Welcome to the

Euregio Meuse-Rhine
 Euregio Meuse-Rhine characteristics

4 millionen inhabitants
3 member states: Belgium, Germany, the
Netherlands
10 700 km²
3 languages: Dutch, French, German
Five different cultures
5 partner regions:
Provincie Limburg (the Netherlands)
Regio Aachen (Germany)
Provincie Limburg (Belgium)
Province de Liège (Belgium)
Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft
(Belgium)
 Euregio Meuse-Rhine characteristics

 Connectivity to densely populated areas such as Dusseldorf,

Cologne-Bonn, Brussels, Amsterdam and Frankfurt within a radius
of 300 km
 More than 2/3 of the population of Western Europe lives in a 500
km perimeter
 Around 1.5 million workers
 Around 30.000 cross-border workers
 Around 200.000 Enterprises
 4 Universities
 10 Graduate schools
 300 research and excellence centres
 About 114.000 students (including technical colleges)
 Different administrative structures

Staat Belgien Niederlande Deutschland

Region Wallonische Region Flandern

North Rhein-
Community German- Frensh Flamish
Westphalia
speaking Community Community
Community

Governorate Colongne

Province Liège Limburg Limburg

Dietrict 5 District

Municipaliti 9 84 48 26 47
es
 New governance instruments

European Gouping of Territorial Cooperation

EGTC
The EGTC is a new European legal instrument designed to facilitate and promote
cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation. Unlike the structures
which governed this kind of cooperation before 2007, the EGTC is a legal entity
and as such, will enable regional and local authorities and other public bodies from
different member states, to set up cooperation groupings with a legal personality.
For example, an EGTC or EGTC members can be:

 Member States
 regional or local authorities
 associations
 any other public body
European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC)

The EGTC is unique in the sense that it enables public authorities of various Member
States to team up and deliver joint services, without requiring a prior international
agreement to be signed and ratified by national parliaments. Member States must
however agree to the participation of potential members in their respective countries.
The law applicable for the interpretation and application of the convention is that of
the Member State in which the official EGTC headquarters are located.
An EGTC convention sets out in particular:

An EGTC convention sets out in particular:

 the name of the EGTC and its headquarters
 the list of members
 the area it covers
 its objective
 its mission
 its duration
 The Euregio Meuse-Rhine since 1976

Three phases

 Overcoming the national and linguistic obstacles

 Opening the borders > more mobility > more obstacles
 New governance tools needed
 Reorientation after 30 years
Vision: «Accelarate and deepen cooperation »

7 core areas:
- Economic Development
(Sustainable Growth, Environment and Employment)
- Knowledge Institutes
- Labour Market and Education
- Health Care
- Mobility und Infrastructure
- Culture and Tourism
- Security
+ Climate as a transversal objective
A Vision

EMR
surrounded by
metropolitan areas
EMR: Powerful region in Europe

Polycentric
metropolitan area
EMR?
 New EMR-Structure

Board of Euregional Economic and

Directors Council Social Council

Secretariat /
Office

Strategic 3-year-
Support Groups Plans Temporary
Committees
Networks

Economic Development
Knowledge Institutes
Labour Market and Education Climat
Health Care
Mobility and Infrastructure Metropolitan Area EMR

Culture and Tourism

…
Security
Climat
 Revenues and Expenditures
Expenditures 2009 2010
Office expenses
Revenues 2009 2010
Personnel expenditures 216

Translation costs 16

Expenditures „Board of Directors“ 16

Expenditures „Euregional Council“ 17

Contributions of the partner regions 510
Expenditures „Economic and Social Council“ 17

Administrative costs 30

Accounting costs 10

Interests 25 Expenditures „print products“ 3

Automatisation 7

Telephone costs 5

Other costs such as representation costs, … 38

Subtotal 375

PR activities 170

Activities of Networks and Temporary Committees 39

Total 535

Total 584
 INTERREG-IV-A
Programme
Euregio Meuse-Rhine
INTERREG IV-A Programme Euregio Meuse-Rhine

Priorities of the Operational Programme

1. Strengthening of the economic structure,

promotion of knowledge, innovation and creation
of more and better jobs
2. Nature and environment, energy, natural
resources and mobility
3. Quality of life

