About Interreg NEXT MED Programme

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NEXT MED in a nutshell

Interreg NEXT ‘Mediterranean Sea Basin’ (hereinafter ‘NEXT MED’) transnational cooperation programme is the third generation of one of the largest cooperation initiatives implemented by the European Union across borders in the Mediterranean area. 

Building on the experience and results of the ENPI (2007-2013) and ENI (2014-2020) cross-border cooperation (CBC) Med programmes, NEXT MED will continue boosting Euro-Mediterranean cooperation for the period 2021-2027 under the framework of the European Union’s Cohesion Policy and its specific ‘Interreg’ instrument which supports European Territorial Cooperation across regions and countries. NEXT MED is implemented under strand B ‘Transnational cooperation’ of the external dimension of Interreg, allowing for cooperation over larger transnational territories or around sea basins between EU Member States and Southern Neighbourhood partner countries. 

The Programme aims to contribute to smart, sustainable, fair development for all across the Mediterranean basin by supporting balanced, long-lasting, far-reaching cooperation and multilevel governance. The programme mission is to finance cooperation projects that address joint socio-economic, environmental and governance challenges at Mediterranean level such as the uptake of advanced technologies, competitiveness of SMEs and job creation, energy efficiency, sustainable water management, climate change adaptation, transition to a circular and resource efficient economy, education and training, health care, etc. 

See our priorities

The cooperation area, home to over 200 million inhabitants, covers 15 countries: 13 of them which already participated in the previous editions of the programme - Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Jordan, Malta, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia - and two new members, namely Algeria and Türkiye (Turkey). 

Learn more about the eligible territories

The Programme document was approved on 12.12.2022 by decision of the European Commission.
 

Budget

The global amount of the European Union contribution to the Programme is €253 million, including €230 million for project funding and €23 million for Technical Assistance (dedicated to management and implementation). The budget comes from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA III) and the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI).

The maximum EU contribution per project will be 89% of its total eligible costs, while at least 11% shall be ensured by the project partnership as co-financing.

Interreg NEXT MED Programme document approved by the European Commission

Interreg VI-B NEXT Mediterranean Sea Basin (NEXT MED) approved by COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION C(2022) 9543 final of 12.12.2022 (EN - FR - AR)

About Interreg - European Territorial Cooperation

Source: European Commission

Interreg is the Union’s instrument to support cooperation across regions and countries: a new generation of Interreg programmes in and outside the EU will further develop joint services and strengthen solidarity. Interreg provides funding for projects between Member States, their outermost regions, the EU acceding countries and the neighbourhood countries.

For 2021-2027, Interreg has a total budget of almost €10.1 billion covering 86 programmes and four strands: cross-border (Interreg A), transnational (Interreg B), interregional (Interreg C) and integration of Outermost Regions (Interreg D). The new Interreg NEXT cooperation programmes for 2021-2027 focus on cooperation between the EU and partner countries along the EU's external borders. Cooperation takes place in the areas of economic and social development, environmental protection, public health services, safety and security measures, connectivity, support to small and medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurship. Interreg NEXT has a total allocation of €1.1 billion from the European Regional Development Fund, the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument and the Instrument for Pre-Accession.

Therefore, in 2021-2027, Interreg will continue to support cross-border mobility, and efforts to develop environmental protection, emergency services, skilled jobs and access to public services for the next EU generation.

In addition, two new objectives will steer territorial cooperation:

  • Better cooperation governance
  • A safer, more secure Europe.

Interreg has an impact on citizens’ lives at different levels. It encompasses cross-border cooperation along all EU land and maritime borders; transnational cooperation, including macro-regional strategies and sea basins; and interregional cooperation, which builds networks and lets leading regions share their successes and experience with other territories.

In addition, Interreg projects beyond EU borders cover several areas in the world:

  • Interreg NEXT, which involves Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood partner countries (inclusing NEXT MED programme);
  • Interreg Outermost Regions, which deepens relations between the EU’s remote regions and their neighbourhoods;
  • Interreg IPA, which fosters cooperation of Member States with Western Balkan countries and Turkey and helps acceding countries to alleviate border obstacles and manage prorgammes in the same way as Member States are doing. Cooperation of this kind bolsters the countries’ capacities to improve people’s lives and builds trust with neighbouring territories.

Thanks to more than seventy measures, regional funding has become simpler post-2020, making it more straightforward to access this kind of support – whether you are a public authority, a school or a hospital.

Changes include:

  • Shorter, fewer and clearer rules
  • Less red tape for business;
  • Streamlined implementation.

With grassroots cooperation driving a green and digital coronavirus recovery, Interreg paves the way for long-term, resource-efficient growth and competitiveness that leaves no-one behind.

Relevant EU Regulations