MDRAP: 17.3 ml euro worth of EU funding for Romania-Ukraine Joint Operational Program's large infrastructure projects

The Romanian and Ukrainian authorities signed four financing contracts with a total of 19.3 million euro, of which 17.3 million euro in European funding, allocated through the Romania - Ukraine 2014-2020 Joint Operational Program, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration (MDRAP) informs. The four projects envisage crossborder security, health infrastructure and the rehabilitation of sewerage systems in the Danube Delta border region. Specifically, the project "Regional Cooperation for the Prevention and Fight against Trans-border Crime" (SAGA) is aimed at creating an electronic platform for the exchange of information between Romanian and Ukrainian police structures. With a budget of 3.5 million euro (3.2 million euro worth of non-reimbursable funds), the project partners - the Romanian Police General Inspectorate, the Border Police General Inspectorate and the National Police Department of the Ivano-Frankivsk Region (Ukraine) - will revamp the police precincts in the border area, develop a cooperative IT system, acquire advanced equipment and run a training program for Romanian and Ukrainian police officers, the cited source said. The project "Improving the safety of the population through emergency management" (BRIDGE), worth a total of 7.4 million euro (of which 6.6 million euro in European funding), is intended to train the emergency personnel and provide the necessary infrastructure. The project is carried out in partnership by Romania's General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, the General Inspectorate of Aviation, the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Gendarmerie, the Suceava County "Bucovina" Inspectorate for Emergencies, and Ukraine's State Emergency Service Department in Chernivtsi, and the State Emergency Service Department in Ivano-Frankivsk. The funding will be used to build a training range for emergencies and a helicopter landing strip in Suceava, modernize the dispatch centre of the State Emergency Service Department in Chernivtsi (Ukraine), upgrade a training center in Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukraine), procure special vehicles and prepare the legal framework for the organization and operation of structures tasked with handling emergencies. The "Cross-border healthcare infrastructure" project, with a total budget of 4.2 million euro (of which 3.7 million in European funding), targets investments in several hospital departments, specifically the rehabilitation and endowment of the sterilization and orthopedics departments of the Tulcea County Hospital (Romania); the rehabilitation of a building of the Macin Municipal Hospital (Romania); the modernization and endowment of the Danube Basin Hospital in Izmail (Ukraine); the rehabilitation and endowment of the Izmail City Hospital paediatric department (Ukraine). The project leader, the Tulcea County Council, will carry out this project together with the Macin Administrative-Territorial Unit, the Danube Regional Hospital in Odessa, the Izmail Local Council (Ukraine) and the "Lower Danube Euroregion" Cross-border Cooperation Association (Romania). The "Clean Danube River" Project, with a total budget of 4.3 million euro (of which 3.8 million in European funding), aims to rehabilitate the sewerage systems in the Danube Delta border area with a view to preventing emergencies caused by human activities, and was signed on June 28. The activities of the four projects will be completed within 36 months since the signing of the financing contracts, MDRAP said. These projects account for about 30 percent of the European funds allocated to the Romania - Ukraine 2014-2020 Joint Operational Program. The Romania - Ukraine 2014-2020 Joint Operational Program is funded by the European Union through the European Neighborhood Instrument, with a financial allocation of 60 million euro. The program envisages the area at the Romania - Ukraine border and will contribute to the accomplishment of the overall goal of the European Neighborhood Instrument: the evolution towards a region of prosperity and good neighbourliness, through cross-border cooperation for the benefit of EU member and non-member bordering states. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Adina Panaitescu)