Vienna and Bratislava are Europe's closest capitals. The twin-capitals – which are only 80 km apart – are the drivers of economic prosperity in the Austrian-Slovak border region. The History and culture shared by Slovaks and Austrians are also key elements for a fruitful cooperation. Boosting this cooperation will be the focus of the new cross-border cooperation programme ("Interreg"), which was adopted by the Commission today. The programme is worth more than €75 million
- 28 July 2015
Vienna and Bratislava are Europe's closest capitals. The twin-capitals – which are only 80 km apart – are the drivers of economic prosperity in the Austrian-Slovak border region. The History and culture shared by Slovaks and Austrians are also key elements for a fruitful cooperation.
Boosting this cooperation will be the focus of the new cross-border cooperation programme ("Interreg"), which was adopted by the Commission today. The programme is worth more than €75 million from EU Regional funds. With national "co-financing" included, it will be worth more than €89 million in investments to foster cooperation in this urban border region.
Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Crețu underlined the border region's emblematic nature: "I am proud to contribute to the development of this unique cross-border region. Over 5 million people will profit from our Interreg investments. Slovakia and Austria share a common vision, namely to make life better for their citizens and businesses in this border region. We will not only invest in cross-border research and new transport solutions but also in education and language learning."
The new programme will address a variety of joint challenges and opportunities. First, it aims at boosting cross-border research, mainly driven by initiatives in the twin-capital region of Vienna and Bratislava. Secondly, it will promote the sustainable management and protection of natural resources in the natural area along the former "iron curtain" and initiate new, sustainable transport solutions. Despite a border length of only 91km, border crossings and mobility are still an issue – especially in rural areas. These main objectives will be complemented by efforts to strengthen governance and institutional cooperation which shall lead to a better integrated border region.
The new EU supported cooperation programme will also finance regional and local initiatives to foster closer legal and administrative cooperation – from language learning to joint labour market actions.
The overall programme budget amounts to €89 285 509 with a contribution from the European Regional Development Fund of €75 892 681.
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