EU Cohesion Policy: over €66 million for cross-border cooperation with Ukraine on health, environment and administrative capacity

Over €66 million for cross-border cooperation with Ukraine will be available under the first cross-border cooperation programme adopted by the Commission: Interreg NEXT Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine. The programme covers the 2021-2027 period. Through this Cohesion Policy programme, three Member States (Hungary, Slovakia and Romania) and Ukraine will work together for equal access to health care and more resilience of their health systems. The programme will also support sustainable solutions for climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention.

Participating countries will also cooperate to protect nature, promote green infrastructures, and enhance sustainable tourism. Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “This programme is part of the overall support and unwavering solidarity of the EU towards Ukraine. Under Cohesion Policy, Interreg will help Ukraine and bordering Member States to face common challenges and grasp common opportunities. Ukraine is part of the European family, and this is yet again another tangible sign of collaboration in a common path forward.” The programme will also help aligning EU Member States’ and Ukraine’s standards for an efficient public administration.

Projects will promote legal and administrative cooperation to resolve common obstacles in the border regions, while fostering cooperation between citizens, civil society, and institutions. Interreg NEXT cooperation programmes for the period 2021-2027 have an allocation of €1.1 billion from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) and the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA). For the 2021-2027 period, almost €600 million will be granted to five Interreg programmes, to support cross-border and transnational cooperation activities between Member States and Ukraine.