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Infrastructure : Go-ahead for 53 infrastructure development projects at Romania-Hungary border
The Joint Selection Committee for the Hungary-Romania Cross-border Cooperation Program 2007 - 2013 approved funding for 53 new projects worth a total of 68.4 million euros, reads a release of the Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism.
Of the 53 selected projects, 26 - worth a combined of approximately 36 million euros - were approved under Priority Axis 1, and are intended for the development of cross-border infrastructure (primarily for the construction or reconstruction of roads and cycle paths headed towards or crossing the border; the protection of common natural values; water and waste management). The other 27 projects approved under Priority Axis 2, worth 32 million euros, are directed towards strengthening cooperation in various fields such as the joint development of business, tourism, research and health infrastructure.
The fifth call for project proposals addressed to infrastructure development initiatives was launched on August 20, 2011, with a budget of approximately 51.4 million euros ensured from the European Regional Development Fund. The 201 applications submitted by the deadline set on January 31, 2012 requested a budget approximately five times higher than the amount available.
The Hungary-Romania Cross-border cooperation Program 2007-2013 is aimed at the sustainable development of the cross-border region, targeting needs that are not limited by state boundaries, which occur on both sides of the border and require a joint approach and innovative solutions.
Almost 400 projects have been contracted so far under the Hungary-Romania Program, benefiting from about 150 million euros from EU funds.
Territorial, and implicitly cross-border cooperation, is a highly important area of interest in the interval 2014 - 2020 too, and the two countries have already initiated activities for the future program. Hungary and Romania agreed that the preparation and planning of the CBC program for the next seven-year budget period (2014-2020) shall take place under the coordination of the relevant ministries of the two countries, with the active involvement of the representatives of the target regions, in order to build the EU2020 growth strategy.