Budget for the period 2007-2013: 72 million ERDF

INTERREG IV-A Programme Euregio Meuse-Rhine

1. Strengthening of the economic structure,

promotion of knowledge, innovation and
creation of more and better jobs

 Promotion of entrepreneurship
 Competitiveness
 Promotion of innovation and technology
 Promotion of the cooperation between research institutes
and enterprises
 Cross-border labour market
 Tourism
INTERREG IV-A Programme Euregio Meuse-Rhine

2. Nature and environment, energy, natural

resources and mobility

 Preservation of nature and landscape

 Support of production and use of renewable energy resources
 Improvement of local public transport
INTERREG IV-A Programme Euregio Meuse-Rhine

3. Quality of life

 Promotion of cultural diversity

 Cooperation in the field of public safety
 Improvement of health care
 Reduction of burdens for cross border workers to promote
mobility
 The INTERREG IV-A- Budget in detail

Priorities % of the Budget of the ERDF EU- Co-financing,

budget programme inter- private or public
vention contributions
rate
1. Strengthening of the 65% € 93.658.295 € 46.829.147 50% € 46.829.147
economic structure,
promotion of
knowledge,
innovation and
creation of more and
better jobs
2. Nature and 18% € 25.936.143 € 12.968.072 50% € 12.968.072
environment, energy,
natural resources and
mobility
3. Quality of life 11% €15.849.865 € 7.924.933 50% € 7.924.933

4. Technical Assistance 6% € 8.645.381 € 4.322.690 50% € 4.322.690

TOTAL 100% €144.089.684 € 72.044.842 50% € 72.044.842

Overview of the total investment in cross-border projects

 1991 – 1993 INTERREG I 67 million €

 1994 – 1999 INTERREG II 75 million €

 2000 – 2006 INTERREG III 108 million €

 2007 – 2013 INTERREG IV 144 million €

 Project selection criterias

 Distinct cross border nature of the project  content,

organisation, finances and personal on both sides of the border
 Innovative idea
 Clear added-value for Euregio Meuse-Rhine
 Clear and measurable objectives
 Sustainability of the project
 Attention to principal of equal opportunities
 Maximum duration of the project = 36 month
 Exclusion of double financing
 Project selection criterias

Who can apply?

 Public bodies
 Legal entities (public and private)
 Private companies
 The initiative must fit into the priorities of the operational
programme
 The total costs of the project should be of min. 100.000 Euro
 INTERREG IV-A EMR
Joint technical secretariat (JTS)
RA

RA

RA
TS

RA
RA
 Consultation and decision procedure of the INTERREG-IV-A
programme

Trilingual project outline 2nd Meeting

First assessment of the
to GO / NO GO:
outline by the
be submitted to the Check and discussion Preparation of the
programme partners
regional of the outline in the JTS Monitoring
 GO / NO GO
managers Committee
 Sketch-CALL
Trilingual project outline
to
be submitted to the
Technical assessment regional
Official submission of
Submission for decision
by JTS and control to the
the project proposal
of accordance by Monitoring Committee
to the JTS in compliance
programme of the EMR
with the remarks formulated
partners
by the programme partners
(3 times/year)
Theory and practice
Successful projects

EMR Life science region

Please visit us at the

Biomedica on the 17th and
18th March 2010 in Aachen
(Eurogress)
 Successful projects

A TaskForce facilitating commuter

mobility in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine

Reducing barriers
A The Commuter TaskForce is an
B
KO
M
INTERREG project launched by the
M
E
Euregio Meuse-Rhine.
N
The aim of this project is to reduce or
remove the main barriers to job-related
mobility within the border triangle
Aachen, Maastricht, Hasselt, Lüttich
und Eupen.
Successful projects „ “

EPICC
Euregional Police-Information-
Cooperation-Centre
 Programm Evaluation
 Project evaluation
 Interim Program evaluation ( Technical evaluation of
the program management)
 Ex-post evaluation (by the EU- Commission, DG
Regional Policy)

 INTERACT New iniciative Territorial Cooperation

projects 2007-2013:
 INTERACT Project Evaluation and Selection Manual
 Progress report and outlook on INTERREG V

 48 projects approved so far

 97% of the budget committed

What we want for INTERREG V

 The further strengthening of cross-border strands (A)
 A set of priorities which is focused but matches the needs of the
programme area
 A simplification of the administrative procedures for applicants
and programme management
 More proportionate control mechanisms
 Any questions?

Thank you for your attention!