Brussels, 31/07/2002 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has adopted two Interreg programmes for cooperation with Albania and Greek and Italian regions until 2006.
Greece/Albania: This programme has a budget of EUR 126 million, of which 90 million is funded by the Community, 30 million by the national and regional budgets and 6 million from the private sector. The eligible area covers 1.4 million inhabitants of whom 900,000 are in Greece and 500,000 are in Albania. The programme is aimed at the development of infrastructures linking the two countries and improving the conditions of customs posts and control and security structures at borders (Community contribution: EUR 70.4 million). The second aim of the programme is economic development. Cooperation between companies will be encouraged, as well as the enhancement of the natural environment, improvement in the quality of public health services and administrative structures in general, and the development of new technologies (Community contribution: EUR 17.8 million).
Italy/Albania: This programme benefits from a budget of EUR 72 million, of which 33 million are provided by the EU, 33 million by the national and local public authorities, and 6.3 million by the private sector. It may be used in Italy in the Puglia region and over the whole of Albanian territory. It concerns a total of 6.2 million inhabitants. The priorities of the programme are: 1) improved infrastructures and transport and communications services (Community contribution: EUR 9.9 million); 2) the protection, encouragement and management of vulnerable marine and aquatic ecosystems and the evaluation and sustainable development of protected natural areas. Cooperation between the healthcare and social services systems will also be encouraged in Albania (Community contribution: EUR 9.9 million); 3) the development of cooperation between enterprise, universities and research centres as well as cooperation on new technologies (Community contribution: EUR 4 million); 4) the promotion of tourist activities in the geographic area of the Adriatic, geared to the environment, and the strengthening of institutional and cultural cooperation (Community contribution: EUR 7.6 million).