28/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - €40 million for Balkans-Mediterranean cooperation. On Monday 28 September, the European Commission adopted the trans-national cooperation programme (Interreg VB) for the Balkans and Mediterranean region, to support SMEs in the real economy. With co-funding, the programme has a total envelope of €40 million, including €28 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and €5 million from the pre-accession instrument (PAI). Amongst other things, the programme lays emphasis on digital innovation, reinforcing links between the business and education worlds, stepping up exchanges between the different regions, the sustainable use of resources and protecting natural and cultural heritage. The member states concerned are Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece, and the candidate countries are Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)