The Interreg V-A Hungary-Croatia Cooperation Programme was part of the European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) network which returned to using the name ‘Interreg’ for the 2014-2020 financial perspective. These programmes play a crucial role in the European Union’s Cohesion Policy, contributing to its economic, social and territorial cohesion by addressing issues crossing borders between countries and regions. The objectives of Interreg programmes include fostering a common identity, creating an integrated physical space, promoting balanced development, and enhancing policies and governance. To achieve these goals, cross-border cooperation (CBC) programmes in particular identify shared challenges in border regions and implement measures to address them.
Similar to the 2007-2013 iteration, the 2014-2020 Cooperation Programme also received co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund for both countries: the approval decision of the EC on 7 September 2015 established a total EU contribution of EUR 60.8 million for joint developments. The programme’s guiding principle was to support selected cooperative strategic actions and pilot projects in several priority fields, rather than large-scale interventions. It focused on enhancing economic cooperation, addressing accessibility and business environment issues, preserving environmental assets, fostering network development among local administrations, and improving communication between educational institutions and key actors in the local economy. In addition to providing technical assistance for the management structure, the programme offered opportunities in four main priorities: economic development, sustainable use of natural and cultural assets, cooperation, and education.
EU co-financing was available for projects mainly through two open Calls for Proposals (2016 and 2019), but strategic projects were also implemented, with partnership and thematic content pre-approved by the Monitoring Committee (MC), the bilateral decision-making body of the programme. One significant innovation in the 2014-2020 period was the possibility of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises directly, in the frame of the ‘Beneficiary Light Scheme’ project of Priority 1, while Priority 2, 3 and 4 of the Programme were primarily open to non-profit organisations, including governmental institutions, development agencies, NGO-s, environmental management authorities, educational organisations, tourism boards and others.
Activities eligible for financing included infrastructure developments, environmental protection programs, tourism initiatives, integration pathways for disadvantaged individuals, research infrastructure enhancements, joint feasibility studies, common curricula development, and people-to-people activities such as festivals and sports tournaments.
The Programme placed a stronger emphasis on communication during this period, aiming at not only raising public awareness of EU-funded projects but also at underscoring the benefits of EU regional funding in general. The Joint Secretariat (JS), responsible for implementing the seven-year, strategically oriented Communication Plan, endeavored to utilise as many communication tools as possible to achieve the set targets. In addition to disseminating promotional materials, designing and regularly updating the Programme’s website and social media profiles, the JS sought to establish tighter connections with the media. Success was evident on both sides of the border where media interest was high, even at the national level.
