The Ministry of Regional Development and Housing – acting as Joint Managing Authority – is organizing the Launching Conference of the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea 2007-2013” on the 5th and 6th of May 2009 in Bucharest, at Intercontinental Hotel.

Officials and potential beneficiaries of the 10 states participating in the Programme (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine), as well as representatives of the European Commission and other international organizations active in the Black Sea area will attend the event.

Through the launching conference, the JMA intends to inform the public and the potential applicants about the financing opportunities offered by the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea 2007-2013”, which will support “soft” projects contributing to the sustainable economic and social development of the region.

The first day of the conference will focus on the promotion of the Programme, its importance and political support of the participating countries, presentation of the programme in the context of the European and international initiatives in the Black Sea area and on the exchange of ideas regarding the generation of synergies between the different initiatives of different donors in the region.

The second day will be dedicated to the potential applicants who will be familiarized with the content of the application package by simultaneous thematic working groups organized taking into consideration the Programme priorities and aiming at generating project ideas and analyzing the eligibility conditions necessary for submitting viable applications.

The Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea 2007-2013” is financed by the European Union through theEuropean Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) and co-financed by the states taking part in the Programme. The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) finances Turkey’s participation in the Programme, as a candidate state running accession negotiations with the European Union.

The overall budget for the whole Programme for 2007-2013 period amounts to EUR 18,863,479 of which EUR 17,305,944 represents the contribution of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) and EUR 1,557,535 the national co-financing. The allocation of IPA funds for financing Turkey’s participation in the Programme is EUR 1,000,000 per year.

The potential beneficiaries of the Programme are: local and regional authorities, chambers of commerce, authorities with responsibilities in the area of environment protection, prevention and management of emergency situations, NGOs etc.

For more information about the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea 2007-2013” and the Conference please visit http://www.blacksea-cbc.net.