The General Regulation (EC) 1083/2006 emphasises the need for territorial characteristics to be taken into account in the preparation of the Operational Programmes. The socio-economic and environmental analysis presented in chapter 3 of this OP sets out the specific characteristics and territorial needs of the BMW region and of its constituent NUTS III regions. The development of the Operational Programme’s strategy and objectives and the selection of the proposed priorities and interventions has taken cognisance of the specific characteristics of the BMW Region and applies the principle of geographical concentration in a number of proposed interventions in order to address specific needs and/or to avail of developmental opportunities, specifically in the following:
The focussing of the proposed broadband intervention on extending the provision of broadband to (mostly rural) areas that are not currently provided for;
The targeting of the rural water source protection and village sewage schemes in rural areas where the environmental risk is greatest; and
The inclusion of an urban priority in order to strengthen the capacity of the designated growth centres in the BMW region to drive the region’s competitiveness growth and to counterbalance the spatial imbalances that currently exist in the region.
