to enhance territorial cohesion by improving living standards and employment opportunities holding respect to the environment and by using the natural resources for tourism

Overall strategy statement

Priority Axes & Specific Objectives

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Transition to a low carbon economy

RSO2.6: Promoting the transition to a circular and resource efficient economy

List of planned actions
The programme will fund the following type of actions (non-exhaustive list):

 

  1. Support joint product design for durability, reparability, upgradability and recycling.
  2. Supporting industrial symbiosis, better tracking of resources and matching surplus or by-product materials across industry sectors by using common best practices.
  3. Circular economy collaboration for resilient value chains
  4. Investment in reverse logistics and feedback loops use, refurbishment and remanufacturing, in order to generate zero waste. Through these investments corporate take-back programs, where product producers also take responsibility for its disposal.
  5. Actions to promote investment and cooperation in the key value chains (plastic, textiles, ICT, construction products)
  6. Common actions for raising public awareness about the climate change and environmental opportunities of a circular economy, (actions under and SPF with a plethora of small projects such asfestivals, etc)
  7. Creation and establishment of a monitoring system of energy efficiency at the local and regional levels and creation of a data centre system for common use for the authorities in two countries.
  8. Use of the SPF instrument to support targeted activities of circular economy and Green Deal activities, promotional campaigns, educational activities, management tools etc.
  9. Raising awareness activities for reducing various pollution forms (exchanges, campaigns).
  10. Joint actions concerning decarbonisation between cross-border areas, especially areas under the European Initiative for just transition for the Western Balkans and Ukraine.

RSO2.7: Enhancing protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution.

List of planned actions
The programme will fund the following type of actions (non-exhaustive list):

 

  1. Joint actions for improving the system of protection against natural disasters
  2. Joint actions of cross-border dimension to protect nature and biodiversity aiming at setting up ecological corridors to maintain and enhance healthy ecosystems
  3. Actions related to the protection of the environment and especially in the management and monitoring of Axios/Vardar river water quality and the establishment of early warning mechanisms (using ICT).
  4. Actions for improving competencies of stakeholders through the exchange of best practices and knowledge to promote the management of natural resources such as air, water and soil as well as nature-based solutions for infrastructure investments
  5. Actions for capacity building and knowledge exchange for the management of water ecosystems (e.g. by applying innovative water treatment technologies)
  6. Actions for exchange of good practices and innovative solutions that enhance sustainable environmental management practices (e.g. for forest and agriculture management, pollinator-friendly management, lakes, sustainable food chains).
  7. Enhancing the transnational coordination of environmental management and nature protection through various cooperation structures such as the Green Belt Initiative.
  8. Operational instalment and application of a telescoping system for the monitoring and management of the water quality (phytoplankton) at Lake Doiran and raising awareness activities.
  9. Sustainable management of protected areas with the involvement of local communities and the use of ICT applications.

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Strategic focus on Prespas area

RSO3.2: Developing and enhancing sustainable, climate resilient, intelligent and intermodal national, regional and local mobility, including improved access to TEN-T and cross-border mobility

List of planned actions
The Programme will fund the following type of actions (non-exhaustive list):

  1. Strategic actions and projects related to the BC “Markova Noga/Laimos” between North Macedonia and Greece in the Prespa region.
  2. Sharing good practices and developing sustainable solutions for the improvement of regional mobility services in the public interest and to increase their resilience in times of emergency circumstances.
  3. Designing solutions, developing and implementing multi-modal mobility strategies promoting effective and sustainable connections within rural and peripheral regions and their connection to the major transport nodes and corridors.
  4. Actions to reconstruct public buildings with improved energy performance (police stations, Cross-border Customs)
  5. Actions to identify and address the missing links in road infrastructure of the cross-border area
  6. Actions to improve and expand the cross-border connection: studies regarding road traffic, connectivity/mobility studies for understanding freight and passenger flows, commuting etc.

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Support and upgrade of health & social services

RSO4.5.: Ensuring equal access to health care and fostering resilience of health systems, including primary care, and promoting the transition from institutional to family- and community-based care.

