The Joint Monitoring Committee of the operational programme of cross-border cooperation between Slovenia and Austria for the programme period 2007-2013, of which the Managing authority is the Government Office for Local Self-Government and Regional Policy, convened its 6th meeting on 25 and 26 May 2011 in Begunje na Gorenjskem (Slovenia).
On the agenda of the 6th Joint Monitoring Committee meeting was, inter alia, an overview of previous activities, the approval of the annual implementation report for the year 2010 and the decision on the approval / rejection of projects submitted within the second deadline of the 2nd Open Call of the Operational Programme Slovenia-Austria for the programme period 2007-2013. The Joint Monitoring Committee also discussed the next period after the year 2013 and stressed the need to build on past experience and to continue the convergence and thereby focus on the key needs of the common border area.
44 project proposals submitted resemble a great interest in participating in projects of cross-border cooperation. The Joint Monitoring Committee, consisting of representatives of both participating countries, Austria and Slovenia, and the representatives of the European Commission, approved 19 project proposals to be co-financed with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the component of cross-border cooperation. Most of these projects focus on economic cooperation, the protection of the environment and the utilization of the tourist potential of the common border area.
During the meeting of the Joint Monitoring Committee, the participants also visited two projects, the projects CULTH: EX CAR-GOR and Nature Experience, that are already being implemented and which aim at strengthening the cooperation in the fields of the joint promotion and preservation of cultural and natural sights.
In the framework of the Operational Programme Slovenia-Austria there were until now 49 Subsidy contracts for the co-financing with ERDF funds signed. The signing of the Subsidy contracts of the approved projects submitted within the second deadline of the 2nd Open Call of the Operational Programme Slovenia-Austria 2007-2013 is scheduled for September 2011.
The list of approved projects will be published 30 days after the decision of the Joint Monitoring Committee was taken on the programmes website (http://www.si-at.eu), on which also data on previously approved projects, current events and other information about the programme is published.
source: http://www.si-at.eu