European Territorial Cooperation Programmes or INTERREG Programmes They were developed at the initiative of the European Commission and represent financial support of the EU for the cooperation of border territories of neighbouring countries (transboundary cooperation), cooperation of parts of the countries or entire countries (transnational cooperation) or cooperation at the pan-European level including all EU Member States and partner countries (interregional cooperation) to solve issues of common interest. Since 2004, countries that are not EU members have joined Territorial Cooperation Programmes (INTERREG), providing Serbia the opportunity to develop cross-border and transnational cooperation. The Republic of Serbia has entered the family of interregional programmes with the 2021–2027 perspective (IPA III).
By 2023, through programmes for cross-border cooperation in Serbia, more than 7,000 project proposals were submitted, more than 1,300 projects implemented by around 1,000 organisations from Serbia were financed, and more than EUR 400 million were contracted. Through the implemented projects, hospitals, schools and kindergartens were equipped; children from the border areas of Serbia and the neighbouring countries competed in sports; churches were renovated; accident and emergency services cooperated in the fight against drug trafficking; border crossings, wastewater treatment plants and bike paths were built; concerts, bicycle races, regattas were organised, vulnerable groups received new encouragement and faith in a better future. This achieves the goal of European territorial cooperation – creating conditions for a better quality of life for citizens throughout Europe.
In the 2021–2027 financial period, the European Union allocated EUR 260 million for the implementation of the European Territorial Cooperation Programme in Serbia for eleven programmes:
Bulgaria - Serbia
(Interreg VI-A) IPA Bulgaria–Serbia Programme 2021–2027 was approved by the decision of the European Commission on 23 November 2022, with the following 3 priorities: 1) Competitive border region, 2) Integrated development of the border region and 3) More resilient border region. The total budget of the Programme is around EUR 38.1 million (of which around EUR 32.4 million are IPA funds), and the share of national co-financing (15%) is provided by the institutions themselves as project partners. The programme includes the following districts: Bor, Zaječar, Nišava, Toplica, Pirot, Jablanica and Pčinja in Serbia, as well as Vidin, Montana, Vratsa, Sofia, Pernik and Kyustendil in Bulgaria.
A limited call for strategic project proposals, worth around EUR 8 million, with predefined applicants, is planned within priority 3, and the largest part of the programming budget, over EUR 23 million, is aimed at investments in integrated territorial development within the second priority with a focus on tourism and the specific needs of the region. Within the first priority, projects for increasing the competitiveness of SMEs and creating jobs will be supported, for which the allocation amounts to around EUR 6 million.
You can find more information about the Programme on the following website: https://ipa-bgrs.mrrb.bg/en
Hungary – Serbia
2014–2020
Within the framework of the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Hungary – Serbia for the 2014–2020 period, a total of EUR 76,616,470.00 was allocated, of which EUR 65,124,000.00 was provided through IPA funds of the European Union, and the remaining amount was provided through national co-financing – through institutions which implement projects within the programme. Within this programme, three public calls were announced, and a total of 118 projects were co-financed in the following programming priorities: improving the system for transboundary water management and risk prevention; reducing the number of “bottlenecks” in cross-border traffic; encouraging cooperation in the field of tourism and cultural heritage and improving the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises through innovation-based development.
More information about the programme is available at the following website:
http://www.interreg-ipa-husrb.com/
2021–2027
The main goal of the Interreg VI-A IPA Programme Hungary–Serbia in the 2021–2027 period is to encourage the harmonised development of the border region by providing financial support to outstanding project ideas of non-profit organisations from the territory covered by the programme. The total contribution of the European Union to this Programme (ERDF/IPA-Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance) is EUR 63,550,000.00. Taking into account the national co-financing (including the contribution of the project partners), the total budget of the new Interreg VI-A IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Hungary – Serbia amounts to EUR 74,764,708.00. Two public calls are planned to be announced in the following priority areas and objectives: 1. Greener region (Target 1.1: Adaptation to climate change, risk prevention; Target 1.2: Biodiversity and pollution reduction); 2. Improvement of human and cultural values (Target 2.1: Education and lifelong learning; Target 2.2: Culture and tourism); 3. Cross-border institutional and civil cooperation (Target 3.1: Harmonious neighbourly relations through cooperation; Target 3.2: Management of border crossings).
More information about the programme is available at the following website:
https://hungary-serbia.eu/srb
Romania – Serbia
INTERREG IPA Programme Romania–Serbia 2021–2027 has a total budget of EUR 87,725,681, of which EUR 74,566,827 (85%) is the contribution of IPA/EU, while the projected share of national co-financing provided by partner institutions on projects is EUR 13,158. 854 (15%). Investment projects were supported within the following priorities:
• Environmental protection and risk management (preservation and protection of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure; renewable energy sources; energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction; adaptation to climate change and prevention of natural disaster risks)
• Social and economic development (equal access to inclusive and quality services in education, training and lifelong learning; health care services, adaptability of health systems; strengthening the role of culture and sustainable tourism in economic development, social inclusion and social innovation)
• Improving the capacity for border management (strengthening the institutional capacity of public authorities, primarily responsible for the management of a certain territory).
More information about the Programme is available on the following webpage: Interreg IPA Romania – Serbia Programme 2021 – 2027 (romania-serbia.net)
Serbia – Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Within the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Serbia-Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for the period 2016-2020, a total of EUR 4,055,883.00 have been allocated, out of which EUR 3,500,000.00 have been provided through IPA funds of the European Union, and the remaining amount has been provided through national co-financing through institutions which implement the projects within the Programme. Programme priorities are: promotion of employment, labour mobility and cross-border social and cultural inclusion; encouraging tourism and preserving cultural and natural heritage.
Serbia – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Within the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Serbia-Bosnia and Herzegovina for the period 2014-2020 a total of EUR 16,223,529.41 have been allocated, out of which EUR 14,000,000.00 have been provided through IPA funds of the European Union, and the remaining amount has been provided through national co-financing through institutions which implement the projects within the Programme. Programme priorities are: promotion of employment, labour mobility and cross-border social and cultural inclusion; environmental protection; promoting and mitigating the consequences of adapting to climate change; crisis prevention and management; encouraging tourism and preserving cultural and natural heritage.
More information about the Programme can be found on the following website: http://srb-bih.org/
Serbia – Montenegro
Within the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Serbia-Montenegro for the period 2014-2020, a total of EUR 9,734,117.60 have been allocated, out of which EUR 8,400,000.00 have been provided through IPA funds of the European Union, and the remaining amount has been provided through national co-financing through institutions which implement the projects within the Programme. Programme priorities are: promotion of employment, labour mobility and cross-border social and cultural inclusion; environmental protection; promoting and mitigating the consequences of adapting to climate change; crisis prevention and management.
More information about the Programme can be found on the following website: https://www.cbcsrb-mne.org/en/
Croatia - Serbia
Within the framework of the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Croatia–Serbia for the 2021–2027 period, a total of EUR 45,037,239.00 was secured, of which EUR 34,801,503.00 was secured through the IPA funds of the European Union, and the remaining amount is secured through national co-financing through institutions that implement projects within the programme. Programme priorities are: research and innovation, renewable energy sources, adaptation to climate change, health and social protection, tourism and culture.
More information about the programme is available at the website: https://interreg-croatia-serbia.eu/
Interreg IPA Adriatic Ionian Programme – IPA ADRION
OBJECTIVE OF THE PROGRAMME
The IPA ADRION programme’s main objective is to address the shared Adriatic-Ionian region challenges as biodiversity safeguard, climatic changes, sustainable transport, through the implementation of innovative models and tools, acting as a pivotal instrument for the identification of common solutions, contributing thus to make the region smarter and greener able to withstand future economic shocks.
