Hungary-Slovakia Cross-border Co-operation Programme 2007-2013 VERSION OF NOVEMBER 14, 2007 HUNGARY-SLOVAKIA Cross-border Co-operation Programme 2007-2013 2 Expert team for OP content: MEGAKOM Development Consultants: Kézy Béla Bakó Ágnes H-4400 Nyíregyháza, Vörösmarty u. 4. Tel: +36 42 409 482 Fax: +36 42 409 482 [email protected] [email protected] www.megakom.hu AUREX Ltd.: Július Hanus Barbora Hanáková SK-841 04 Bratislava, Dúbravská Cesta 9 Tel: +421 2 547 89 502 Fax: +421 2 547 89 504 [email protected] www.aurex.sk Expert team for EA, SEA: Vital Pro Ltd.: Lunk Tamás H-Budapest IX. (Ferencváros), Berzenczey u. 37. Tel/fax: +36 1 210 0827 [email protected] www.vitalpro.hu RESPECT Consulting Ltd.: Karas László H - 2000 Szentendre, Rezeda u. 14. [email protected] www.respect.hu Econsulting: Pavol Kárász SK-841 01 Bratislava, Žatevná 10 Tel: +421 2 645 312 98 Fax: +421 2 645 312 97 [email protected] www.econsulting.sk Expert for OP management: Váti, Hungarian Public Nonprofit Company for Regional Development and Town Planning H-1016 Budapest, Gellérthegy u. 30-32 Tel: +36 1 224 3233 Fax: +36 1 224 3291 [email protected] www.vati.hu HUNGARY-SLOVAKIA Cross-border Co-operation Programme 2007-2013 3 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 5 1.1. PROGRAMME CONTEXT ..............................................................................................................5 1.2. PROGRAMME SUMMARY .............................................................................................................5 1.3. THE JOINT PROGRAMMING PROCESS ...........................................................................................6 1.4. DEFINITION OF THE PROGRAMME AREA ......................................................................................10 2. ANALYSIS OF THE PROGRAMME AREA..................................................................11 2.1. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAMME AREA ............................................................................11 2.1.1. AREA , POPULATION AND SETTLEMENT STRUCTURE ..................................................................11 2.1.2. ECONOMY .............................................................................................................................13 2.1.3. LABOUR MARKET ...................................................................................................................18 2.1.4. INFRASTRUCTURE .................................................................................................................21 2.1.5. EDUCATION , RTD AND INNOVATION .......................................................................................24 2.1.6. HEALTHCARE ........................................................................................................................27 2.1.7. NATURAL RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................28 2.1.8. CULTURE , SCIENCE , CIVIL SOCIETY , EUROREGIONS .................................................................35 2.2. LESSONS FROM THE PREVIOUS PROGRAMMING PERIOD ..............................................................38 2.3. CONCLUDING REMARKS FOR THE CO -OPERATION AREA AS A WHOLE – SWOT ANALYSIS ..............41 2.3.1. IDENTIFICATION OF KEY DISPARITIES AND MAIN DEVELOPMENT FACTORS ..................................46 2.3.2. CONCLUDING REMARKS .........................................................................................................47 3. JOINT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY...........................................................................48 3.1 THE PROPOSED STRATEGY ........................................................................................................48 3.2. OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................................49 3.2.1. THE OVERALL STRATEGIC GOAL OF THE CO-OPERATION PROGRAMME .....................................49 3.2.2. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ...........................................................................................................49 3.3. IDENTIFICATION OF THE PRIORITY AXIS ......................................................................................50 3.4. PROGRAMME PRIORITIES ..........................................................................................................53 3.4.1. PRIORITY 1 ECONOMY AND SOCIETY ......................................................................................53 3.4.2. PRIORITY 2 ENVIRONMENT , NATURE PROTECTION AND ACCESSIBILITY .....................................60 3.4.3. PRIORITY 3 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ......................................................................................66 3.5. PROGRAMME LEVEL INDICATORS ...............................................................................................68 3.6. CROSS -CUTTING THEMES .........................................................................................................69 3.6.1. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT .................................................................................................69 3.6.2. ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY .......................................................................................................69 3.6.3. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES .........................................................................................................70 3.6.4. PARTNERSHIP .......................................................................................................................70 3.6.5. BILINGUALISM .......................................................................................................................71 3.7. COHERENCE WITH EU OBJECTIVES AND OTHER INTERVENTIONS .................................................72 3.7.1. COMMUNITY STRATEGIC GUIDELINES 2007-2013...................................................................72 3.7.2. EU STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ...................................................................73 3.7.3. ESF, EAFRD AND EFF ........................................................................................................73 3.7.4. OTHER FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE COMMUNITY .............................................................73 3.7.5. STRUCTURAL FUNDS INTERVENTIONS UNDER THE HUNGARIAN NSRF FOR 2007-2013 ............74 3.7.6. NATIONAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY OF HUNGARY ...........................................75 3.7.7. STRUCTURAL FUNDS INTERVENTIONS UNDER THE SLOVAK NSRF FOR 2007-2013 ..................78 3.7.8. NATIONAL REFORM PROGRAMME OF THE SR .........................................................................78 3.7.9. COHERENCE WITH THE SECTORIAL AND REGIONAL OPERATIONAL PROGRAMMES 2007- 2013 .79 3.8. THE MAIN FINDINGS OF THE EX -ANTE EVALUATION AND THE STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT .......................................................................................................................... 84 4. IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS ...................................................................................88 4.1. THE PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE ............................................................................88 4.1.1. JOINT MONITORING COMMITTEE (JMC)..................................................................................90 4.1.2. MANAGING AUTHORITY (MA).................................................................................................91 4.1.3. CERTIFYING AUTHORITY (CA)................................................................................................92 4.1.4. AUDIT AUTHORITY (AA).........................................................................................................93 4.1.5. JOINT TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT (JTS) AND REGIONAL INFO POINTS (RIP)..............................94 4.2. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND SELECTION .................................................................................96 HUNGARY-SLOVAKIA Cross-border Co-operation Programme 2007-2013 4 4.2.1. THE OVERALL CONCEPT OF PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND SELECTION .......................................96 4.2.2. PROJECT GENERATION ..........................................................................................................96 4.2.3. PROJECT EVALUATION AND SELECTION ...................................................................................97 4.3. INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY ....................................................................................................98 4.4. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECTS , THE DESCRIPTION OF FINANCIAL PROCEDURES AND FLOWS ............................................................................................................................................. 100 4.4.1. PROJECT LEVEL IMPLEMENTATION ........................................................................................100 4.4.2. FIRST LEVEL CONTROL ........................................................................................................100 4.4.3. THE DESCRIPTION OF ERDF FINANCIAL FLOWS AND PROCEDURES FROM THE PROJECT LEVEL TO THE PROGRAMME LEVEL ......................................................................................................... 101 4.5. MONITORING AND EVALUATION ...............................................................................................103 4.5.1. MONITORING .......................................................................................................................103