Interreg IIIB North Sea Programme (2000-2006) -

The North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 works with regional development projects around the North Sea. Promoting transnational cooperation, the Programme aims to make the region a better place to live, work and invest in. Read more about the Programme here.

About the North Sea Programme

The North Sea Programme works with cutting edge policy areas relating to spatial development in the North Sea Region. It provides the opportunity for organisations to work together on transnational projects.

The Programme is in its 6th year and work will finish by the end of 2008. There are currently 70 approved projects. Many have already finished.

There are 6 themes for projects within the North Sea Programme.
Theme 1: New Opportunities for Rural and Peripheral Areas
Theme 2: Risk Management along Rivers and Coasts
Theme 3: Improving Transport
Theme 4: Using the Environment Responsibly
Theme 5: Making Use of Innovation and Knowledge
Theme 6: Developing More Competitive Cities and Towns

Innovative thinking
There are many interesting connections between the projects and it is fascinating to see the creative approaches and innovative thinking that they display. They demonstrate what can be done, with limited time and funding, in terms of working transnationally to find solutions to common problems shared by the countries in the North Sea Region.

About the North Sea region
The 7 North Sea Programme countries are Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, the Flemish Region of Belgium, the UK and Norway. The areas in the region share many of the same problems and challenges. By working together and sharing knowledge and experiences it is hoped that a sustainable and balanced future will be secured for the whole region.

The background
The Interreg III programmes are a European Community Initiative to stimulate transnational cooperation in the EU. The programmes are divided into different strands, according to size and geographical span. There are A, B and C strands.

The North Sea Programme is one of thirteen Interreg IIIB programmes. It is aimed at encouraging and supporting transnational cooperation in the North Sea region. The North Sea Programme began its work in 2000 and the Programme is a continuation of the IIC pilot programme, which ran 1997-1999. In 2007, the IIIB Programme has been replaced by the North Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 (Interreg IVB), which will run till 2013.

Funding
The Programme is financed through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), a Norwegian equivalent and contributions from all of the countries involved. Decisions are taken by committees made up of national and regional representatives from all seven countries and the day-to-day running of the programme is taken care of by the international staff at the secretariat in Denmark. The Programme finances a wide range of projects concerned with spatial development. All projects involve the cooperation of two or more countries and of 105 eligible regions 100 are participating in one or more projects.

Use the menu or the sitemap to find your way around. The pages in this section will give you all the basics. You can read more about how the projects funded are spread across different priorities and measures. Under Four Basic Principles you will also find brief descriptions of spatial development, cross-sectorality, transnationality and sustainability, which are the key themes all projects have to address.