Closed on 30 May 2024, the call saw an extraordinary response with 631 proposals submitted, underscoring the vitality and collaborative spirit of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.
Interreg NEXT MED’s first call for proposals, closed on 30 may 2024, saw a massive participation with a total of 631 projects submitted, an indicator of the robust interest in cooperation to address key challenges and foster sustainable and inclusive development across the Mediterranean region.
In this news article, find out some of the most relevant findings related to the participation in the call.
A Collective Ambitious
The 631 project proposals submitted represent a staggering €1.5 billion in total value and €1.3 billion in requested EU funds, exceeding the available budget of €103 million by more than twelvefold. These impressive figures highlight the significant need of funding for cooperation in light of the will of Mediterranean stakeholders to driving positive change in the region.
As far as country-specific insights are concerned, one notable result is that all 15 countries participating in Interreg NEXT MED – Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia and Türkiye – are represented in the submitted projects, both at applicant and partner level.
Among the 3,930 organizations* involved, 53% are coming from Partner Countries, a confirmation of the shared ownership of the Prgramme at Mediterranean level. Public sector actors were the most prominent participants, with Bodies governed by public law/Other public bodies (1,192), Regional/local public administrations (408), Ministries/other national public administrations (360 organizations) together accounting for over 1,900 organizations. NGOs/Non-profit organizations (1,077) were another major group. The participation of companies/private economic operators (507) was significant as well. This healthy mix of stakeholders reflects the Interreg NEXT MED’s broad appeal and potential for multi-sectoral collaboration.
Project Focus Areas
With respectively 107, 105 and 91 proposals submitted, ‘Education and Training’, ‘Growth and Competitiveness of SMEs’ and ‘Climate Change Adaptation’ emerged as the most popular topics among applicants, reflecting key Mediterranean challenges like skills gap, entrepreneurship development, and resilience building.
The Programme broke new ground by introducing ‘Youth‘ and ‘Governance‘ strands for the first time. This move was met with an encouraging number of proposals, highlighting a solid focus on empowering young people and strengthening regional governance – both crucial aspects for a brighter Euro-Mediterranean future.
For more detailed statistics and trends, please refer to this PowerPoint presentation.
Looking Forward
The significant interest and participation in the first call set a promising precedent for future cooperation initiatives under Interreg NEXT MED. The second call, set to be launched in the second half of 2024, will focus on green transition projects with a budget of €80 million. A consultation to help shape the priorities of the call is open until 12 of June 2024: share your insights by filing in the survey available at https://www.interregnextmed.eu/towards-a-greener-mediterranean-participate-in-our-survey-on-the-second-call-for-proposals/
IMPORTANT: information regarding the evaluation process of the proposals submitted under the first call will be communicated on this website. please check it on a regular basis.
*The same organization can participate in more than one project proposal.
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