INTERREG III B CADSES Neighbourhood Programme

Out of the three strands (A,B,C) of the Community Initiative Interreg III, CADSES (Central, Adriatic, Danubian and South-Eastern European Space) belongs to the B strand, addressing trans-european cooperation on a transnational level, whereas the cornerstone of strands A and C are cross-border cooperation and transregional cooperation respectively. CADSES aims at achieving higher territorial and economic integration within the co-operation area, promoting more balanced and harmonious development of the European space.

The CADSES Programme is, among the 13  transnational co-operation areas in Europe, the largest and most complex area. From the coasts of the Baltic Sea, through the mountains of the Central Europe and the Hungarian plains, through the Austrian and Slovenian alpine landscapes, CADSES stretches down to western Italy and Greece, thus grouping the Balkan regions, including Moldova and part of Ukraine. The CADSES area comprises regions belonging to 18 countries : 9 of them are EU-Member States (Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovak Republic and Slovenia) and 9 are Non-EU-Member states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Federation of Serbia and Montenegro, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Romania and Ukraine).  

Around 200 million people, more than 15 ethnic groups, in this lively framework, CADSES has collected new challenges: the enlargement and the Neighbourhood. As of 1st May 2004 Poland, Slovenia, Hungary, Czech and Slovak Republics received a new status, as members of the European Union. At the same time, the INTERREG III B CADSES programme was transformed into a Neighbourhood Programme (NP). These programmes are based on the existing INTERREG programmes along the border. The NP is a step forward to develop a new financial instrument for future cooperation in INTERREG (2007-2013).

The general programme-related documents of CADSES are the Community Initiative Programme (CIP)  and the Programme Complement (PC)  providing information on the features of the CADSES Programme.

CADSES has carried out the mission of INTERREG into four priorities and twelve measures  covering themes like spatial, urban and rural development and immigration (Priority 1), transport systems and access to the information society (Priority 2), landscape, natural and cultural heritage (Priority 3) and environment protection, resource management and risk prevention (Priority 4). 

The approved projects  fall within the scope of these priorities and measures. They generally attract partners from at least two EU Member States within the cooperation area, since the ultimate aim of INTERREG IIIB is to promote joint solutions to transnational and common issues through transnational co-operation.

(Last update December 2006)