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Cross-border
economic
development 35
Practical guide : promoting projects
The “interested organisation”
form used by the 2 Seas
programme.
To attract more businesses,
preference should be given to
ongoing project submission
procedures rather than calls
for project proposals that take
place once or twice during a
seven-year programming period.
Project appraisal periods
should be shortened to fit in
with businesses’ calendars. It
is also important to help project
developers to draft their grant
requests, an exercise that often
requires technical knowledge
that few economic players have.
The role of coordination and
support of the Joint Technical
Secretariats (JTSs) is essential.
The project selection
process should also be
shortened compared with the
2007-2013 period. External
experts should be used to
assess the quality of project
proposals.
E x a m p l e :
In the Science Offensive
initiative of the 2007-2013
Upper Rhine programme, a
group of 30 scientists evaluated
the research projects submitted.
The selection committee’s decision
was therefore based on technical
arguments relating to the expected
outcome of the projects.
loffensive-sciences.html
The JTSs should give
specific support to private-
sector players during the
project execution phase,
because often these project
developers may devote fewer
resources to the administrative
management of their projects.
It is useful for example to
support the developers in using
management software (Synergie
CTE), to draft intermediate and
final progress reports, etc.
Payment periods should be
significantly reduced at project
closure compared with the
2007-2013 period.
http://www.europe-urbain.fr/index.
php/accueil/actualites-meu/203-
vade-mecum-pour-la-mise-en-
oeuvre-d-instruments-d-ingenierie-
financiere-cofinances-par-les-fonds-
europeens-2014-2020
Developing other sources of funding for
cross-border economic development
INTERREG programmes are potentially the most important source of public funding for
cross‑border economic development projects. However, sources of funding should also be diversified,
particularly because INTERREG programmes are not suited to all types of projects.
It is important to increase
project subsidies from local
and regional authorities or
cross-border structures.
E x a m p l e :
The Aquitaine-Euskadi
Euroregion conducts an annual
call for project proposals. The
eligible fields change every year;
for example in 2012 and 2013,
research and technological
innovation were eligible. Though
the amount granted is smaller
than amounts available through
INTERREG programmes, it helps to
finance smaller projects or to launch
projects by providing seed funding.
Another way is to develop
financial engineering for
cross-border projects, such
as private or public investment
funds or working capital.
Under certain conditions,
these funds may be financed
by the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF):
on this topic see the “Vade-
mecum pour la mise en œuvre
d’instruments d’ingénierie
financière cofinancés par
les fonds européens (2014-
2020)” (Vade-mecum for the
implementation of financial
engineering instruments co-
financed by European funds)
published by France’s General
Commission for Territorial
Equality.
E x a m p l e :
EUREFI is the first cross-border
venture capital fund, set up in 1991
at the joint initiative of the European
Union and private French, Belgian
and Luxembourg shareholders in
the Longwy European Development
Pole (PED) area, which has been
undergoing regeneration. It is not
designed for a particular sector of
activity; the criteria determining
companies’ eligibility for this
funding are based mainly on the
(existing or potential) cross-
border nature and viability of their
development project.
http://www.eurefi.eu/