective ‘a better cooperation governance’. This means that beneficiaries can cooperate on any topics of shared relevance in line with their regional needs, as long as this falls within the scope of cohesion policy. This scope includes the topics defined by the policy objectives and specific objectives of cohesion policy as presented in Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 (CPR), Article 5 and Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 on ERDF, Article 3. Despite one single priority, the actions of the programme are still organised according to the specific objectives of the cohesion policy which include:
In addition, in the context of the Interreg-specific objective ‘a better cooperation governance’, Interreg Europe can support ‘non-thematic’ cooperation on issues dealing with pure implementation related challenges of regional development policies (e.g., state aid, public procurement, territorial tools, financial instruments, evaluation and monitoring). These governance related issues are also important when working on more efficient regional development policies.
Projects need to select a specific objective in their application form.
This is a call for proposals for interregional cooperation projects. These projects gather policy-relevant organisations from different countries in Europe working together on a common regional development issue. The first three years of the projects (‘core phase’) are dedicated to exchange and transfer of experience among the participating partners in order to improve the policy instruments addressed by the project. In the fourth and last year (‘follow-up phase’), the regions mainly focus on monitoring the results and impact of the cooperation.
Organisations relevant to regional development policies and based in the 27 EU Member States, as well as in Norway and Switzerland, are eligible for Interreg Europe funding. These include:
Partners from other countries can participate at their own costs.
The application involves partners from the four geographical areas defined by the programme (North, East, South, and West). These partners should also represent at least three countries, of which at least two partners must be from EU Member States, with the latter applying for Interreg Europe funding.
Project activities are implemented in two phases over four years (with an additional three months to close the project). The two phases are the core phase (3 years) and the follow-up phase (1 year).
Up to 40% of the overall ERDF budget (approximately EUR 130 million) of the Interreg Europe programme is made available for the first call for proposals. The final committed budget will depend on the quality of the submitted applications.
The eligible project activities are co-financed by the ERDF at a rate of either 70% (non-profit bodies) or 80% (Public bodies and bodies governed by public law) depending on the legal status of the EU partner. Partners from Norway and Switzerland are not eligible to receive ERDF but can receive co-financing from their respective national funds.
A project’s total ERDF budget usually ranges from 1 MEUR up to 2 MEUR.
Brussels time
