With an estimated budget of €60 million, the new “Balkan- Mediterranean” Programme is a result of a joint decision of the European Commission and the countries of South Eastern Europe to enhance and support cohesion and development of the areas involved. In particular, the participant countries are Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece.
The thematic priorities of the programme will be connectivity, environment and entrepreneurship. Through the improvement of the socio-economic competitiveness and the institutional capacity of the regions involved, the programme will aim at promoting economic, social, environmental and institutional cohesion and development.
This programme will be managed in Greece, by the Hellenic Managing Authority already in charge of European Territorial Cooperation Programmes.
An open public consultation of this “Balkan-Mediterranean” Programme is planned for mid-May and a first draft of the Programming Document is expected for June or July 2014.
This new programme represents a great opportunity for the development of mountains. We especially invite all the members of our new Focus Group of South Eastern Europe to answer to this public consultation, to ensure that mountains issues and interests are well taken into account in this new programme.
