Working together to improve people’s life across the external European borders

Because neighbours ...

Interactive project map

Working together to improve people’s life across the external European borders

7.000

Applications

37.000

organisations

1.000

projects

Programme and
project support

Discover more

Stories Voices News

Fresh from the field

Facts, stories, figures behind the People-to-People cooperation

ENI CBC People-to-people cooperation

It’s work for human development: over 620 organisations from 27 countries are working together across external European borders, implementing joint activities for a total of 290 people-to-people (P2P) projects. This is what we are presenting to you: a thematic publication portraying samples of this outstanding work, implemented within the framework of the ENI CBC programmes. “Our programme stands out from other regional initiatives as it supports human and community development at cross-border level – says Hiba Fawaz, Lebanese partner of the RESMYLE project (MSB) – It provides an opportunity to bring together partners with different backgrounds and experiences, that do not usually work together in the framework of national programmes.”

Celebrating 10 years of cooperation at EU external borders

ECDay2021 ENICBC

Trekking, cycling, running, painting, communicating, photo orienteering – no matter what we do, as long as we do it TOGETHER. For the past 10 years this has been the underlying idea of the European Cooperation Day: this year over 40 in-person, online and hybrid events were organised by ENI CBC programmes to show to the citizens on both sides of the EU external borders how many positives things can come out when they are done together.

ENI CBC IN MOTION: October

ENI CBC; State of play

Breaking barriers in children rehabilitation

People-to-People
Lithuania-Russia

A holistic approach and an early intervention can change a child’s future. Children with psychomotor disorders, psychiatric or behavioural issues often show a complex of symptoms that need to be addressed as soon as possible and from different points of view. However, it is not easy. Parents are afraid of the diagnosis; they do not recognise some of the symptoms as relevant or they get lost in the vast amount of information. As a result, these children are often left out of the system and then it may be too late. That’s what the BREAK project is changing in the Lithuania-Russia cross-border region: breaking the barriers in children rehabilitation, creating a safe place where they can be orienteered and treated from different perspectives, where they benefit from early diagnosis and intervention. In a word, trying to offer them a better future.

Faces and stories of EU-RUSSIA cooperation

ENI CBC projects EU-Russia

“I have long been dreaming of creating a children’s music band to perform in Pskov and to tour around. Thanks to the Russian-Estonian project, I was able to put this idea into practice. We bought new instruments – xylophones, drums, percussion – and made up our own unique repertoire”.

ENI CBC IN MOTION: September

ENI CBC State of play

Keep deadwood in forests: it’s friend of biodiversity and resilience

Economic Development
Romania-Ukraine

Deadwood may seem damp, sterile, an unhygienic source of infection, something to be removed. However, the reality could not be more different. Decaying wood logs, dead and old trees host multiple microorganisms, they help the forest to better resist diseases, they increase its resilience to climate change. They also capture carbon emissions and conserve biodiversity. For these reasons, keeping the deadwood in the forest can bring multiple benefits. The RESFOR project, an initiative co-funded by the Romania-Ukraine ENI CBC programme, is raising knowledge and promoting good practices in “deadwood management”. A novel concept, very little explored in the forestry sector of the cross-border region, but yet very important for the resilience of the forests, some of which represent one of the last old-growth forest reserves in Europe, and have been included as such in the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

Economic Development

Amber, the golden heritage

Kinga Krause Poland-Russia

Time to register to #EURegions Week

ENI CBC #EURegionsWeek

The pandemic has shown how interdependent we are with our neighbours. Our one-hour information session “Cooperating for the recovery of our Neighbourhood” will shed light on a reality that has rarely made the news since the pandemic broke out. Little has been reported about the Middle East, North Africa, or the Eastern Partnership, little is known about Egypt or Turkey, Ukraine, or Armenia. Three high-profile actors from the European institutions will disclose how quick and substantial the European response has been in the East and in the South to the Covid-19 crisis. How will Interreg NEXT programmes contribute to the achievement of the recovery goals? How can initiatives rooted along the external borders of the Union, build communities resilience, and open the path to growth? Join us on 13 October, from 14:30 to 15:30, at the European Week of Regions and Cities. Register to the session!

Processed cattle manure is a good deal for the environment

Environment
South East Finland-Russia

Did you know that cattle manure is not the same as organic fertilizer? To become a nutrient substance for plants, it must be correctly processed, stored and spread. Otherwise, it may negatively impact the environment – air, soil and water. Excessive amounts of manure produced by large-scale livestock farms in the Leningrad region (Russia) bear environmental risks for the eco-systems in the Baltic Sea region. The ECOAGRAS project introduces best available technologies for handling organic cattle waste, with the aim to reduce environmental impact while securing the economic activity.

Economic Development

Training monks to manage religious archaeological relics

Simona Postolache Romania-Republic of Moldova

CBC NEXT: the voices of Partner Countries were heard

Interreg NEXT Briefings in Partner Countries

Since the draft regulatory package was made available back in 2018, extensive exchanges have taken place not only at the level of the European institutions, but also among Member States and programme representatives. What about CBC Partner Countries though? During the months of May and June, with the support of DG REGIO and the concerned Managing Authorities, TESIM has organised eight info-sessions addressed to the national authorities of twelve non-EU countries involved in neighbourhood cross-border cooperation in order to share with them the main novelties that the new regulatory framework brings and to collect their views on which elements, notably those of change, could pose a bigger challenge to them.

ENI CBC IN MOTION: June

ENI CBC state-of-play

Bridging the gap between students and businesses

Economic Development
Kolarctic

What can university students do to contribute to your business development? This is what Peter Fischer, BRIDGE project manager, asked companies and small businesses in the neighbourhood, and the answer was clear: students can use their knowledge to help us resolve small problems, and we can provide them with real working life experiences. This is how the initiative BRIDGE came up: a cross-border network of five universities where students and businesses cooperate with a two-fold objective. On one hand, increasing the hands-on skills of the university graduates, and on the other, helping small businesses to further develop. BRIDGE is a project funded by Kolarctic CBC programme.

The green economy potential to engage marginalised youth

People-to-People
Mediterranean Sea Basin

In recent years, the transition from education to work has become more prolonged and unpredictable. In fact, due to different and successive crises, many young people find themselves neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET). And youth with little or no education is highly marginalised, and increasingly far from jobs. At the same time, there is still an unexploited potential in green economy: environment protection can provide the base for new work opportunities. Combining these two fields – the social and the environmental – is the purpose of the RESMYLE project, which aims at the socio-professional integration of young people into the job market.

ENI CBC Programmes

A total of 16 programmes will be implemented under ENI CBC. They cover 12 land borders, one sea crossing and three sea basins, stretching from Finland and Russia in the north, to countries like Hungary and the Ukraine in the east, and Italy, Northern Africa and the Middle East in the south.
Here you will find news and information on each programme, including the programme strategy and participating countries.