European Programmes

Irish National Contact Point - EU Interreg Transnational Programmes

The EU Interreg initiative is designed to strengthen economic and social cohesion throughout the European Union, by fostering balanced development through cross-border, transnational and interregional co-operation. Special emphasis has been placed on integrating remote regions and those which share external borders with the EU candidate countries.

National contact points are assigned for each EU Transnational Programme to support project promoters in the development of transnational initiatives through tailored technical assistance and other supports.

National Contact Point – Interreg IIIB 2000-2006
The BMW Regional Assembly has been the designated National Contact Point for the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme in Ireland. This Programme with a gross budget of €205m European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) during the period 2000-2006, provided assistance for transnational co-operation projects in the areas of innovation and technology transfer, environment, accessibility, marine and spatial development across the five member states of Ireland, UK, France, Portugal and Spain. The programme has been worth almost €9m in European Regional Development Funding approved to 48 Irish partner organisations over the period to 2006. 

 

 

National Contact Point – Interreg IVB 2007-2013
During 2007-2013, the Assembly will again act as the National Contact Point for the Atlantic Area Programme and also for the Northern Periphery Programme which is a smaller transnational programme that supports Irish/Nordic/Scottish co-operation among nine partner regions, five of which are within the EU.

An investment of €104m ERDF across the five member states of the Atlantic Area is provided for the 2007-2013 period. Twenty four projects have already been approved; nineteen involving Irish partner organisations comprising €4.4m in approved ERDF spend. Under the Northern Periphery Programme a budget of €35m ERDF is available. Irish partner organisations are currently involved in seven approved projects.

Interreg Transnational and Interregional Seminar
The BMW Regional Assembly in association with the Department of Finance and the S&E Regional Assembly, organised a successful one day national, transnational and interregional seminar in Tullamore, Co. Offaly on October 14th 2008. The purpose of the seminar was to brief participants on practical considerations when applying to Interreg ‘B’ and ‘C’ strand programmes and to allow one-to-one individual consultations with secretariats and information points from the various Interreg programmes.