ALSO - Achievement of Lisbon and Gothenburg Strategy Objectives by INTERREG

Strengthening the Territorial Cooperation

INTERACT Priorities and Measures

INTERREG III has been implemented in three strands:

• Strand A - cross-border cooperation: promoting integrated regional development between neighbouring border regions, including external borders and certain maritime borders;
• Strand B - transnational cooperation: contributing to harmonious territorial integration across the Community;
• Strand C - inter-regional cooperation: improving regional development and cohesion policies and techniques through transnational/interregional cooperation.

Cooperation under INTERREG III is based on the following principles:

• programming: regions and territories wishing to cooperate must present the Commission with a Community Initiative Programme (CIP) defining their joint development strategy and demonstrating the cross-border value added by the operations planned. Programming must take account of the general guidelines on the Structural Funds and Community policies: job creation, improving competitiveness, sustainable development, environment, equal opportunities, compliance with Community competition rules;
• partnership: between the national, regional and local authorities and the economic and social partners encourages a bottom-up approach to development. Transparent publicity also allows the widest possible degree of participation by public and private stakeholders;
• implementation of INTERREG III must be consistent and synchronised with the other financial instruments concerned. The ERDF is responsible for all operations undertaken on the Community's territory, while other of the Community's external-policy financial instruments, like Phare , Ispa , Tacis , Meda , CARDS , the EDF and the EIB provide the funds for operations beyond the Community's borders.

The current period of Structural Funds programmes and instruments will come to its end in December 2006 and the Commission, the Member States and the regions prepare for the new programming period between 2007 and 2013. INTERREG III and all the Community Initiative Programmes (CIPs) will come to its end as well. However, the importance of territorial cooperation is confirmed and will be fostered in the new programming period (2007-2013), becoming one the three objectives:

• Objective 1 - Convergence
• Objective 2 - Regional Competitiveness and Employment
• Objective 3 - European Territorial Cooperation