Black Sea Basin Cross Border Cooperation Programme

ENPI BLACK SEA BASIN CROSS BORDER COOPERATION PROGRAMME (2007-2013)

A. CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

ENPI Black Sea Basin Cooperation Programme is one of the two cross border cooperation programmes in the course of financial cooperation between Türkiye-European Union. This multilateral cooperation programme involves 8 countries, namely Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Türkiye and Ukraine, and it is jointly financed from ENPI (for participant countries excluding Türkiye) and IPA (for Türkiye) funds.

The Joint Managing Authority (JMA) has been established in Romania by the Ministry for Development, Public Works and Housing. The Operating Structure in Türkiye is designated with Prime Ministry's Secretariat General for EU Affairs as the National Authority and Finance and Contracts Unit as the Implementing Agency.

The programme, which aims to provide a stronger and sustainable economic and social development of the regions of the Black Sea Basin, is a framework to finance the projects that meets the following criterias: to be implemented in cooperation with partners from other countries and to have a cross border impact. In Türkiye, Programme's Eligible Area covers 25 cities: İstanbul, Tekirdağ, Edirne, Kırklareli, Kocaeli, Sakarya, Düzce, Bolu, Yalova, Zonguldak, Karabük, Bartın, Kastamonu, Çankırı, Sinop, Samsun, Tokat, Çorum, Amasya, Trabzon, Ordu, Giresun, Rize, Artvin, Gümüþhane.

The objectives of the grants to be awarded under this programme, are as follows:
1. Promoting economic and social development in the border areas,
2. Working together to address common challenges,
3. Promoting local, people-to-people type actions.

The priority axes that are defined for the selection of projects, act as a transmitter while attaining the overall objectives of the programme. These axes are described below:

1. Supporting cross border partnerships for economic and social development based on combined resources,
2. Sharing resources and competencies for environmental protection and conservation,
3. Supporting cultural and educational initiatives for the establishment of a common cultural environment in the Basin.

B. IMPLEMENTATION SO FAR

Within the scope of the programme, the first call for proposals has been launched on 30 July 2009, and project applications were submitted by the announced deadline. Following the expiration of the application period, the projects to be financed were selected by independent assessors who used an evaluation grid, that is in line with the objectives of the programme. However, the information on selected projects and their owners, can not be declared, due to delay in the conclusion of the contracts between the selected project owners and Joint Managing Authority of the Programme.

C. FURTHER INFORMATION FOR POTENTIAL BENEFICIARIES

Potential beneficiaries who are willing to submit project ideas to the programme, can find further information on the official web site of the programme.

Up-to-date information including announcements on the calls for proposals of the programme, can be found on CFCU's web site.

The potential beneficiaries from Türkiye can also contact National Info Points within the governorships of Çorum, Edirne, Karabük, Samsun and Trabzon, or National Info Point in İstanbul.