Scottish report underscores benefits of Interreg
The Scottish government has released a report summarising the outcomes of a stakeholder consultation on Scotland's potential participation in the European Territorial Cooperation Programmes 2021-2027.
Among other conclusions, the report captures the positive experience of Scottish Interreg participation so far, stating that this "helps to identify new solutions to common challenges in a cost-effective way" and "allows partners to achieve critical mass to develop, test and pilot specialised/ innovative actions and activities in ways that would not be possible working in isolation."
Recognition of the North Sea Region Programme
As for the North Sea Region Programme, the report observes that "Scottish partners have been awarded almost €12.8 million in this programming period. Partners have been involved in a number of high profile projects that are part of this programme such as HyTrEc2 which has been nominated for a RegioStars Award 2020."
In the report, East of Scotland European Consortium states that one of their North Sea Region projects, Northern Connections, “will contribute to the Scottish Government’s aim of transforming Scotland’s cities, towns and rural areas into places that support lower emissions lifestyles and businesses.”
In conclusion, the North Sea Region Programme is found to be "highly valued and productive for the East and North Coast of Scotland."
Throughout the past 20+ years, Scottish partners have contributed significantly to building successful partnerships and executing high-performance projects in the North Sea Region. At the Joint Secretariat, we are very pleased and honoured by the recognition of the benefits involved for Scottish regions.