GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
The MED Programme is an EU transnational cooperation programme among the “Territorial Cooperation objectives” of the EU Cohesion Policy. Partners from 13 countries including the whole Northern Mediterranean seacoast are working together to strengthen the competitiveness, employment and sustainable development of this area. The transnational setup allows the programme to tackle territorial challenges beyond national boundaries, such as environmental risk management, international business or transport corridors.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
The MED programme takes place within the objective « European territorial cooperation » of the period 2007-2013. The two main objectives of this programme are:

• To improve the area's competitiveness in a way that guarantees growth and employment for the next generations (Lisbon strategy).
• To promote territorial cohesion and environmental protection, according to the logic of sustainable development (Goteborg strategy).

PRIORITIES:
Priority axis 1: The programme area faces strong international competition and gaps among its different regions. The MED space must encourage dissemination of innovative technologies and know-how and strengthen strategic cooperation between public and private sectors.
Objective 1.1: Dissemination of innovative technologies and know-how
Objective 1.2: Strengthening cooperation between economic development stakeholders and public authorities

Priority axis 2: Richness and fragility of natural resources and heritage, pressure on fragile areas, regular water supply threats, concentration of major risks...The MED space is a space rich of assets with a high biodiversity that needs to be protected on different environmental levels through transnational coordinated activities.
Objective 2.1: Protection and enhancement of natural resources and cultural heritage
Objective 2.2: Promotion of renewable energies and energy efficiency improvement
Objective 2.3: Prevention of maritime risks and strengthening of maritime safety
Objective 2.4: Prevention of and fight against natural risks

Priority axis 3: Because of its geographical feature, composed of many isolated territories, the MED space encounters accessibility and connection problems between its regions, its economic poles, and its harbors, or with surrounding international areas. At the same time, the development of economic activities and tourism put a high level of pressure on the area. this situation needs to be tackled by organizing the means of transportation and better access to the telecommunications network.
Objective 3.1: Improvement of maritime accessibility and of transit capacities through multimodality and intermodality
Objective 3.2: Support to the use of information technologies for a better accessibility and territorial cooperation

Priority axis 4: In the MED space, cities boast the highest levels of competitiveness, services or specific skills. To better manage the effects of urban development, to enhance potential competitiveness of rural areas while avoiding a widening of territorial disparities, it is essential to support synergies between the urban and rural spaces and improve territorial multilevel governance systems.
Objective 4.1 : Coordination of development policies and improvement of territorial governance
Objective 4.2 : Strengthening of identity and enhancement of cultural resources for a better integration of the Med space

BENEFICIARIES
Depending on the field of activity, several types of actors located in the MED participating countries are entitled to apply for co-funding under this programme:

• public authorities, administrations and development agencies at local, regional and national level;
• education and training centres, as well as scientific and technological research units;
• organisations representing enterprises and especially SMEs;
• chambers of commerce and industry;
• public services and transport providers;
• agencies and NGOs in the field of natural and cultural resources and renewable energy management.

GEOGRAPHIC AREA
Following the Commission decision of 31 October 2006 drawing up the list of eligible regions and areas for the transnational strands of the European territorial cooperation objective, the MED programme covers the following areas:

• Cyprus: the entire country
• France: Corse, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes
• Greece : the entire country
• Italy : Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardy, Marche, Molise, Umbria, Piedmonte, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, Veneto.
• Malta: the entire country
• Portugal : Algarve, Alentejo
• Slovenia: the entire country
• Spain: Andalusia, Aragon, Catalonia, Balearic islands, Murcia, Valencia - and the two autonomous cities - Ceuta and Melilla
• United-Kingdom : Gibraltar

The programme has also invited Mediterranean candidates or potential candidate countries to the European Union to join. These countries participate with the European funds of the IPA (Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance). The cooperation space has since welcomed

• Albania
• Croatia
• Bosnia Herzegovina
• Montenegro

BUDGET:
With a budget of more than 250M€ (whose 193M€ of ERDF), the Programme will launch , until exhaustion of its ERDF envelope, calls for projects to build transnational partnerships aiming at meeting the priority objectives of the Programme in the Mediterranean space.

MANAGING AUTHORITY:
The Med Programme's Member States have designed as Managing Authority the Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur Region (France). The Managing Authority is responsible for managing and implementing the operational programme. In particular, it signs the subsidy contracts with the Lead partners.

CONTACTS:
Direction Générale Adjointe
des Relations Internationales et des Affaires Européennes
Autorité Unique de Gestion MED
Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
27, Place Jules Guesde – 13481 MARSEILLE Cedex 20
Phone:+33 4 88 10 76
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.