Italy-Albania-Montenegro

The “Interreg IPA CBC Programme Italy-Albania-Montenegro” is a trilateral cross-border cooperation Programme co-funded by the European Union through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) in the programming period 2014-2020. The Programme is designed in the framework of the European strategy for smart, inclusive and sustainable

growth (Europe 2020). It aims to assist participating countries in meeting their national 2020 targets, fostering cross-border cooperation across the Mediterranean, in view of pre-accession of Albania and Montenegro to the European Union. The Programme is aligned with the broader macro-regional EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR).

Four priority axes are identified:

Axes 1 - Strengthening the cross-border cooperation and competitiveness of SMEs, aiming at enhance the framework conditions for the development of SME’s cross-border market.

Axes 2 - Smart management of natural and cultural heritage for the exploitation of cross border sustainable tourism and territorial attractiveness.

Axes 3 - Environment protection, risk management and low carbon strategy, aiming at increasing cross-border cooperation strategies on water landscapes and Promoting innovative practices and tools to reduce carbon emissions, and to improve energy efficiency in the public sector

Axes 4 - Increasing cross border accessibility, promoting sustainable transport service and facilities and improving public infrastructures.

Within Axes 3, the program suggests to implement methods and criteria of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) to develop a coordinate, integrated and multi sector system of actions to protect sensitive coastal ecosystems and habitats. The interventions funded within the Programme will have to be consistent with National maritime spatial plans. and MSP directive.

The programme will support soft actions, such as studies, action plans, best practices transfers and exchanges in the fields of Blue growth, sustainable development of marine areas and use of maritime resources.

A call for proposal is now open until May 31st 2017: it will support the selected applications with around 25.000.000 € of ERDF which represent about the 27% of the overall EU budget allocated to 4 Programme Priority Axes. The call will fund projects with a total eligible budget in a range from € 500,000.00 to €1,500,000 of ERDF (€ 2,000,000 for Priority Axes 4),with minimum 3 partners (1 per country) and maximum 6 partners (plus 6 associated).