EU Allocates EUR 222M to Boosting Cooperation in Danube Region

The European Commission has adopted a EUR 222M six-year programme aimed at strengthening cooperation and supporting projects in the Danube region.

"The programme focuses on boosting innovation and entrepreneurship, preserving natural and cultural assets, improving the connectivity and supporting the shift towards a low-carbon economy in the Danube region," the EU executive announced on its website on Friday.

The 2014-2020 Danube Transnational Cooperation Programme will be funded by more than EUR 202M from the European Regional Development Fund and EUR 19.8M from the Instrument for Pre-Accession for transnational projects in the Danube basin territory. 

The programme will support transnational cooperation projects in regions of nine EU member states (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) as well as three non-EU countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro). Moldova and Ukraine will also be eligible for accessing the programme once the funding from the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) is settled.

The first call for proposals will be launched in the autumn of 2015. The kick-off event will take place on 23 and 24 September in Budapest.