Good news for our current and future project partners – Interreg IPA CBC Programme Croatia-Serbia will continue in the financial period 2021-2027.
Interreg VI-A IPA Croatia – Serbia approved by the European Commission
After more than 2 years of programming, on 3 November 2022 the European Commission approved the Interreg VI-A IPA programme Croatia – Serbia (version 1.1), to be implemented in the financial period 2021 – 2027.
In the upcoming years, the Programme will support cooperation projects with over EUR 38.000.000,00 which are available from the European Regional Development Fund and the IPA III Fund, in addition to further strengthening the social, economic, and territorial development of this Programme area.
Key figures of the new Interreg Programme are:
- four counties in Croatia: Osijek-Baranja, Vukovar-Srijem, Brod-Posavina, Požega-Slavonia
- five districts in Serbia: Northern Bačka, Western Bačka, Southern Bačka, Srem and Mačva
- overall surface covered: 25,505 km² (18.4% of the Croatian territory and 17% of the Serbian territory)
- overall number of inhabitants covered: more than 2.1 million people (based on 2019 estimates)
- European policy objectives selected – smart, greener, and social Europe
Interreg VI-A IPA Programme Croatia – Serbia version 1.1
Commission Implementing Decision C (2022) 8026
Programming Task Force approved the Interreg VI-A IPA Programme Croatia-Serbia
Following the official approval of the Interreg VI-A IPA Programme Croatia-Serbia (version 2.0) on 18 May 2022 by the Programming Task Force (PTF), the Programme will be officially submitted to the European Commission.
The Interreg VI-A IPA Programme Croatia-Serbia will support cross-border cooperation between the participating countries in the upcoming programming period 2021-2027. Expected Programme results will contribute to reaching the goals set by the European Green Deal and underlined by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Programme is directly linked to the European Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) and the European Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR).
Cohesion Policy legislative package
In May 2018, the European Commission presented proposal regulations laying down future legal framework of the Cohesion Policy in the financial perspective 2021-2027. Proposed legislative package includes regulations relevant for European Territorial Cooperation programmes (“Interreg”) in next financial perspective.
At the beginning of December 2020, trialogue negotiations between European Commission, Council of the European Union and European Parliament was concluded as they reached political agreement on regulations for the Cohesion Policy in financial perspective 2021-2027.
Cohesion Policy legislative package for financial perspective 2021-2027 entered into force on 1 July 2021. Regulations are applicable from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027.
The legislative package includes the following regulations:
- the Regulation containing the common provisions governing the eight funds managed jointly by the Member States and the European Commission (CPR) – Regulation (EU) No 2021/1060;
- the Regulation on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF) – Regulation (EU) 2021/1058;
- the Regulation on the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) – Regulation (EU) 2021/1057;
- Interreg regulation containing specific provisions for the “European Territorial cooperation” objective supported by the European Regional Development Fund and external financing instruments – Regulation (EU) 2021/1059;
- the Just Transition Fund (JTF) Regulation, which completes the set of cohesion policy funds available for the 2021-2027 period – Regulation (EU) 2021/1056.
Regulation relevant for Interreg programmes are ERDF, CPR and Interreg Regulation.
Please find the new legislative package here.
In 2021-2027 Interreg IPA programmes can choose between five policy objectives (POs):
- A more competitive and smarter Europe – innovative and smart economic transformation and regional ICT connectivity (PO1);
- A greener, low-carbon Europe – a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe by promoting clean and fair energy transition, green and blue investment, the circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation and risk prevention and management and sustainable urban mobility (PO 2);
- A more connected Europe – enhancing mobility (PO 3);
- A more social and inclusive Europe – implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights (PO 4);
- Europe closer to citizens – sustainable and integrated development of all types of territories and local initiatives (PO 5).
Also, two Interreg-specific objectives are supported in the financial period 2021-2027:
- better cooperation governance;
- a safer and more secure Europe.
For more information on the financial perspective 2021-2027 please visit the official website of the European Commission.
Programming Task Force
The Programming Task Force is set up to discuss the future or the Interreg IPA CBC Programme Croatia-Serbia in the 2021-2027 period.
Each country has appointed representatives to participate in the programming process. Representatives of the Managing Authority and Joint Secretariat, as well as representatives of the European Commission, have observer/advisory roles.
The Programming Task Force will manage tasks concerning preparing public consultations, development of territorial and socioeconomic analyses of the Programme area, discussing policy objectives, stimulating cross-border dialogues with stakeholders and all other tasks related to the preparation of the Programme.
