EU Cohesion Policy: over €530 million for territorial cooperation including Ukraine and Moldova in 2021-2027

The Commission has approved four new Interreg programmes involving 10 Member States, Ukraine, and Moldova for an amount of €533 million of EU funding in 2021-2027 to foster cross-border and transnational cooperation, boost the green transition and support healthcare and education.

These programmes will benefit from reinforced funding in light of the Commission’s decision in March to suspend cooperation with Russia and Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and to transfer €26.2 million, initially allocated to these two countries, to strengthen the cooperation with Ukraine and Moldova.

€215 million for transnational cooperation in the Danube Region for innovation and renewable energies

The Interreg Danube Region Programme will invest in cooperation to make the Danube region more innovative and sustainable. It will support green investments to increase the use of renewable energies, improve water management, and preserve biodiversity with ecological corridors. It will also invest in joint actions to manage risks related to climate change. The programme will also support an inclusive labour market with a particular focus on vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.

€187 million for cross-border cooperation between Poland and Ukraine for nature preservation, health care and border management

The Interreg NEXT Poland-Ukraine programme will invest in climate change adaptation, sustainable water management (including development of sewage infrastructure) and protection of nature and biodiversity. It will strengthen the regional health care facilities, improve access to specialist and emergency medicine, and support long-term health care. The programme will also support cooperation between public authorities to improve local governance, including in the area of border management.

€54 million for cross-border cooperation between Romania and Ukraine for better education, health care and nature preservation

The Interreg NEXT Romania-Ukraine programme will mainly invest in inclusive education (e.g., infrastructure, educational plans, partnerships between institutions) and quality health care (e.g., establishment and modernisation of emergency services and mobile screening facilities). Investments in climate change adaptation, and protection of nature and biodiversity will address common problems such as forest fires, soil erosion, landslides, drought and floods that damage agricultural lands. The programme will also support the large network of natural parks and reservations.

€77 million for cross-border cooperation between Romania and Moldova for better education, health care and nature preservation

The Interreg NEXT Romania-Moldova programme will invest in natural disaster risk prevention and resilience. The programme will also help preserving biodiversity whilst contributing to the economic development of the local communities. The programme will invest in education and training (e.g., construction or modernisation of schools and universities, upgrade of digital equipment). Access to health care will be funded to address the disparities between rural and urban medical services in Romania, while Moldova will receive new high-end medical equipment. Finally, the programme will invest in tourism and culture, improving the access to historical monuments in the area.

Background

Interreg is one of the key instruments of the EU supporting cooperation across borders. It tackles common challenges and finds shared solutions in areas such as health, environment, research, education, transport and sustainable energy.

For 2021-2027, Interreg has a total budget of almost €10.1 billion covering 86 programmes and four strands: cross-border (Interreg A), transnational (Interreg B), interregional (Interreg C) and integration of Outermost Regions (Interreg D).

The new Interreg NEXT cooperation programmes for 2021-2027 focus on cooperation between the EU and partner countries along the EU’s external borders.

Cooperation takes place in the areas of economic and social development, environmental protection, public health services, safety and security measures, connectivity, support to small and medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurship.

Interreg NEXT has a total allocation of €1.1 billion from the European Regional Development Fund, the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument and the Instrument for Pre-Accession.

For 2021-2027, almost €665 million will be granted to six Interreg programmes, to support cross-border and transnational cooperation activities between Member States and Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.