Brussels, 18/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, the European Commission approved four aid programmes for cross-border co-operation between Germany and neighbouring countries (Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Poland) under the Community initiative INTERREG III. The EU's financial aid will be spread out over the period until 2006 and supplemented by public and private sector investment.
The programme covering the border zones of Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein (the Alpenrhein-Bodensee-Hochrhein region) focuses on stepping up regional co-operation in town and country planning, the environment and the regional economy, with a total budget of EUR 42.4 million, 17.5 mil of which from the EU. 20.6 mil will come from national and regional budgets and 4.3 mil from private investors. The programme covering Lower Saxony in Germany and Zuidoost Drenthe, Oost Groningen, Delfzijl and Overig Groningen in the Netherlands aim to achieve better cross-border cooperation in terms of enhancing infrastructure, the environment and funding social integration. Of the total budget of 87 million, 35.5 million will come from the EU, 46 mil from national and regional budgets and 5.6 mil from the private sector. The programme covering Brandenburg in Germany and Voivodship Lubuskie in Poland focuses on cooperation in terms of the economy and infrastructure on both sides of the border. It has a budget of EUR 131.79 mil, 96.21 mil of which from the EU, 31.71 mil from national and regional budgets and 3.86 mil from the private sector. The programme for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg in Germany and Voivodship Zachodniopomorskie in Poland has the same aims as the previous programme, with a total budget of EUR 110.78 mil, 83.09 mil from the EU and 27.69 mil from national and regional budgets and the private sector.