Programming overview:
1st Programming Task Force, Zagreb, 17 December 2019
2nd Programming Task Force, Novi Sad, 27 February 2020
3rd Programming Task Force, virtual, 26 November 2020
4th Programming Task Force, virtual, 31 March 2021
5th Programming Task Force meeting, virtual, 15 June 2021
6th Programming Task Force meeting, virtual, 22 July 2021
Territorial and socio-economic analysis
As one of the starting points for the preparation of the new Interreg IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme Croatia-Serbia 2021-2027, the Managing Authority coordinates the preparation of the territorial and socio-economic analysis of the programme area. The analysis will ensure better understanding of the needs and challenges to be financed by the new Programme.
In this process, external experts selected to prepare the territorial and socio-economic analysis prepared a short questionnaire. In addition to being distributed widely among relevant stakeholders in the programme area, the Managing Authority and National Authorities kindly ask all stakeholders interested in helping us to design new Interreg Programme to take 10 minutes of their time and to fill in the questionnaire at the following link:
Territorial and socio-economic analysis questionnaire
The link to questionnaire will be available until 31 December 2020.
Based on the analysis of information provided within the questionnaire, focus groups and interviews with stakeholders, as well as desk analysis of relevant data, territorial and socio-economic analysis of the programme area was finalised and approved by Programming Task Force on 31 March 2021.
The analysis detected challenges, strengths and potentials of the programme area thus providing guidance and recommendations with prioritisation of policy objectives to be funded in the programming period 2021-2027. The analysis highlighted the following policy objectives and related specific objectives as the most relevant for the programme area:
PO 1 SMARTER EUROPE
- Developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies
- Digitisation for citizens, companies, research organisations and public authorities
- Enhancing sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and job creation in SMEs, including by productive investments
PO 2 GREENER EUROPE
- Promoting energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- Promoting renewable energy in accordance with Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/200119, including the sustainability criteria set out therein
- Promoting climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention, resilience, taking into account eco-system based approaches
- Promoting the transition to a circular and resource efficient economy
- Enhancing protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution
- Promoting sustainable multimodal urban mobility, as part of transition to a net zero carbon economy
PO 4 SOCIAL EUROPE
- Improving equal access to inclusive and quality services in education, training and lifelong learning through developing accessible infrastructure, including by fostering resilience for distance and on-line education and training
- Ensuring equal access to health care and fostering resilience of health systems, including primary care, and promoting the transition from institutional to family- and community-based care
- Enhancing the role of culture and sustainable tourism in economic development, social inclusion and social innovation
Territorial and socio-economic analysis of the programme area is available here.
Public consultations for the preparation of the Interreg Programme 2021-2027
In order to receive feedback from interested stakeholders, discuss the relevance of the highlighted policy objectives and to further narrow down the focus of the Programme, public consultations (interviews, questionnaire, focus groups and workshops) with relevant stakeholders will be organised in May and June 2021.
Based on Territorial and socio-economic analysis of the programme area, the external provides selected for drafting of the new Interreg Programme designed a questionnaire to make further narrowing down of thematic concentration and to get the best possible insight into the needs and potentials of the Programme area.
The questionnaire can be accessed through this LINK.
You are free to forward the survey to other stakeholders that you think would be important in programming the coming period. For additional questions or clarifications, you can contact us on: ma@interreg-croatia-serbia.eu or razvoj@pjr.hr.
The questionnaire is available by 4 June 2021.
Based on the outcomes of public consultations, Programming Task Force will decide which policy objectives and related specific objectives will be supported by the Programme in the period 2021-2027.
Selection of policy objectives and specific objectives for the Interreg Programme 2021-2027
Based on the conclusions of the Territorial and socioeconomic analysis of the Programme area and the outcomes of public consultations, Programming Task Force decided that the following POs and related SOs will be supported in the new Interreg Programme:
Policy Objective 1 (SMARTER EUROPE):
- SO 1.1 Developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies
Policy Objective 2 (GREENER EUROPE):
- SO 2.2 Promoting renewable energy in accordance with Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/200119, including the sustainability criteria set out therein
- SO 2.4 Promoting climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention, resilience, taking into account eco-system based approaches
Policy Objective 4 (SOCIAL EUROPE):
- SO 4.5 Ensuring equal access to health care and fostering resilience of health systems, including primary care, and promoting the transition from institutional to family-and community based care
- SO 4.6 Enhancing the role of culture and sustainable tourism in economic development, social inclusion and social innovation
