KICK-OFF CONFERENCE for the IPA CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION PROGRAMME ROMANIA-SERBIA

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KICK-OFF CONFERENCEfor theIPA CROSS-BORDER
COOPERATION PROGRAMME ROMANIA-SERBIA
8th of May
Timisoara
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Eligible area

• 3 counties from România (Timis, Caras-Severin,
  Mehedinti)
• 5 districts from Serbia (Severno-Banatski
  Srednje- Banatski Juzno-Banatski Branicevski
  Borski)

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Programmes budget 2007-2009
Total budget of which of which
Total budget IPA National co-financing
23,010,661 euro 19,559,062 Euro 3,451,599 Euro
Priority axis 1 Economic and Social Development 50 50
Priority axis 2Environment and Emergency Preparedness 26 26
Priority axis 3Promoting people to people exchanges 14 14
Priority axis 4 Technical Assistance 10 10
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Key features of the eligible area

• The Danube as a defining and common feature of
  the eligible area should not be seen as a
  dividing factor but rather as the key element and
  resource of the border eligible area. Any
  economic development or environmental issues such
  as flooding and pollution, linked to the Danube
  clearly require joint action
• Strategic location near three major TEN
  corridors (Existing international connections
  that could be exploited)
• Major natural resources for tourism development
  national and natural parks, thermal springs,
  protected natural areas of outstanding natural
  beauty.

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• The Strategic Goal of the Romania-Serbia
  Cross-Border Programme is to achieve on the basis
  of joint cross-border projects and common actions
  by Romanian and Serbian stakeholders a more
  balanced and sustainable socio-economic
  development of the Romanian-Serbian border area.

• Specific objectives
• Increase in the overall competitiveness of the
  economy in the border area
• Improvement of the quality of life for the
  communities of the area.

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Priority Axis 1 Economic and Social Development
? 11.5 mil euro (IPA national co-financing)

•  
• Support for local/regional economic and social
  infrastructure
• Develop the tourism sector, including the
  strengthening of the regional identity of the
  border region as a tourist destination
• Promote SME development
• Support increased levels of RD and innovation
  in the border region.

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Priority Axis 2Environment and Emergency
Preparedness
? 6 mil. Euro (IPA national co-financing)

• Improve systems and approaches to address
  cross-border environmental challenges, protection
  and management
• Develop and implement effective strategies for
  waste and waste water management
• More effective systems and approaches to
  emergency preparedness.

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Priority Axis 3Promoting people to people
exchanges
? 3.2 mil. Euro (IPA national co-financing)

• Support the development of civil society and
  local communities
• Improve local governance in relation to the
  provision of local services to communities in the
  border areas
• Increase educational, cultural and sporting
  exchange
• Enhance social and cultural integration of border
  areas.

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Priority Axis 4Technical Assistance
? 2.3 mil. Euro (IPA national co-financing)

• Measures
• Support for the implementation, overall
  management and evaluation of the Programme
• Support for the publicity and information
  activities of the Programme

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Eligible beneficiaries

• In order to be eligible for a grant, applicants
  must fulfill the following criteria
• Be non-profit making bodies/organizations,
  legally established according to national
  legislation of Romania/Serbia
• Be non-governmental organizations (associations
  and foundations), public sector operators,
  local/regional authorities
• Be directly responsible for the preparation and
  management of the action together with their
  partners, not acting as an intermediary
• Fulfill all eligibility criteria described in
  the Applicant Guide.

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Project partnership

• At least one partner from each participating
  state in the programme
• All Partners are responsible for their own
  expenditures and activities, including the
  reimbursement in case of irregularities in the
  expenditure which it has declared
• Project beneficiaries shall appoint a Lead
  Beneficiary among themselves.

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Lead Beneficiary

• shall lay down the arrangements for its
  relations with the other beneficiaries
  participating in the operation. This agreement
  shall comprise provisions guaranteeing the sound
  financial management of the funds, including the
  arrangements for recovering amounts unduly paid
• shall be responsible for transferring the
  Community contribution to the other
  beneficiaries
• it shall ensure that the expenditure presented
  by the other beneficiaries has been paid for the
  purpose of the project and corresponds to the
  activities agreed
• it shall verify that the expenditure presented
  by the final beneficiaries participating in the
  operation has been validated by the controllers

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Type of projects

• The Programme shall finance both soft projects
  and small scale investment projects
• All projects should have a clear cross-border
  effect/ impact
• Projects should be in line with the Priority
  Axes, measures and indicative operations under
  each measure and must prove a clear added value.

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COOPERATIONat project level

• Projects must meet at least one of the following
  cooperation criteria
• Joint development involvement of all partners
  from the initial phase of the project and
  choosing the Lead beneficiary, which will
  coordinate the activities.
• Joint implementation all partners must
  contribute to achieving the project objectives
  necessity of clear connection between activities
  and permanent contacts between partners.
• Joint staffing avoiding the duplication of
  functions.
• 4 Joint financing a single account for the
  project balanced allocation between partners,
  according to the planned activities.

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Comprising of representatives of both partner
countries
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Milestones

• The Programme has been approved by the European
  Commission on ... 27th of
  March 2008
• First meeting of the Joint Monitoring Committee
  . Second half of 2008 - Estimated first call
  for proposals . Second half of 2008
• Info days ..between launching the
  Applicants Guide and submission of project
  proposals
• Help desk Permanent
• Info events for potential beneficiaries (2 events
  /county, district) .Secon
  d half of 2008
• Seminars for Lead beneficiaries . After
  contracting phase

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Contact details
Managing Authority - Ministry of Development,
Public Works and Housing12 Libertatii Blvd.,
Bucharest, sector 5, ROMANIATel.
40.372.111.366Fax 40.372.111.456E-mail
romania-serbia_at_mdlpl.rowww.romania-serbia.net
www.mdlpl.ro
National Authority - Ministry of FinanceSector
for Programming and Management of EU funds and
Development AssistanceKneza Milosa 20,
BelgradTel. 381.11.36.11.360 Fax
381.11.36.12.203 REPUBLIC OF SERBIAE-mail
cbc_at_mfin.sr.gov.yu www.mfin.sr.gov.yu
Joint Technical Secretariat - Regional
Cross-border Cooperation Office5 Proclamatia de
la Timisoara Street, 300054, Timisoara, Timis
countyROMANIATel. 40.356.426.360Fax
40.356.426.361E-mail cristina.imbri_at_brct-timiso
ara.ro
Antenna of the Joint Technical Secretariat
Centar Millennium, Poslovna Kula, III Floor17
Omladinski Trg St., VršacREPUBLIC OF
SERBIATel. 381.13.800.115Fax
381.13.800.113E-mail marcel.bajka_at_mfin.sr.gov.y
u www.evropa.sr.gov.yu