Table of contents:
• Description of the Programme
• Programme area
• Investment priorities and specific objectives
• Cross-cutting issues
• Financial allocation
• Programme authorities and structures
• State of the art (last updated on February 2017)
• Cooperation Programme
• Evaluation Plan
• Annual Implementation Reports
• Regulations and Documents
Description of the Programme
With a financial allocation of more than € 90 million, Interreg V-A Italy –Slovenia Programme wiil support a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth as planned by the Europe 2020 Strategy, spending significant resources on growth, innovation, quality of life and environmental sustainability, also through the improvement of the efficiency of public administration. The Programme will cover the the seven-year period of the European Programme 2014-2020, which will be developed to provide continuity with the previous 2007-2013 Programme, which has funded 87 projects aimed at enhancing competitivness, research and innovation, protection and promotion of cultural and natural resources, and cross-border activities.
Programme Area
The reduction of the Programme area brings the Programme to its previous INTERREG II and INTERREG III geographic configuration.
The new territorial dimension could help to strengthen the cohesion level of the Programme area and better focus strategic approaches and actions on the three pillars of concentration, territorial connection and administrative cooperation.
The Programme area extends over a total surface of 19,841 km² and has a total population of approximately 3 million inhabitants. The entire Programme area includes 5 Italian NUTS3 level regions (provinces of Venice, Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia and Trieste) and 5 Slovenian statistical regions (statistical regions of Primorsko-notranjska,Osrednjeslovenska, Gorenjska, Obalno-kraška and Goriška). Overall, on NUTS2 level on the Italian side, the regions involved are those of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, while for the Slovenian side, Vzhodna Slovenija and Zahodna Slovenija.
The cooperation area includes various models of territorial development. A specific example is
the functional urban region of Gorizia, Nova Gorica and Šempeter where, drawing on the experiences achieved through several European cross-border projects, an EGTC (European Group for Territorial Cooperation) has been established in 2011. The EGTC, considered the most advanced form of cross-border territorial cooperation, shares goals relating to common management and modernization in health, environment and infrastructural sector, urban transport, logistics, energy and economic development initiatives.
The geographical coverage of the Programme area is characterized by an internal diversity with the presence of coastal areas, mountain ranges, rural and urban areas, and lagoon landscapes.
Investment priorities and specific objectives
All programmes under Cohesion Policy should contribute to the European Union Strategy 2020 for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and to the achievement of economic, social and territorial cohesion.
For this reason the Cohesion Policy Legislative package has strengthened the strategic synergies between EU policies, mainly through:
- the adoption of the Common Strategic Framework, containing the guiding principle for all ESI Funds;
- the identification of 11 Thematic Objectives (TO) directly linked to the priorities of Europe 2020 Strategy.
In the Programme Strategy have been selected 4 Thematic Objectives and 6 Investment Priorities on the basis of thematic concentration requirements.
The overall Objective of the Programme is: “Promote innovation, sustainability and cross-border governance to create a more competitive, cohesive and livable area”.
The following 4 Priority Axes have been identified to answer to the existent needs and challenges.
Priority Axis 1: Promoting innovation capacities for a more competitive area
TO 1: Strengthening research, technological development and innovation.
IP 1b: Promoting business investment in R&I, developing links and synergies between enterprises, research and development centers and the higher education sector, in particular promoting investment in product and service development, technology transfer, social innovation, eco-innovation, public service applications, demand stimulation, networking, clusters and open innovation through smart specialization, and supporting technological and applied research, pilot lines, early product validation actions, advanced manufacturing capabilities and first production, in particular in key enabling technologies and diffusion of general purpose technologies .
SO 1.1: Strengthen the cooperation among key actors to promote the knowledge transfer and innovative activities in key sectors of the area.
Expected result
Increased cooperation among key actors of the innovation system, reinforced CB innovation clusters and durable networks in the key sectors of the eligible area, reflected on a tangible results level (jointly developed products and/or services).
Priority Axis 2: Cooperating for implementation of low carbon strategies and action plans
TO 4: Supporting the shift towards a low-carbon economy in all sectors.
IP 4e: Promoting low-carbon strategies for all types of territories, in particular for urban areas, including the promotion of sustainable multimodal urban mobility and mitigation-relevant adaptation measures .
