Last March 14th and 15th, 2023 the first meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Interreg NEXT MED Programme was held in Cagliari (Italy) to pave the way for the first call for proposals.
The Interreg NEXT MED Programme is one of the largest transnational cooperation initiatives financed by the European Union under the European Territorial Cooperation (Interreg) goal of the Cohesion Policy.
The Monitoring Committee (MC), the decision-making body of the Programme. is chaired by the Region of Sardinia as Managing Authority and it is composed of members from participating countries, including representatives of the European Commission. The meeting was attended by delegates from 15 countries in the Mediterranean area, including Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Jordan, Malta, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Algeria, and Türkiye.
During the meeting, key decisions were made, including the adoption of rules of procedure and the approval of the key features of the first call for proposals. The call for proposals has a budget allocation of €103 million in EU funding and will address the four thematic priorities of the Programme, which are:
1. A more competitive and smarter Mediterranean (strengthening of research and innovation capacities, competitiveness of SMEs and job creation);
2. A greener, low-carbon and resilient Mediterranean (energy efficiency, sustainable water management, adaptation to climate change, transition to a circular economy);
3. A more social and inclusive Mediterranean (education and training, health care),
4. A better cooperation governance for the Mediterranean’ (development of local governance processes to foster cooperation and dialogue between citizens, civil society, and public institutions).
The MC also approved the selection process and evaluation criteria, functions of the Branch Offices and the Joint Secretariat, and terms of reference for the selection of their respective staff. Communication activities to support the first call for proposals, including a series of information events in the participating countries, were also discussed.
The call for proposals is set to launch soon, with more information to be provided on the Programme’s website.
All the additional information is available here.