When forming an Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE project partnership, the following minimum requirements have to be met:

• At least three financing partners;
• From at least three countries
• With at least two of the partners located in the programme area.

Furthermore, the lead partner has to be located in the programme area.

The following institutions can participate in our transnational project partnerships:

• National, regional and local public bodies (including EGTCs)
• Private institutions, including private companies, having legal personality;
• International organisations acting under the national law of any programme Member State or, with restrictions, under international law.

The participation of partners from outside the programme area is only allowed if it brings clear benefits to central European regions. More information can be found in programme manual.

PROGRAMME AREA AND CHALLENGES

The Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE programme area covers regions and cities from nine EU Member States: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. In the new programme, the area was enlarged by Braunschweig in Germany. Find a list of all participating regions here.

With an area of more than one million square km, the programme affects the lives of 148 million people, which share a common history and cultural identity. The territory is characterised by structural differences between regions with growing urban and industrialised areas and rural or peripheral areas often characterised by lower competitiveness and shrinking populations.

The programme territory runs along large parts of the former Iron Curtain covering regions with significant differences in their socioeconomic history. The area is an important cross-junction for European connections beyond its own borders. As a consequence, many trade and transport routes cross the area on transnational rivers, streets and railroads. This makes central Europe a hub for socio-economically relevant corridors.