€UROPROJE(C)TS: INTERREG - 25 years of European cooperation

For the 2014-2020 period, the European Union is conducting different policies as:

Competitiveness for growth and jobs;
Economic, social and territorial cohesion;
Sustainable Growth: Natural Resources;
Security and citizenship;
Global Europe.

The economic, social and territorial cohesion policy is supported by the European structural and investment funds, which are:

Cohesion Fund (CF);
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF);
European Social Fund (ESF);
European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD);
European Maritime & Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

The territorial cooperation, better known as INTERREG, is funded by the ERDF. It was created in 1990 and has known until now five programming periods:

INTERREG: 1990-1993;
INTERREG II: 1994-1999;
INTERREG III: 2000-2006;
INTERREG IV: 2007-2013;
INTERREG V: 2014-2020.

INTERREG aims to support cooperation between regions across the EU in order to find solutions to common issues.

INTERREG is split into three strands:

A: cross-border cooperation;
B: transnational cooperation;
C / INTERREG EUROPE: interregional cooperation, including:

URBACT III: supporting urban development projects between cities across the EU;
INTERACT III: the “backstage” of INTERREG, supporting the managing authorities, joint technical secretariats, monitoring committees, etc.
ESPON: supporting territorial cooperation through studies and analysis in order to get comparable information on EU territories.

For 2014-2020, there are:

INTERREG V A: 60 cross-border cooperation programmes within the EU, 12 programmes supported by the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) and 16 programmes supported by the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI);
INTERREG V B: 15 transnational cooperation programmes;
INTERREG EUROPE: 4 interregional cooperation programmes.

In the UK, the INTERREG programmes that have been set up are the following:

INTERREG V A:

Two Seas Programme;
France-Channel-England Programme;
Northern Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and Western Scotland Programme;
PEACE 2014-2020 Programme;
Ireland Wales Programme;

INTERREG V B:

North West Europe Programme;
North Sea programme;
Atlantic Area programme.

Each INTERREG programme adapts to the issues of its territory but the objectives must follow the EUROPE 2020 strategy for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Specific topics for ERDF also must be respected: