European territorial cooperation programmes 2021-2027: consultation

What are European Territorial Cooperation programmes?

European Territorial Cooperation (otherwise known as Interreg) programmes are EU funding programmes that give money to organisations from different countries to work together on a project.

These programmes cover different geographical areas and have different aims. Each of the projects funded by the programmes help the programme achieve its aims. The organisations doing the project must normally be from the geographical area covered by the programme.

Non-EU countries also take part in these programmes.

Scotland is currently part of 7 European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) programmes:

• Atlantic Area
• Interreg Europe
• North Sea
• North West Europe
• Northern Ireland-Ireland-Scotland
• Northern Periphery and Arctic
• Urbact

Atlantic Area

The Atlantic Area programme covers the following regions:

Country	Regions covered
France	Haute-Normandie, Basse Normandie, Pays-de-la Loire; Bretagne, Poitou-Charentes, Aquitaine.
Ireland	Border, Midland and Western; Southern and Eastern.
Portugal	Norte, Algarve, Centro, Lisboa, Alentejo, Açores, Madeira
Spain	Galicia, Principado de Asturias, Cantabria, Navarra, País Vasco, Andalucia (Huelva, Cádiz and Sevilla), Islas Canarias.
United Kingdom	Cumbria, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath area, Dorset and Somerset, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Devon, West Wales and The Valleys, East Wales, South Western Scotland, Highlands and Islands, Northern Ireland.

The current Atlantic Area programme has the following aims:

• Stimulating innovation and competitiveness;
• Fostering resource efficiency;
• Strengthening the territory's resilience to risks of natural, climate and human origin;
• Enhancing biodiversity and the natural and cultural assets.

Interreg Europe

Interrreg Europe covers the whole of the EU as well as Switzerland and Norway.

The current Interreg Europe programme aims to help regional and local governments across Europe to develop and deliver better policy.

North Sea

The North Sea programme covers the following regions:

Country	Regions covered
Belgium	Antwerp, Oost-Vlaanderen, West-Vlaanderen.
Denmark	Sjælland, Syddanmark, Midtjylland, Nordjylland.
Germany	Bremen, Hamburg, Braunschweig, Hannover, Lüneburg, Weser-Ems, Schleswig-Holstein.
Netherlands	Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel, Flevoland, Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Zeeland.
Norway	Oslo Og Akershus, Hedmark Og Oppland, Sør-Østlandet, Agder Og Rogaland, Vestlandet, Trøndelag, Nord-Norge.
Sweden	Sydsverige (Skåne län), Norra Mellansverige (Värmlands län), Småland med öarna (Kronobergs län) Västsverige.
United Kingdom	Tees Valley, Durham, Northumberland Tyne and Wear, Northern Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, North Eastern Scotland, Eastern Scotland, Highlands and Islands.

The current North Sea programme has the following aims:

• Strengthening research, technological development and innovation;
• Preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency;
• Promoting climate change adaptation, risk prevention and management;
• Green transport and mobility.

North West Europe

The North West Europe programme covers the following regions:

Country	Regions covered
Belgium	All regions
France	Île de France, Champagne-Ardenne Picardie, Haute-Normandie, Centre Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Lorraine Alsace, Franche-Comté, Pays de la Loire, Bretagne.
Germany	Stuttgart, Karlsruhe Freiburg, Tübingen, Oberfranken, Mittelfranken, Unterfranken, Schwaben Darmstadt, Gießen, Kassel, Düsseldorf Köln, Münster, Detmold, Arnsberg Koblenz, Trier, Rheinhessen-Pfalz Saarland.
Ireland	All regions.
Luxembourg	All regions.
Netherlands	Overijssel, Gelderland, Flevoland Utrecht, Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland Zeeland, Noord-Brabant, Limburg (NL)
Switzerland	All regions.
United Kingdom	All regions.

The current North West Europe programme supports the following aims:

• Innovation;
• Low carbon;
• Resource and materials efficiency.

Northern Ireland-Ireland-Scotland (otherwise known as Interreg VA)

The Northern Ireland-Ireland-Scotland programme covers the following regions:

Country	Regions covered
Ireland	Border.
United Kingdom	Dumfries & Galloway, East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire mainland, South Ayrshire, Lochaber, Skye & Lochalsh, Arran & Cumbrae, Argyll & But, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Belfast, Outer Belfast, East of Northern Ireland, North of Northern Ireland, West and South of Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland-Ireland-Scotland programme aims to support:

• Research & innovation for cross-border enterprise development;
• Environmental initiatives;
• Sustainable transport projects;
• Health & Social Care services on a cross-border basis.

Northern Periphery and Arctic

The Northern Periphery and Arctic programme covers the following regions:

Country	Regions covered
Faroe Islands	All regions.
Finland	Länsi-Suomi (Keski-Suomi), Pohjois-ja Itä-Suomi.
Greenland	All regions.
Iceland	All regions.
Ireland	Border, Midland and Western (County Donegal, County Galway, County Leitrim, County Mayo, County Sligo).
Norway	Vestlandet, Trondelag, Nord-Norge Svalbard and Jan Mayen.
Sweden	Mellersta Norrland, Övre Norrland.
United Kingdom	Northern Ireland (excluding Belfast and Outer Belfast), South Western Scotland (Dumfries and Galloway), Highlands and Islands.

The current Northern Periphery and Arctic programme aims to:

• use innovation to maintain and develop robust and competitive communities;
• promote entrepreneurship to realise the potential of the programme area's competitive advantage;
• foster energy-secure communities through promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency;
• protect, promote and develop cultural and natural heritage.

Urbact

Urbact covers the whole of the EU as well as Norway and Switzerland. It aims to help cities to work together and develop integrated solutions to common urban challenges by networking, learning from one another's experiences and drawing lessons from and identifying good practices to improve urban policies.