Interreg Europe

The Interreg Europe programme supports the exchange and transfer of experience, innovative approaches and capacity building among public authorities and other policy relevant organisations across Europe with a view to improving their regional development policy instruments. 

Projects should 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.

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. At least one of the policy instruments addressed in a project must be an investment for jobs and growth goal programme.

Examples of typical exchange of experience activities:

• joint thematic surveys / studies / analysis
• interregional study visits
• interregional thematic seminars / workshops
• interregional peer-reviews
• interregional staff exchanges
• meetings with the stakeholder group (compulsory)
• joint pilot actions
• participation in the Policy Learning Platform activities
• preparation of action plans (compulsory only for regions where no policy improvement is achieved by the end of the core phase).

The programme also recognises the need to concentrate its resources on those policy areas that are the most relevant and most urgent for regions in Europe. 

Five thematic EU priorities and one non-thematic issue on better governance:

• A smarter Europe: Innovative and smart economic transformation
• A greener Europe: Low-carbon Europe
• A more connected Europe: Mobility and regional ICT connectivity
• A more social Europe: Implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights
• A Europe closer to Citizens: Sustainable and integrated development of urban, rural and coastal areas through local initiatives
• A better cooperation governance

The programme eligible area covers the whole European Union territory with its 27 Member States, including insular and outermost regions. In addition, Norway and Switzerland are full members of the programme and organisations from these countries are eligible to participate in projects. Partners from other countries can participate at their own costs.

Projects must involve partners from at least three countries, at least two of which must be beneficiaries from EU Member States. In addition, Interreg Europe requires a wide geographical coverage from all applications. Therefore, to be eligible in the second call, the applications submitted have to ensure that the four areas are represented in the partnership with at least one project partner:

• North (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden)
• East (Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia)
• South (Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain)
• West (Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland)

The eligible project activities are co-financed at a rate of either 70% or 80% 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. Organisations from Norway are invited to contact the Norwegian Interreg national point of contact to receive information on Norwegian funding opportunities.

The following organisations are eligible:

• Public authorities,
• Public law bodies (bodies governed by public law),
• Private non-profit bodies.
• Private non-profit bodies and partners from Switzerland cannot take on the role of lead partner.

The involvement of the policy responsible authority as partner is compulsory for at least 50% of the policy instruments addressed in a project application. For the remaining policy instruments (if any), these authorities must be involved as an ‘associated policy authority’.

Thematic priorities of this call that may be of particular interest to TMO members:

• A smarter Europe – innovative and smart economic transformation
  • Reaping the benefits of digitisation for citizens, companies, research organisations and public authorities
• A more social Europe – implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights
  • Enhancing the role of culture and sustainable tourism