“Why do the border regions of Ukraine lose funding from European programs of cross -border and territorial cooperation?”

The border regions of Ukraine have additional opportunities for improving the socio-economic standard of living of the population through the use of financial support from the programs of cross-border and territorial cooperation of the European Union.

However, 11 border regions of Ukraine lose these opportunities, since their regional development strategies often do not comply with the provisions of national level strategic documents in terms of cross -border cooperation, and some regional strategies do not consider cross -border cooperation at all as a tool of local development.

Such conclusions were reached by the experts of the Association of Regional Analytical Centers in the study “Synergy of Cross -Border Cooperation Programs and Regional Development Strategies in Ukraine – a window of opportunities for border areas”, presented on May 18 during the Conference “Regional Policy in Ukraine: European Dimension of Trans -Border Cooperation”. The study was prepared with the support of the Public Synergy project, funded by the European Union and is implemented by the International Renaissance Foundation.

Lviv and Vinnytsia regions are leaders in the fullness of reflecting the provisions of national level on cross -border cooperation in regional development strategies. The unsatisfactory level was demonstrated by Chernihiv, Kyiv and Rivne regions, that is, those regions that are first included in the programs of cross -border and territorial cooperation. In general, the more experience of participating in cross -border cooperation programs the region has, the more attention is paid to the development of cross -border cooperation in the strategy and the higher the degree of reflection of the provisions of national level documents.Experts also believe that the use of the potential of EU territorial and cross -border cooperation programs for the development of border regions of Ukraine depends to a large extent on the activity of local authorities in lobbying the interests of the regions while reconciling these programs.

“Over the last 10-15 years, a network of horizontal ties and contacts has emerged between the border regions of Ukraine and neighboring countries, which provides cross-border interaction between individual enterprises and government programs, local authorities and non-governmental organizations. In general, the regions have the same institutional principles for the development of cross -border cooperation, so the key factor in using its potential can be called political will and the competence of local authorities”, – he saidProject expert Yuri Vdovenko, presenting the main results of the study.

The study states thatCross -border and territorial cooperation programs allow you to get access to significant EU external financial resources when raising a relatively small share of your own funds. However, in most areas this opportunity remains virtually unused. None of the researched areas, with the exception of Lviv, has no specific mechanisms for financing programs/projects at the expense of programs of cross -border and territorial cooperation.

This situation with the financing of cross -border and territorial cooperation programs is related to two problems. The first is a lack of experience in regional potential participants in cross -border cooperation on fundraising, management of funds within the budget of cross -border projects, search for partners and diversification of sources of financing of cross -border projects. The second is the underdevelopment of domestic lending instruments of participants and limited access to local budgets to the external borrowing market.

Commenting on the results of the study in the Volyn region,Head of the Department of Development, Investment and European Integration of Volyn Regional State Administration Yuri KresakHe noted thatPublic society needs to be more persistent and involved in what is already being done in the correlation of the regional development strategy.He also concluded thatIt is necessary to inform the public about the project component that is in Volyn.

“If you follow the activity of the head of the Lviv Regional Council Alexander Ganushchyna in the last year, then in his speeches the topic of cross -border cooperation in terms of specific achievements is one of the leading ones,” – saidanalystOPORA Civic Network Alexander Neberikut.“Dana The topic is largely detailed in the region’s strategy, in terms of measures for its implementation, 18% of project proposals relate to the topic of cross -border cooperation. ”The expert also summed up thatIt is necessary to redistribute the competencies and responsibilities of players in the implementation of TCS and their systematic communication. “The success of the implementation of cross -border cooperation policies depends on the two or more parties that are participants in the process on both sides of the border, and strategic planning should be synergistic, first and foremost, agreed at this level.”

Commenting on the situation in Transcarpathiaexpert of NGO “Transcarpathian Regional Organization” Civic Network “OPORA” Larisa RomanyukShe noted that D.Transcarpathia is effective in EU cross -border cooperation programs, and at the stage of their development it is necessary to consolidate the efforts of representatives of local authorities, public sector and business. Such consistency will give the area the opportunity to receive more money to finance targeted, strategic projects from the EU, as well as to use the funds received more efficiently”.

Information, achievements and prospects of strategic planning of development of the Ukrainian Carpathians in the context of cross -border cooperation was shared by the Executive Director of the Association “Euroregion of the Carpathians – Ukraine” Galina Litvin. Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science and State Administration of the Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, told about the experience of cross -border interaction of Chernivtsi region.

Reference information:

Cross -border and territorial cooperation programs – Cross -border cooperation programs of the European Neighborhood and Territorial Cooperation of Eastern Partnership countries, which include Ukrainian border regions, which can be implemented priority for Ukrainian transboundary projects.

The conference was held within the framework of the Synergy of Cross -Border Cooperation Programs and Regional Development Programs in Ukraine – a window of opportunities for border areas, which implements the Polissya FundPublic synergy»And under the auspicesUkrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum. The purpose of the Synergy of Cross -Border Cooperation Programs and Regional Development Programs in Ukraine is to increase the efficiency of regional policy and cross -border cooperation in the border regions of Ukraine (including in the context of using Ukraine by EU assistance) by increasing the positive synergies of translation of the translation of Ukraine. Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Volyn, Lviv, Transcarpathian, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia and Odessa regions.

In detail:Analytical report,Conclusions and recommendationsAccording to research.

For more information please contactOlesya Dontsova,olesia.dONTSOVA@gmail.com.

Separate opinions expressed in the materials or voiced in the West are a personal position of authors/speakers and do not necessarily reflect the point of view of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation.