Project proposals would have to target one of the following objectives: to promote business cooperation, increase cross-border trade, develop labour market mobility, cross-border RDI and joint economic planning; to stimulate tourism development based on the cross-border regional identity and the natural and cultural assets of the cross-border region; to protect and safeguard the natural assets of the cross-border region by taking joint actions and by increasing public awareness; to promote good neighbourly relations across the border between local communities.

The full Guidelines for Applicants and Application Package are available for download on the following web page addresses: http://www.mrrsvg.hr, http://www.evropa.gov.rs , http//www.croatia-serbia.com, http://www.delscg.ec.europa.eu/code/navigate.php?Id=1, http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/funding/index_en.htm.

The programme area lies on both side of the river Danube, in the north-east of Croatia (eastern Slavonia) and the north-west of Serbia (western Vojvodina). The programme area is made up of eligible and adjacent regions as defined by the Articles 88 and 97 of the IPA Implementing Regulation.
Eligible areas are Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Srijem Counties in Croatia and Srem District, South Bačka, North Bačka and West Bačka District in Serbia. The adjacent regions in Croatia are Požega-Slavonia and Brod-Posavina County, and in Serbia Mačva District.

The overall, indicative, amount of the CBP Croatia-Serbia financing made available under this Call for Proposals (CfP) for actions implemented in the eligible and adjacent areas is € 3,240,000 out of which € 1,440,000 for Croatia and € 1,800,000 for Serbia.

The planned duration of an action may not be lower than 6 months nor exceed 24 months.

The following set of CBP Croatia-Serbia Measures will be implemented in the first call, the actions should relate to the objectives; the following list is not exhaustive and appropriate innovative activities that are not mentioned below may also be considered for support. By way of illustration projects could contain a range of the following activities:

Applications have to fall within the scope of only one of the 3 priority measures described below:
Measure 1.1 Economic Development
This measure will stimulate regular interaction between businesses located across the cross-border region via: business-to-business networks; development of SME support services and joint access to these; joint marketing & promotion on domestic & EU markets; enhancement of innovativeness by cooperation of SMEs with educational and R&D organisations; exchange of know-how; selected investments in business infrastructure. It will diversify economic development by the supporting the development & improvement of tourism products & services; integration of cultural heritage & environment into tourism products; and the joint marketing of these products. It will allow for increasing the knowledge of people working in tourism and culture & agriculture and the use of ICT tools for developing and marketing products and training people.

• Development of SMEs support services for improving business cooperation and joint marketing of SMEs
• Cross-border business partner finding activities (trade fairs, conferences, databases, websites, study tours
• Cross-border labour mobility events and services
• Development of cooperation between SMEs, education, research & development organisations for improving business innovativeness and technology
• Joint vocational /adult training projects addressing skills needs & sectoral needs
• Research studies to identify market gaps, market opportunities, high value products, dissemination of results across border region
• Common marketing initiatives promoting local products, services
• Joint cluster initiatives (e.g. electronics, multi-media, ICT, food processing, biotechnology)
• Improving knowledge and skills of people in entrepreneurship, new technologies, marketing, promotion;
• Stimulating use of ICT in production, marketing and management of SMEs.
• Support to joint initiatives for certification of local products
• Support to development of new tourism products (development of thematic routes, joint promotion events and materials, site exploitation)
• Small-scale business infrastructure
• Heritage reconstruction to ensure growth in tourist capacity
• Improvement of recreational and small-scale tourism infrastructure (walking paths, cycle routes, equipping visitor centre, information points, networking tourism centres)
• Networking of agricultural producers

Measure 1.2 Environmental Protection
This measure will support awareness raising activities on environmental issues and joint actions to ensure that sites of high environmental and landscape value are managed so that they can sustain the pressures of tourism development without losing their value. In addition, the measure will support the development of more effective systems and approaches to emergency preparedness in relation to flood prevention and control; cross-border pollution, food safety and health issues. The measure will also support the development of joint waste management and minimisation strategies. A selected number of actions will be supported which result in the clean-up and restoration of polluted /damaged sites.

• Development of joint management plans for protected /sensitive areas
• Preparation of cross-border emergency strategies and action plans to deal with natural and man-made environmental hazards
• Awareness and information campaigns in relation to environment and emergency preparedness which focus on key areas of concern such as waste management, preservation of biodiversity and responses to flooding.
• Development and implementation of training and training products for specialists involved in the areas of environmental protection and emergency preparedness.
• Cross-border cooperation between organisations involved in environmental protection and management of protected sites
• Joint awareness-raising among polluters and inhabitants on the need for environment protection and the sustainable use of natural resources
• Joint actions to develop solid waste management systems
• Joint actions to establish environmental monitoring systems
• Joint management and joint preservation of water resources and improvement of water quality
• Identification and clean-up of uncontrolled waste disposal sites and development of prevention measures;
• Preparation of feasibility studies and other technical documentation for large-scale infrastructure which will have clear cross-border benefits (e.g. wastewater treatment plants, flood prevention barriers, landfill sites) to be financed by sources other than this programme.
• Construction of small-scale, regional level, environmental and emergency preparedness infrastructure
• Cross border partner finding activities
• Studies and direct actions on applicability of renewable energy sources
 

Measure 1.3 People to People
This measure will encourage contacts, communication and cooperation between local communities and local community organisations /agencies within the cross-border region, particularly in support of women and marginalised groups (unemployed youth and disabled), local democracy and the development of civil society.

• Legal counselling for marginalised groups
• Joint community building programs with emphasis on inter-ethnic cooperation
• Joint health services delivery
• Developing cross-border cooperation between organisations providing social and welfare services
• Awareness raising activities on the effects of social exclusion
• Support to non government organisations active in combating social exclusion
• Actions in support of local democracy
• Cross-border networking of cultural and youth institutions
• Creation of joint cultural exchange programs (meetings and exchanges between youth, artistic and cultural organisations)
• Cross border partner finding activities
 

An information session on this call for proposals will be held in Croatia and Serbia. The dates and location of these sessions will be announced on the web sites of the Ministry for Regional Development, Forestry and Water Management in Zagreb (http://www.mrrsvg.hr), programme web site (http://www.croatia-serbia.com) and of the Ministry of finance in Belgrade (http://www.evropa.gov.rs) and all relevant media.

Questions may be sent by e-mail or by fax no later than 21 days before the deadline for the submission of proposals to the address listed below, indicating clearly the reference of the call for proposals:

E-mail address: cbc.hr-ser@mrrsvg.hr
Fax: +385 1 639 1993
 

Please consult carefully all related documents

Tender Notice

Tender Dossier