Yesterday on 18 September 2017 in Lenti, Hungary the Subsidy contract for the co-financing with funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the project Iron Curtain Cycling approved in the frame of the 2nd deadline in the frame of the Cooperation Programme Interreg V-A Slovenia-Hungary for the programme period 2014-2020 was signed.
The official signing of the contract with the project Iron Curtain Cycling, was part of the project’s opening conference. Present, among them Hungarina ambassador in Slovenia Szilágyiné Bátorfi Edit and Consulate General of the Republic of Slovenia in Szentgotthard dr. Boris Jesih, were welcomed by the President of the Assembly of County Zala dr. Attila Pál and dr. Eszter Vitályos, State Secretary responsible for development programs implemented through co-financing by the European Union.
Project Coordinator Veronika Kárpáti gave the main information on the project, namely that the total value of the project is 2,293,423.00 EUR, and the co-financing from the ERDF funds is EUR 1,949,409.55 or 85% of the total budget of the project. Seven project partners will participate in the project to be implemented between 2017 and 2020. The main objective of the project is to develop a complex CBC cycling destination through intertwining local, regional cycling routes connecting to EV13, being the main north-south axis of the region, and through developing cycling-friendly services and supplementary tourism supply with the aim to integrate the area into the international system of EuroVelo.
Further program manager of the program Interreg V-A Slovenia-Hungary Aleš Mrkela stressed out that in the period 2014-2020, the already very successful cross-border cooperation between the two countries will continue and will be further strengthened and also in the future a large number of successful connections on both sides of the border, and projects that will contribute to improving the quality of life of the inhabitants of the common border area are anticipated. The projects through which cross-border relations are practically made, ultimately contribute to the understanding of diversity, enrich us mentally and conceptually and promote awareness that our neighbourhood is not foreign but part of a common Europe.
The Managing Authority and the Joint Secretariat express their satisfaction at the signing of the subsidy contracts and on the responses of the applicants in the framework of an open call for proposals up to now, allowing for real-time submission of project proposals and the use of e-cohesion, which significantly reduced the time-frame of procedures from the closure of the deadline for the submission of applications to the signing of subsidy contracts (to about 5 months). It is also encouraging that in the new period the weight of project contributions to joint program results, cross-border orientation and sustainable impact has increased.
The forth deadline of the Open Call will close on 14 November 2017. The selection procedures for the projects should be completed by the March 2018, the following, fifth deadline for submission of applications, is expected to be published in the second half of the year 2018. Information about the available funds and the exact date of the deadline will be available on the programme website at least two months prior to the closure of the deadline.
Information on the approved projects is available under the following link.
News from opening conference you can find here!