SO 2.1: Promotion of implementation of strategies and action plans to promote energy efficiency and to improve territorial capacities for joint low-carbon mobility planning.
Expected result
Adoption and implementation of low carbon strategies encouraging energy savings and fostering the use of alternative transportation systems and the use of alternative energy sources.
Priority Axis 3: Protecting and promoting natural and cultural resources
TO 6: Preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency.
IP 6c: Conserving, protecting, promoting and developing natural and cultural heritage.
IP 6d: Protecting and restoring biodiversity and soil and promoting ecosystem services, including through Natura 2000, and green infrastructure.
IP 6f: Promoting innovative technologies to improve environmental protection and resource efficiency in the waste sector, water sector and with regard to soil, or to reduce air pollution.
SO 3.1.: Conserving, protecting, restoring, and developing natural and cultural heritage.
SO 3.2.: Enhance the integrated management of ecosystems for a sustainable development of the territory.
SO 3.3.: Development and the testing of innovative environmental friendly technologies for the improvement of waste and water management.
Expected result SO 3.1.
Valorization and promotion of natural and cultural assets of the cooperation area in order to attract sustainable tourism demand.
Expected result SO 3.2.
Enhanced management of ecosystems and promoted restoration of biodiversity through green infrastructures and ecosystem services.
Expected result SO 3.3.
Improved innovation in water and waste management and in through the experimentation and the implementation of green technologies.
Priority Axis 4: Enhancing capacity building and cross-border governance
TO11: Enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders and efficient public administration.
IP 11 ETC: Enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders and efficient public administration by promoting legal and administrative cooperation and cooperation between citizens and institutions.
SO 4.1: Strengthen the institutional cooperation capacity through mobilizing public authorities and key actors of the Programme area for planning joint solutions to common challenges.
Expected result
Increased intensity of CBC between citizens and institutions in the Programming area.
Priority Axis 5: Technical Assistance
The Specific objective is the following:
SO 5.1.: To ensure the efficient management and implementation of the Programme.
Expected result
- Improved effective and efficient management of the Programme over the 2014-2020 period;
- Strengthened capacities of beneficiaries and applicants to present and effectively implement projects in line with the objectives and results set by the Programme.
Cross-cutting issues
Besides the thematic concentration on the selected Thematic Objectives, further cross-cutting issues have been identified and will be addressed in a transversal way through specific actions into the different Priority Axes:
Financial allocation
The overall Programme budget is € 91.682.299,00, with an ERDF contribution of € 77.929.954,00 (85%) and a national co-financing of € 13.752.346,00 (public and private).
The ERDF allocation has been distributed as indicated:
Priority Axis 1: Promoting innovation capacities for a more competitive area - 24% of the ERDF contribution, amounting to € 18.703.189,00.
Priority Axis 2: Cooperating for implementation of low carbon strategies and action plans - 15% of the ERDF contribution, amounting to € 11.689.493,00.
Priority Axis 3: Protecting and promoting natural and cultural resources - 35% of the ERDF contribution, amounting to € 27.275.484,00.
Priority Axis 4: Enhancing capacity building and cross-border governance - 20% of the ERDF contribution, amounting to €15.585.991,00.
Priority Axis 5: Technical Assistance - 6% of the ERDF contribution, equal to € 4.675.797,00.
Programme authorities and structures
In compliance with Articles 21-25 of the Regulation (EU) No 1299/2013, for the management and control of the Programme the following authorities and structures have been designated:
Managing Authority (MA): responsible for the management and implementation of the Programme towards the European Commission;
Certifying Authority (CA): responsible for certifying the declarations of expenditure and the applications for payment before their submission to the European Commission;
Audit Authority (AA): responsible for verifying the effective functioning of the management and control system. The AA will be assisted by a Group of Auditors composed by representative of both MS participating in the Programme;
Monitoring Committee (MC): responsible for supervising and monitoring the Programme implementation and for selecting the operations;
Intermediate Body (IB): responsible for the management and implementation of the ITI. The role and functions of the IB GECT GO/EZTS GO are described in Section 4 of the Cooperation Programme;
Joint Secretariat (JS): it assists the MA and the MC in carrying out their respective functions.
