Continuous preparation of the CBC Programmes
Planning | 25 March 2020
In summer 2019, CESCI began the thematic preparation of two cross-border cooperation programmes for the Serbian-Hungarian and the Slovakian-Hungarian border regions. In the first months of 2020 the preparatory work for the two programmes continued as well as the preparation of the cooperation programme between Hungary, Slovakia and Romania and Ukraine began. The epidemiological situation in March 2020 requires the development and application of new and innovative methodological solutions in the case of all three programs.
At its meeting on 6 November 2019, the Programming Committee of the Slovakia-Hungary INTERREG Cross-Border Cooperation Program decided on the continuation of the already started work. For three topics (Heritage Management, Economic Development, Social Challenges), the Committee considered that further analysis was needed, while two (Institutional Cooperation, Environmental Sustainability) were proposed as a horizontal instrument. In parallel with the analytical work, we would have organized three sectorial workshops on both sides of the border, but due to the current epidemiological situation, we could only hold workshops on the Hungarian side. As a result, the original methodology and timetable had to be modified in a way to provide bilingual extracts of the territorial analysis that will be available for commenting online (in writing or via a webinar). The documentation is expected to be finalized by mid-May.
At the request of the Serbian party, the preparation of the Hungary-Serbia INTERREG IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Programme in 2020 will continue with the repeated consultation with the territorial actors and further deepening of the territorial analysis. A total of four workshops were held on both sides of the border between 28 February and 12 March 2020. In addition to participating in the workshop discussions, the regional actors once again had the opportunity to fill out our questionnaire on possible project ideas. A territorial analysis of the Serbian-Hungarian border area is expected to be sent to the Managing Authority in mid-April, in turn the thematic preparation is to be completed in the second half of the summer.
This year, the thematic preparation of the new Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine INTERREG NEXT Cross-border Cooperation Programme will also begin. Currently the methodological frameworks are being developed for this program. The original methodology and timetable for the involvement of local actors has been overwritten by the emerging epidemiological situation, and it is expected that innovative online solutions will also be needed.