PROGRAMME PRIORITIES AND SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
Supporting a Smarter Adriatic and Ionian Region
• Developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies
• Developing skills for smart specialization, industrial transition, and entrepreneurship
Supporting a greener and climate resilient Adriatic-Ionian region
• Promoting climate change adaptation, and disaster risk prevention, resilience, taking into account eco-system based approaches
• Promoting the transition to a circular economy and resource efficient economy
• Enhancing protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution
• Promoting sustainable multimodal urban mobility, as part of transition to a net zero carbon economy
Supporting a carbon neutral and better-connected Adriatic-Ionian region
• Development and enhancement of sustainable, climate resilient, intelligent and intermodal national, regional and local mobility, including improved access to TEN-T and cross-border mobility
Supporting the Governance of the Adriatic-Ionian region (ISO 1 - Interreg better governance)
• Supporting the governance of EUSAIR and the institutional capacity of public authorities.
PROGRAMME VALUE: 136,688,515.00 EUR
TERRITORY
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia,
San Marino, Slovenia and Serbia
DOCUMENTS
Financial framework partnership agreement
(Interreg VI-B) IPA Adriatic-Ionian Programme – IPA ADRION
List of relevant Serbian laws regarding the national eligibility rules
More details about the program are available at the official web site:
https://www.interreg-ipa-adrion.eu/
Interreg Danube Region Programme
The Interreg VI-B Danube Region Programme is a transnational cooperation programme for the 2021–2027 period, in which 14 European countries participate. Of these, there are nine EU member states (Austria, Germany – the states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia) and five EU membership candidates: Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, as well as the “Danube” regions of Ukraine.
Within this programme, a total of EUR 266,379,942.00 has been allocated, of which EUR 213,103,953.00 are EU funds, while the remaining amount is provided through national co-financing – through institutions that implement projects within the programme. Priority areas for funding include innovation, environmental protection, social services, culture and tourism development and support for the Danube macro-regional strategy.
More information about the programme is available at the website: http://www.interreg-danube.eu/
URBACT
URBACT IV (2021–2027) is the European Territorial Cooperation Programme, based in Paris, which supports cities and municipalities throughout Europe in solving utility and other problems and improving the living conditions of their citizens through the exchange of knowledge and experience. The URBACT IV programme enables cities and municipalities to improve their urban development policies through networking projects with other cities or municipalities, by sharing examples of good practices, and to enhance the participation of citizens in the planning and implementation of those policies. The programme has been in existence for 20 years, and from 2023, the EU has provided financial resources for the participation of the beneficiary states of IPA funds (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania), whereas from December 2023, URBACT IV also includes the beneficiary states of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Ukraine and Moldova.
The URBACT IV programme integrates comprehensive EU priorities related to digitisation, green transition and gender equality in the implementation of its activities.
The total budget of the URBACT IV programme for the 2021–2027 period amounts to EUR 86,769,000, of which EUR 79,769,000 is allocated from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), EUR 5,000,000 from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) and EUR 2,000,000 from the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument.
You can find more information about the programme at the following website: www.urbact.eu.
Interreg Europe
Interreg Europe is a programme of the European interregional cooperation, providing support to local, regional and national administrations across Europe to reduce differences in levels of development, growth and quality of life. The programme focuses on identifying and exchanging good experiences among European regions to improve regional development policies. Programming activities are implemented through projects, within which a limited number of regions exchange experiences on common topics of regional development and through a platform for policy improvement, where project results are elaborated and best practices are capitalised so that they are available to all regions.
The Interreg Europe programme has existed for more than 20 years. From 2024, the EU has provided financial resources for the participation of the beneficiary states of IPA funds (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania), as well as for the beneficiary states of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Ukraine and Moldova.
Programme beneficiaries can be public administration bodies and organisations that deal with certain aspects of regional development, organisations that provide business support (development agencies, innovation agencies, chambers of commerce, clusters, etc.), environmental protection organisations (environmental agencies, energy agencies, non-governmental organisations, etc.), educational and research institutions (universities, research centres, etc.).
The programme supports the EU’s cohesion policy priorities: a smarter, greener, more connected, more social Europe, as well as a Europe closer to citizens.
The total budget of the Interreg Europe programme for the 2021–2027period amounts to EUR 394 million, of which EUR 384 million is from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), while EUR 10 million is from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).
More information about the programme is available at the following website: https://www.interregeurope.eu/