Representatives of Member States (MS): National/Regional Authorities;
Following the positive 2007-2013 experience, the Slovene Info Point and regional support in Italy shall provide information to potential beneficiaries in their own territories.
Italy-Slovenia 2014-2020 Task Force is a temporary working unit composed by the Representatives of the Member States Italy and Slovenia in order to prepare the Italy-Slovenia 2014-2020 Operational Programme.
The main purpose of the Task Force is to prepare the Italy-Slovenia 2014-2020 Cross-Border Cooperation Programme.
The Task Force approved the following internal rules.
State of the art (last updated on February 2017)
Main steps for the approval of the Programme
May 2013-June 2015: set up a Task Force composed by the Institutional partners of the Programme (Representatives of the Republic of Slovenia, Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Region of Veneto and European Commission) in order to prepare the contents of the Programme and supervise the programming procedures. The Task Force, after a long and complex negotiation phase (13 plenary meetings, 10 meetings of the Technical Working Group, 8 written procedures and two invitations by the European Commission to Brussels (5th and 20th March 2015), has progressively defined the contents of the programming documents: the eligible area of the Programme, the Managing Authority, the Thematic Objectives, the introduction of theITI - Integrated Territorial Investment, managed by the GECT GO acknowledged as intermediate body of the Programme, the list of activities to be financed by the Programme; the types of projects (standard, strategic and ITI projects) and the relative financial allocation; the indicators; the main elements of the management and control system of the Programme; the measures to be taken for the procedural adjustment of e-cohesion and simplification, le contents of 11 annexes to the Programme.
June 19th, 2015: prior adoption of the Programme, the Environmental report and the Non-technical summary from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Executive with resolution No 1183.
June 26th, 2015: adoption of a favourable opinion of the Council of local governments of Friuli Venezia Giulia and of the 5th Council committee on the Regional Executive resolution n.1183 of 19th June 2015, concerning the “Prior adoption of the “Cross-border Cooperation Programme INTERREG V Italy-Slovenia 2014-2020”.
July 1st, 2015: launch of the public consultation on the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). At the latest within 60 days from the date any observations could be received in order to integrate the documents of the Programme – with regard to the environmental aspects – until the conclusion of the public consultation on SEA.
July 2nd, 2015: the definitive text of the Cooperation Programme has been approved by the Task Force of the Programme by means of the 8th written procedure.
July 15th, 2015: the Republic of Slovenia opened the national consultation of the Programme, which was successfully concluded by the signing of the agreement of the contents of the Programme by the Government office of the Republic of Slovenia for Development and European Cohesion policies and the confirmation of the national co-financing, n. 510-19/2013-SVLR/ dated 15th July 2015, in accordance with Article 8 (9) of Regulation (EC) No. 1299/2013.
July 27th, 2015: signing of the agreement on the content of the Programme by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Ministry of Cohesion Policies of the Republic of Italy, and of the confirmation of the national co-financing no. PCM-DPC 569 laid down by the above Rule 1299/2013.
July 27th, 2015: as a result of the transposition of the documents of agreement required by the ninth paragraph of Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 1299/2013, the text of the Cooperation Programme and its Annexes have been transmitted to the European Commission through the electronic data exchange system SFC2014.
October 26th, 2015: according with Article 29 (3) of Regulation (EU) 1303/2013 the European Commission transmitted to the Managing Authority and the Member States its comments.
October 30th, 2015: submission to the European Commission of the Cooperation Programme revised with the additional information requested.
December 3rd, 2015: submission by the European Commission of the so-called "Outstanding comments", i.e. the latest minor changes necessary for the adoption of the programme by the same.
December 4th, 2015: official re-sending to the European Commission of Cooperation Programme, further integrated.
December 15th, 2015: approval by the European Commission of the Cooperation Programme by Decision C (2015) 9285 of 12.15.15, officially notified through the data circuit SFC2014 on 21st December 2015.
