INTERREG VI-A IPA Bulgaria - North Macedonia 2021-2027 - Priorities

Eligible activities and beneficiaries by priority:

Priority

Specific objective

Budget (euro)

P1: A greener cross-border region

1.1 Strengthening the protection of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution

5 245 255

 

P2: A more connected cross-border region

2.1 Improving regional connectivity and promoting economic growth in the cross-border region

10 330 946

 

P3: Integrated development of the cross-border region

3.1 Promoting integrated and inclusive social, economic and environmental local development, culture, natural heritage, sustainable tourism and security in non-urban areas

15 576 201

 

Total budget

 

31 152 400

 

P1: A greener cross-border region

 

Activities:

- Support for joint strategies, action plans and concepts for developing new tools, instruments,

- Transferring solutions between relevant stakeholders, joint capacity buildings activities;

- Investments in building greens (green balconies, green walls, green roofs, atrium spaces, green pavements, green fences, noise barriers, etc.) based on the joint concept/strategies and action plans;

- Investments in developing urban and peri-urban green areas, including improving connections between green spaces (tree alley and street tree/hedge, street green and green verge, green and coloured squares, riverbank greens) based on the joint concept/strategies and action plans;

- Investments in developing natural urban green areas (urban park, historical park/garden, pocket park/parklet, neighbourhood green space, institutional green space, green sport facility, forest, scrubland, abandoned and derelict area with patches of wilderness) based on the joint concept/strategies and action plans;

- Investments in developing green areas for water management (green roofs, permeable surfaces, infiltration trenches, swales, detention basins naturalized storm water pond, bio- retention areas);

 

Beneficiaries:

- Local population and visitors

- Local authorities and regional structures of the central administration

- Research and development organizations, academic and scientific institutions

- NGO

 

P2: A more connected cross-border region

 

The investments will be in the form of a project of strategic importance - the opening of a new border crossing point Strumyani - Berovo.

Investments under this priority will contribute to the EU's foreign policy by adhering to the most up-to-date standards for security protection and border control. The broad and multi-sectoral impact of the investments on various EU policy areas protects its strategic orientation in terms of regional connectivity and cross-border mobility in an area that is soon expected to join the EU. The main objective of interventions under this priority is to improve regional connectivity and support economic growth in the area of ​​cross-border cooperation by 1) facilitating the growing traffic of people and goods between the two countries, 2) strengthening communication links between the two countries and 3) improving and expanding access to the core TEN-T.

As a continuation of the agreement signed in 1999 between the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria on the opening of new international border crossing points (BCP) Strumyani – Berovo and Simitli – Pehchevo, in 2001 the Strumyani – Berovo BCP and the access road were built, on the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia, while on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria both the road section and the border crossing have not yet been built. In accordance with the above-mentioned agreement, the road section and border crossing on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria were planned to be financed under the External Borders Initiative from 2003, but were not implemented. The need to strengthen regional connectivity and to facilitate the growing traffic of people and goods between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia is topical.

The missing connections in the provision of joint cross-border business services and those of common interest are a major factor for the negative demographic dynamics that are manifested in the area. The lack of infrastructure to support the provision of community and business services further imposes serious social consequences, including greater social exclusion and inequality, as well as challenges to the provision of leisure services, labor markets and housing. In terms of inter-regional connectivity, the lack of a rail link between the two countries and the growing cross-border traffic have created a need to improve the service capacity of the current border crossing and expand access to the TEN-T, taking into account the prospects for accelerated EU enlargement.

 

Activities:

- Upgrade of the existing facility and construction of new BCCP facility;

- Purchase of specialized technical equipment based on ICT solutions;

- Rehabilitation of existing and construction of new roads in both countries;

- Environmental impact assessments and other project-related assessments

 

Target groups:

- Residents, visitors and businesses in the cross-border region

 

P3: Integrated development of the cross-border region

 

Activities:

- Joint actions aimed at improving the knowledge capacity of the SMEs to operate in a greener, more digital and more competitive environment (acquiring new knowledge and skills, incl. access to external finances);

- Joint solutions aimed at increasing the productive capacity of the SMEs to become greener, more digital and more competitive (technological modernization);

- Actions aimed at building effective product development process (it encompasses all steps needed to take a product from concept to market availability) and reaching new markets (marketing, entrepreneurship, internationalization);

- Joint actions aimed at developing all-season, integrated and resilient tourist products, accompanied by competitive branding and marketing practices, with the aim to untap the cross-border tourism potential by increasing the economic benefits of the sustainable use of its resources while prioritizing the protection of the environment;

- Actions aimed at rationalizing the use of tourist resources in the region, incl. development of new integrated regional tourist products; investments in infrastructure and facilities to support tourists; strengthening the links between natural and cultural sites; training of staff of tourist attractions; improving marketing practices and brands..

- Actions aimed at improving the mobility and connectivity of the transport and engineering infrastructure by a system of alternative mobility, including a grid of bicycle lanes, ‘dirt’ forest and country roads, and etc.;

- Actions aimed at elaborating and applying joint measures for reducing the vulnerability of services in the tourism sector to the effects of pandemic and epidemic situations.

Beneficiaries:

- Local/regional bodies, regional structures of central public bodies

- NGO

- Research and development organizations, academic and training institutions

- Social institutions

- MSME