Credits: Interreg Alpine Space / European Commission / Eusalp Alpine Region
Interreg VI France-Italy ALCOTRA 2021-2027
As in 2014, the ALCOTRA Managing Authority is the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region. The Managing Authority is responsible for implementing the program and relies on a secretariat based in Turin.
This new 2021-2027 program introduces innovative measures opening up new perspectives. The micro-projects allow projects of 25,000 to 75,000 euros of budgets facilitated by simplified procedures. A Youth Council is created as an advisory body, made up of 15 members from the Alcotra territory, allowing the introduction of young people into the program. The major aspect of the new programming is the emphasis placed on strengthening territorialisation and consideration of the specificities of each territory, by experimenting with new forms of cooperation. The territories covered represent 515 km of land border between France and Italy and include 9 NUTS 3 regions: Regione Piemonte (Cuneo, Torino), Regione Liguria (Imperia), Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta, Region Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, Region Sud ( Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur). It is a territory of 46,000 km2.
This program is intended to be a driving force for increasing the capacity for innovation (Smart Specialization), supporting the green transition and the digital transition in favor of economic development and the quality of life of sparsely populated areas (Smart Villages), improving the use of new technologies for the development of short sectors.
The 2021-2027 Programming will benefit from 182.3 M euros from the European Regional Development Fund and will follow 5 political objectives: - "Revitalize the economy in the Alcotra space" through research, development and innovation and digital uses (34.1 M). - "Responding to environmental challenges" through resilience to climate change, protection of biodiversity, renewable energies and green mobility (59.6M). - "Respond to the consequences of the health crisis with experiences to capitalize on" via education, health, tourism and culture (35.8M). - "Experimenting with new forms of territorial cooperation" by promoting the experiences of Integrated Territorial Plans, unique in the European panorama and by using the Bottom-Up strategy in connection with regional development strategies (34.1 M). -"Overcoming cross-border obstacles" via the implementation of a new governance to overcome legal and administrative obstacles and via the involvement of beneficiaries holding skills in specific areas.
Interreg Italy-France Maritime 2021-2027
The program area covers a total area of 59,660 km2. According to the EU NUTS 3 classification, the maritime cross-border area is made up of a mixture of rural, urban and intermediate areas with four large metropolitan areas: Nice, Genoa, Toulon and Cagliari.
Within the framework of the new 2021-2027 programming, the obstacles, the needs, the challenges to be met and the strategies to be implemented have been defined thanks to a work of synthesis of the previous 2014-2020 programming and by a territorial analysis to the 2021-2027 program.
In line with the strategic objectives of the ERDF, economic, social and demographic disparities and needs are structured around 5 macro-challenges and a common imperative: support the maritime dimension of the programme.
The new program is therefore structured as follows: - Innovation, competitiveness and sustainable growth, SME competitiveness, Smart Specialization and digital transition. - The territory and its environment, ecological transition and the development of a circular economy, the prevention of climate risks and adaptation to climate change. - Accessibility through sustainable, resilient, smart and intermodal mobility at regional and local level, including access to TEN-T (Trans-European Transport Network) and cross-border mobility. - Human capital and access to employment. - Cross-border cohesion and the improvement of legal and administrative cooperation and between citizens and institutions in order to resolve obstacles and consolidate mutual trust in the cross-border area.
These are therefore 5 priorities that are targeted in the new program in order to continue the work carried out over the period 2014-2020, taking into account the phases of pandemic crises and climate crises. The budget is 193,296,077 euros financed 80% by the ERDF and 20% by national counterparts. Budget to ensure the sustainability of many projects.
The objectives of the programming are dedicated to facilitating better coordination between the programs that are present in this area (WESTMED, EUROMED, NEXTMED) and fit into the context of the signing of the Quirinal Treaty and the Sustainable Development Goals of the Nations -United as well as the Paris Agreement.
Cohesion policy 2021-2027
The cohesion policy of the European Union was born from the birth of the European construction. It aims to combat the disparities in wealth and development between countries of the Union. The funds that make it up are intended to finance a multitude of projects across the Old Continent, in particular via the ERDF which notably finances Interreg projects.
For the period 2021-2027, the budget is 331 billion euros, i.e. 1/3 of the European Union budget. This is a figure to which must be added the 47.5 billion euros of the Recovery Plan and the 17.5 billion of the Fund for a just transition. The cohesion policy is made up of 3 major funds: - The ERDF, endowed with 200.4 billion euros, it finances projects concerning digital technology, research or the environment. - The European Social Fund + (ESF+) endowed with 88 billion euros which finances projects linked to social inclusion and employment. - The Cohesion Fund endowed with 42.6 billion euros, which intervenes in member countries whose income is less than 90% of the European average and which intervenes in the field of transport and the environment.
This policy is included in a budget which is reassessed every 7 years in the multiannual financial framework. For the period 2021-2027, it is 1074.3 billion euros, not counting the 750 billion euros of the European Recovery Plan, part of which is financed by "Green Bonds", namely loans common to the 27 on the financial markets.
European Territorial Cooperation (Interreg) is an integral part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
From 2014 to 2020, the European Territorial Cooperation budget was 8.95 billion euros. Its objective is to enable the development of cross-border or interregional cooperation. Projects can cover a wide range of topics, depending on the priority of cooperation in the relevant areas: Innovation, Environment, Digitization, Transport, Education, Health, Culture, Sustainable Tourism, SME Networking.
Territorial cooperation for the period 2021-2027 will amount to €7.9 billion (at 2018 rates). It now includes a section dedicated to the outermost region.
