As part of the eighth meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Interreg IPA Romania-Serbia Programme, held today in an online format, 6 projects in the field of promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency were selected for funding, with a total value of €22.9 million, of which €19.4 million represents IPA funds.

The funded projects address smart waste management, education and the promotion of renewable energy, cross-border pilot actions for investments in sustainable public infrastructure, and the promotion of a climate-smart governance model, support for public buildings towards energy sustainability, the development of greener and more sustainable Romanian-Serbian border crossing points, as well as integrated geothermal, solar, and wind solutions for a sustainable cross-border region.

The second call for project proposals was dedicated to Specific Objective 1.2 – Promotion of energy from renewable sources in accordance with Directive (EU) 2018/2001, including the sustainability criteria set out therein, and Specific Objective 1.3 – Promotion of energy efficiency measures and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The total budget available under the call amounted to €10.3 million, of which 85% represents the European Union contribution, namely €8.8 million. However, the value of the selected projects is significantly higher due to the use of the over-contracting mechanism, which ensures the maximisation of the absorption rate of European funds at Programme level. For Romanian beneficiaries, the 15% national contribution is covered at a rate of 13% by the Government of Romania, while 2% represents the own contribution of each Romanian partner.

At the same time, during the meeting, the following decisions were also approved:

• the use of savings generated by contracted projects at Programme level in order to maximise the absorption of EU funds and reduce the risk of covering over-contracted amounts from the state budget;
• the approval of the Programme-level contracting procedure, Revision 2.

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The Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration acts as the Managing Authority for the Interreg IPA Romania-Serbia Programme (2021-2027), which has a total budget of €87,725,681 and finances projects related to environmental protection and climate change adaptation, health and education, tourism and culture, as well as border management. www.mdlpa.ro Further information on the Interreg IPA Romania–Serbia Programme and additional details regarding the second call for project proposals can be found at: www.romania-serbia.net