Joint Operational Programme Romania-Ukraine-Republic of Moldova 2007-2013
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EUROPEAN UNION European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument Joint Operational Programme Romania-Ukraine-Republic of Moldova 2007-2013 Joint Operational Programme Romania-Ukraine-Republic of Moldova, 2007-2013 _____________________________________________________________________ Revised Final Version January 2008 Table of contents: 1) PROGRAMME SUMMARY ................................................................................ 4 Strategic environmental assessment ........................................................................... 7 2) DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA ............. 10 COVERED BY THE PROGRAMME...................................................................... 10 2.1 Eligible Areas for Participation in the Programme......................................... 10 2.2 Geography and Demography ......................................................................... 12 2.3 Economic Structure........................................................................................ 14 2.4 Infrastructure................................................................................................. 21 2.5 Population, Society ........................................................................................ 27 2.6 Environment and nature................................................................................. 28 3) SWOT ANALYSIS ............................................................................................. 33 4) COHERENCE WITH OTHER PROGRAMMES AND EXISTING STRATEGIES ................................................................................................................................ 36 4.1 Coherence with national strategies................................................................. 36 4.2 Coherence with EU policies and programmes ................................................ 39 4.2.1 EU support to cross-border and regional co-operation.............................. 39 4.2.2 EU support to national strategies and programmes................................... 41 4.2.3 Other relevant EU policies and programmes............................................ 44 4.3 Coherence with other international programmes and initiatives..................... 45 4.4 Conclusions of the coherence analysis for the Romania-Ukraine-Republic of Moldova JOP strategy and implementation.......................................................... 47 5) THE CROSS BORDER STRATEGY.................................................................. 51 5.1 The strategy and programme aim ................................................................... 51 5.3 Cross-Cutting Themes of the Programme ....................................................... 54 6) PRIORITIES, MEASURES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE PROGRAMME ......... 57 6.1 Priority 1: Towards a more competitive border economy .............................. 57 6.2 Priority 2: Environmental challenges and emergency preparedness.............. 61 6.3 Priority 3: People to People Co-operation .................................................... 65 6.4 Technical Assistance ...................................................................................... 70 6.5 Indicators....................................................................................................... 73 7) INDICATIVE FINANCIAL PLAN ..................................................................... 77 7.1 Financial table describing the provisional* yearly allocations of Programme's commitments and payments.................................................................................. 77 7.2 The indicative amount of funding by priority .................................................. 81 7.3 Technical Assistance Budget .......................................................................... 82 8) PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION AND FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS 84 8.1 Designation of competent authorities and institutional aspects....................... 84 8.1.1 Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC)......................................................... 86 8.1.2 Joint Managing Authority (JMA)............................................................. 88 8.1.3 Joint Technical Secretariat (JTS) ............................................................. 92 8.1.4 Audit Authority ....................................................................................... 94 8.2 IMPLEMENTATION AT PROGRAMME LEVEL ........................................... 94 8.2.1 Financial management............................................................................. 94 _____________________________________________________________ 2 Joint Operational Programme Romania-Ukraine-Republic of Moldova, 2007-2013 _____________________________________________________________________ 8.2.2 Programme monitoring and evaluation .................................................... 97 8.2.3 Programme auditing .............................................................................. 102 8.2.4 Co-financing from own resources of the participant countries................ 103 8.3 Implementation at Project Level................................................................... 103 8.3.1 Selection and contracting procedures..................................................... 104 8.3.2 Nature of the projects ............................................................................ 107 8.3.3 The grant beneficiary (lead partner)....................................................... 108 8.3.4 Eligibility of applicants ......................................................................... 109 8.3.5 Eligibility of expenditures ..................................................................... 110 8.3.6 Co-financing rules ................................................................................. 110 8.3.7 Size of projects...................................................................................... 110 8.3.8 Project level financial management ....................................................... 110 8.4 Use of languages.......................................................................................... 112 8.5 Keeping of documents .................................................................................. 113 8.6 Provisional indicative timetable ................................................................... 113 ANNEX A. STATISTICAL DATA OF THE PROGRAMME AREA.................... 115 ANNEX B. NATURAL PROTECTED AREAS ................................................... 122 ANNEX C. TABLE OF USAID PROJECTS IN THE PROGRAMME AREA ... 129 ANNEX D. INDICATIVE NUMBER OF STAFF WORKING IN THE MANAGING STRUCTURES ............................................................................... 130 ANNEX E. INDICATIVE TIMETABLE OF TA ACTIVITIES FOR 2008 ........... 132 ANNEX F. INDICATIVE SCHEDULE ................................................................ 133 ANNEX G. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION PLAN ......................... 134 ANNEX H. GLOSARY OF TERMS ..................................................................... 135 _____________________________________________________________ 3 Joint Operational Programme Romania-Ukraine-Republic of Moldova, 2007-2013 _____________________________________________________________________ 1) PROGRAMME SUMMARY ENPI CBC Joint Operational Programme Romania-Ukraine-Republic of Moldova 2007-2013 provides the framework for the implementation of cross border activities in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy with the aim to prevent the emergence of new dividing lines between EU and its neighbours and to offer the partner countries the opportunity to participate in various EU activities, through greater political, security, economic and cultural co-operation. Partners agreed that co-operation will build on mutual commitment to common values within the field of law, good governance, the respect for human rights, the promotion of good neighbourly relations, and the principles of market economy and sustainable development. In relation with the three countries concerned by the present document, the Neighbourhood Programme 2004-2006, the precursor of ENPI, is currently running in a bilateral format between border regions of Romania and Ukraine and between border regions of Romania and entire territory of the Republic of Moldova. First contracts under Neighbourhood Programme have been concluded in only the third semester of the year 2006, and consequently, a clear image of the impact of these programmes is hard to build. However, the important number of the applications and contracts concluded in both bilateral programmes proves the significant interest for cross border co-operation among the population within the three countries. The ENPI CBC Strategy Paper 2007-2013 provides a new approach of the geographic coverage of the programmes. Compared to the Neighbourhood Programmes 2004-2006 the bilateral programmes between Romania and Ukraine and Romania and the Republic of Moldova, respectively have been re-grouped in two new programmes Romania-Ukraine-Republic of Moldova and Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine. According to the strategic document, the following areas constitute the core area of the programme: the Romanian counties of Suceava, Botosani, Iasi, Vaslui, Galati, and Tulcea, the Ukrainian oblasts of Odesska, and Chernivetska and the whole territory of the Republic of Moldova. In addition, certain adjacent regions that may positively influence the co-operation in the border area were included in the programme