List of planned actions

The programme will fund the following type of actions (non-exhaustive list):

 

  1. Mobile and other health services for children and elderly people in mountainous and remote areas through Mobile Groups of Health Professionals (MGHP) from the nearest urban centres or mobile Units, e-distance health services with modern technological products, stations for telemedicine. This action will be developed on both sides of the border.
  2. Development of initiatives for supporting communities to assess the primary health care system, in order to secure social and family care. This will include cross-border initiatives for the promotion of health and well-being of children and elderly persons, with a special focus on identified marginalised communities (Roma, people with disabilities, people with a migrant background, etc) to ensure equal access to quality and inclusive mainstream services in healthcare that will be supported by interpreters.
  3. Actions aimed at preventing the occurrence and effects of unpredictable adverse events such as crisis situations, e.g. epidemics, nosocomial infections. These actions will contribute to the creation of a Pandemic Task Force to coordinate a response to the pandemic on multiple levels (e.g. monitoring the availability of intensive care beds, setting up a cross-border information exchange system to jointly coordinate issues raised by pandemic crisis, etc.), online tools to respond to nosocomial infections on multiple levels (e.g. monitoring the types and the departments, setting up a cross border information tool, decision support for reducing spreading etc).
  4. Actions, in parallel in both countries, will take place for acquiring new skills in the field of medical care among medical staff, which will improve its quality and may translate into its effectiveness in the treatment of diseases. As part of the action, it is proposed to organize joint meetings and cross-border seminars between medical staff to exchange good practices, trainings, workshops or conferences aimed at improving qualifications and drawing attention to common problems in the field of health care and emergency services in the Programme area.

RSO4.6: Enhancing the role of culture and sustainable tourism in economic development, social inclusion and social innovation

List of planned actions
The Programme will fund the following type of actions (non-exhaustive list):

 

  1. Actions to support youth and unemployed people, aiming at gaining skills and professional qualifications in the tourism sector and more specifically in the growing ‘cultural tourism’ segment. The actions will be in the form of courses, pieces of training and exchange workshops, including both green and digital upskilling and reskilling, on how to set up and promote an enterprise in the tourism industry and manage it effectively.
  2. Networking initiatives, supporting employment mechanisms and joint efforts in the CBA towards the goal of creating new jobs in the field of tourism.
  3. Actions that will create new opportunities through investment and bcooperation in the field of tourism and environment, the adaption of ICT innovation, eco-innovation and attract additional investment and private funding within the border area. The main target of this action is to create the opportunity of supporting the diversification of the tourism product and invest in lesser-known destinations of high potential.
  4. Actions for the support of entities/ enterprises in the field of sports / recreational / natural / cultural activities under SPF with a plethora of small projects (e.g. food festivals). These actions aim to encourage the use of private funds as well for improving financial self-sustainability.
  5. SPF for the support of private and public beneficiaries in order to improve the accessibility to cultural and touristic events (benefitting for example the
    elderly and / or people with disabilities).
  6. Accessibility improvement in historical monuments and sites of cultural heritage in the cross-border area, including remote sites.
  7. Promotion of cross-border cultural initiatives (joint actions and cultural events, digitalization of cultural content and cultural routes).

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Improving governance for cooperation

ISO6.6: Other actions to support better cooperation governance

List of planned actions
The programme will fund the following type of actions (non-exhaustive list):

 

1. Enhancing cooperation in cross-border and transnational territories by establishing new or developing existing structures for cooperation governance, including joint decision-making processes, civil protection and coordinated action plans as well as by supporting cross-border public services.

2. Developing and implementing integrated strategies for territories with functional ties addressing high quality public services of general interest (such as health, education).

3. Developing smart digital services for coordination and better cross-border cooperation of relevant Public Administration Authorities (e.g. health sector units, civil protection and risk management authorities)

4. Actions in parallel in both countries will take place for acquiring new skills among rescue staff for improving its quality and its effectiveness. Joint meetings between rescue staff of both countries will be organized as well, to exchange good practices, trainings, workshops or conferences aimed at improving qualifications and drawing attention to common problems in the field of emergency services in the Programme area.

Programme Key Figures

Find key figures presenting the programme for 2021-2027

EL531 Regional Unit Kozani (1)