The European Union is encouraging the coherent development of its territory thanks to its INTERREG territorial cooperation programmes. In the past, Lower Normandy has been a partner in several INTERREG projects and is currently preparing to pursue its efforts throughout the fourth generation, running from 2007 to 2013. A closer look.

Definition: What is INTERREG?

Definition: What is INTERREG?
INTERREG IV (2007-2013) is a Community Initiative Programme (CIP), inspired by the European Union. It follows three previous programmes ⁽¹⁾, initiated as from 1991, to encourage cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation. The scheme aims at promoting balanced development among bordering regions within which income per inhabitant is lower and unemployment level is higher than the national average. Funded by the EFDR (European Fund for Regional Development), it helps to reduce the economic, social and territorial disparities which remain within our territorial community. Hence, the EFDR has provided co-funding in a wide range of fields: economic development, research, environment, culture, tourism… INTERREG IV comprises three schemes corresponding to specific geographical areas: cross-border cooperation (INTERREG IV A France-English Channel and the United Kingdom), transnational cooperation (INTERREG IV B North-West Europe and B Atlantic Zone) and interregional cooperation (INTERREG IV C). (1) INTERREG I from 1991 to 1993, INTERREG II A and C from 1994 to 1999 and INTERREG III A, B and C from 2000 to 2006.

The INTERREG programmes launched the following year (see boxed article), have become tools for the European Union’s cohesion policy. “This global policy is one of the EU’s strategic actions. It benefits from 35.7% of the total European budget, i.e. 247 billion Euros,” adds Julie Miclot, in charge of European Affairs and Territorial Cooperation at the Lower Normandy Regional Council. “INTERREG is the 3rd programme within this voluntarist policy, with a budget representing 2.5% of the total budget (8.7 billion Euros).” Such programmes aim at alleviating the material or psychological hurdles associated with geographical frontiers. Within this context, the EFDR (European Fund for Regional Development) provides co-funding for interregional projects between European partners who, although separated by a frontier, are reunited by a common interest. “Access for regional players to European programmes liable to “boost” their innovation and their international influence thanks to the chain of support stretching from Brussels to within our regions, has become a major priority within the Council’s policy of European openness,” ensures Laurent Beauvais, Lower Normandy Regional Council’s new President.
For the 2007-2013 period, Lower Normandy is eligible, for the first time, to participate within a cross-border cooperation programme with the United Kingdom (INTERREG IV A). An opportunity for the region’s players, who can now take part in all 4 INTERREG programmes. “The Council is ready and willing to inform and assist regional players in developing their projects,” informs Julie Miclot. Thus, the Regional Council is currently recruiting a project leader to coordinate the INTERREG IV programme throughout Lower Normandy. Europe is now open to Normandy’s project initiators.

International network

Codename: NENSI. The North European Network of Service Incubators project has been federating European incubators since 2003 in order to provide entrepreneurs with a standard service offer. “This transnational network reunites several incubator organisations established across six North West European countries. Today, 12 partners representing over 30 business incubators, including Emergence, initiated by the town of Caen, are involved in the programme,” informs Laurent Protin, Director of Normandie Incubation, one of this cross-border network’s members.
NENSI has been developed within the framework of the INTERREG III B community programme, and aims at stimulating - via EFDR funding - transnational cooperation between North-Western European territories. “In concrete terms, we have drafted a standard guide providing approaches expected to diminish the imbalance between incubator opportunities and performance within European territories and, in particular, to reduce the difficulties encountered by project initiators in developing their activity abroad,” explains Rina Andriamanalijaona, a NENSI project leader.

Similarly, a virtual communication platform is soon to help project initiators to rapidly access reliable and up-to-date information (economic, administrative, regulatory and market data, on both a regional and a national scale). Finally, thanks to work by the specialised consultancy, NIKOS, a system to monitor the implementation and the assessment of NENSI’s support service’s efficiency should enable an appreciation of incubators’ impact on their hosted business’s performance and growth.

Julie Miclot and Franziska Voboril
European and International Delegate Directorate
European Affairs and Territorial Cooperation Department
Abbaye-aux-Dames
Place Reine Mathilde
BP 523
14035 Caen Cedex
Mèl. : regioneurope@crbn.fr

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