March 8th, 2016: First Meeting of the Monitoring Committee in Nova Gorica (Slovenia); the MC approved its internal Rules of Procedures (available in English only). The MC members list and the adopted decisions are the following:
• List of the Programme Monitoring Committee Members
• Short Minutes of the first meeting of the Programme Monitoring Committee
May 20th, 2016: Second Meeting of the Monitoring Committee in Postojna (Slovenia). The adopted decisions are the following:
Short Minutes of the second meeting of the Programme Monitoring Committee
Communication Strategy (available in English)
June, 9th 2016: ‘’Building bridges between cross-border experiences 2007-2013 and perspectives 2014-2020’’ event, organized by the Management Authority in agrrement with the institutional Partnership. The event, which took place at the Friuli Venezia Giulia autonomous Region Auditorium, focused on the concrete results of the 2007-2013 Programming Period, the main content of the new Interreg V-A Italy-Slovjnia 2014-2020 Programme and gave information about the forthcoming first calls for standard’ projects.
June 15th, 2016: publication of the first calls for standard’ projects.
June 29th, 2016: local event in Venice (Italy) regarding the first calls for standard’ projects.
July 14th, 2016: info day in Postumia (Slovenia) regarding the first calls for standard’ projects.
September 9th 2016: notice of extension of deadline for submitting applications related to calls for standard’ projects.
October 7th, 2016: publication of the Call addressed to individuals for the establishment of a roster of independent experts for the assessment of project proposals in the Interreg V-A Italy-Slovenia programme
December 12th, 2016: approval of the roster of independent experts for the assessment of project proposals in the Interreg V-A Italy-Slovenia programme
December 21st, 2016: The notice of the invitation to the EGTC "GECT GO/EZTS GO" for the submission of the I.T.I. projects is published on the Official bulletin of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Regional Government.
January 5th, 2017: publication of the call for independent experts for the quality assessment of “ITI GECT GO” project proposals.
February, 22nd-23rd, 2017: Third Meeting of the Monitoring Committee in Trieste (Italia). The adopted decisions are the following:
Short Minutes of the third meeting of the Programme Monitoring Committee (available in Italian and Slovene language only)
Cooperation Programme
Cooperation Programme approved by European Commission Decision n. C(2015)9285 dated 15/12/15.
Cooperation Programme – 15.12.15 (available in one language only)
Annex IX – 15.12.15 The Cooperation Programme revised after the first Monitoring Committee of the Programme held in Nova Gorica (Slovenia) on March 8th, 2016
Cooperation Programme – 08.03.16 (English language only)
Further elaboration of the Cooperation Programme and its Annex IX are now underway and they will be submitted to the European Commission after the identification of the baseline value for TO 11 result indicator and the approval by the MC.
Cooperation Programme
Annex IX
Evaluation Plan
Evaluation Plan drafted pursuant to the provisions of Regulation (EU) No. 1303/2013, Articles 56 (1), 114 (1)
Annual Implementation Reports
Annual Implementation Report 2015 (English version only available)
Annual Implementation Report 2015 - ANNEX I - CITIZEN'S SUMMARY (English version only available)
Evaluation Plan
Evaluation Plan drafted pursuant to the provisions of Regulation (EU) No. 1303/2013, Articles 56 (1), 114 (1) approved by the Monitoring Committee through the written procedure No. 7 and submitted to the European Commission via SFC2014 on April 19th, 2017
Regulations and Documents
Common provisions regulation (CPR)
Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013
ERDF Regulation
Regulation (EU) No 1301/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013
ETC Regulation
Regulation (EU) No 1299/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013
Commission Delegated and Implementing Regulations
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 480/2014 of 3 March 2014
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 481/2014 of 4 March 2014
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 184/2014 of 25 February 2014
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 215/2014 of 7 March 2014
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 288/2014 of 25 February 2014
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 821/2014 of 28 July 2014
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1011/2014 of 22 September 2014
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/207 of 20 January 2015
Managing Authority
Autonomous Region Friuli Venezia Giulia
Central Directorate for Finance, Property, Coordination and Programming of Economic and EU Policies
Coordination and Programming of Economic, patrimony and EU Policies Department
European Territorial Cooperation, State Aid and General Affairs Office
via Udine 9
34132 Trieste - Italy
Joint Technical Secretariat
via Udine 9
34132 Trieste - Italy
tel.: +39 040 377 5993
fax: +39 040 3775907
Slovene Info Point
Republic of Slovenia
Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy
Regional Office Štanjel
Štanjel 1a, 6222 Štanjel - Slovenia
Tel. (+386) 5 7318 533
Fax (+386) 5 7318 531
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