European Neighbourhood Instrument was created in order to finance the cross-border cooperation activity on the both sides of the external border of the wider EU and focusing on the solution for the common problems such as economical development in the cross-border area, environmental protection, illegal migration, people trafficking and promoting “people to people” contacts.
In total 12 Neighbourhood Programmes (NP) were implemented across the Europe and 3 of them in Ukraine, including “Hungary-Slovakia-Ukraine” programme, with budget of 4,5 million Euro for the Ukrainian side.
Neighbourhood Programmes became an important step on the way to the improvement of the coordination between such financial instruments as INTERREG, PHARE and TACIS. It played a great role for the preparation of the new harmonized Programmes of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument 2007-2013 (ENPI).
The Closing conference for the Ukrainian awarded projects of the Neighbourhood Programme Hungary-Slovakia-Ukraine 2004-2006 started in Uzhgorod (Ukraine) on the 17th of March, 2010.
The welcoming speeches were made by the representatives of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, Zakarpatska Oblast State Administration (Ukraine), Consulate General of the Hungarian Republic in Uzhgorod (Ukraine), Consulate General of the Slovak Republic in Uzhgorod (Ukraine), Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg Megye and Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén Megye (Hungary), Košický samosprávny kraj and Prešovský samosprávny kraj (Slovakia).
The Joint Technical Secretariat of the Programme made a brief summary of the Programme’s basic rules, measures and priorities, budget and conditions for the submitting of the application. Mr. Andras Baranyi, Head of the Joint Technical Secretariat made a comparing analysis of the HUSKUA NP 2004-2006 with the management structure and rules of the Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine ENPI CBC Programme 2007-2013. During his speech he also highlighted the first results and the perspective of the HU-SK-RO-UA ENPI CBC Programme 2007-2013.
The Beneficiaries of the HUSKUA NP Programme made the presentations about the project implementation. The following projects were presented:
• “Building up of regional Tourism information Centre in Zakarpatska oblast”;
• “Development and Introduction of CBC social-medical rehabilitation programme for supporting children of national minorities and socially unprotected population”;
• “Support of Entrepreneurship across the border of Slovakia – Ukraine”;
• “Across-the-border cooperation between the Slovak Republic and Ukraine in the field of tourism”;
• “Elaboration of Hungarian-Ukrainian complex flood prevention - water management – floodplain-revitalisation development plans for the Bereg and Borzsa catchments”;
• “Study on complex biomass treatment in common border region”;
• “Development of Beregovo Transboundary Polder System in the Tysa river basin”;
• “Pure water”;
• “Cross-border opportunities of transport logistics developments”.
The second day of the Conference (18th of March, 2010) was devoted to the project site visits. The following projects were introduced to the participants:
•«Development and Introduction of CBC social-medical rehabilitation programme for supporting children of national minorities and socially unprotected population» - Mukachevo
• «Building up of Regional Tourism Information Centre in Zakarpatska oblast» - Berehovo
• «Cross-border opportunities of transport logistics developments» - The road to the border crossing point «Kosyny», road to the border crossing point «Dzvinkove»
• «Elaboration of Hungarian-Ukrainian complex flood prevention - water management – floodplain-revitalisation development plans for the Bereg and Borzsa catchments» - Uzhgorod
As a continuation of the sucessfully implemented HUSKUA NP CBC Programme 2004-2006, Ukrainian organizations are encouraged to participate by submitting their joint project proposals under the new Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine ENPI CBC Programme 2007-2013.
CATALOGUE of the Ukrainian Awarded Projects can be download here