COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2022/75

of 17 January 2022

setting out the list of Interreg programme areas to receive support from the European Regional Development Fund and external financing instruments of the Union, broken down by strand and Interreg programme under the European territorial cooperation goal

(notifed under document C(2022)109)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1059 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 on specific provisions for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) supported by the European Regional Development Fund and external financing instruments (1), and in particular Article 8(1) thereof,

After consulting the committee established by Article 115(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (2),

Whereas:

(1) The European Regional Development Fund (‘ERDF’) supports the European territorial cooperation goal in certain regions corresponding to level 3 of the common classification of territorial units for statistics (‘NUTS level 3 regions’) for cross-border cooperation, and in all regions corresponding to level 2 of the common classification of territorial units for statistics (‘NUTS level 2 regions’) for transnational cooperation, as established by Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3). Those regions therefore need to be listed.

(2) Pursuant to Article 8(1), second subparagraph, of Regulation (EU) 2021/1059, external cross-border Interreg programmes are to be listed as ‘Interreg A IPA III CBC programmes’ (IPA III-CBC) or ‘Interreg A NEXT programmes’ (NDICI-CBC).

(3) Pursuant to Article 8(3) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1059, regions of third or partner countries or territories outside the Union, which do not receive support from the ERDF or from an external financing instrument of the Union, or which contribute to the budget of the Union by external assigned revenue, are also to be mentioned in the list of Interreg programme areas.

(4) Pursuant to Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1059, for transnational cooperation, the regions to be supported by the ERDF are to be NUTS level 2 regions of the Union or, in the absence of a NUTS classification, equivalent areas. They may include outermost regions covering larger transnational territories and taking into account, where applicable, macro-regional strategies or sea basin strategies. Transnational cooperation may also cover regions which are to be NUTS level 2 regions or, in the absence of a NUTS classification, equivalent areas in Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom as well as Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Liechtenstein, Monaco and San Marino, overseas territories or countries (OCTs) and regions of partner countries under the Instrument for Pre-Accession III (‘IPA III’) or the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (‘NDICI’).

(5) Pursuant to Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1059, for interregional cooperation, the entire territory of the Union, including the outermost regions, is to be supported by the ERDF. Interregional cooperation programmes may also cover the whole territory of third countries, partner countries under IPA III or NDICI and other territories, or a part thereof, or OCTs, whether or not they are supported by the Union’s external financing instruments. It is therefore not necessary to set out the programme area for interregional cooperation.

(6) Pursuant to Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1059, for outermost regions cooperation, all regions listed in the first paragraph of Article 349 TFEU are to be supported by the ERDF. The outermost regions’ Interreg programmes may also cover partner countries or parts thereof supported by the NDICI or OCTs supported by the Overseas Countries and Territories Programme (OCTP), or both.

(7) Pursuant to Article 8(2) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1059, the list of regions for cross-border cooperation should also specify those NUTS level 3 regions of the Union taken into account for the ERDF allocation for cross-border cooperation at all internal borders and those external borders covered by the Union’s external financing instruments. The NUTS level 3 regions for the programme areas of cross-border cooperation programmes should be listed based on Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003, as last amended by Commission Delegated Regulation 2019/1755 (4). However, for the purpose of Article 8(2) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1059, the NUTS level 3 regions taken into account for the ERDF allocation are based on Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 as amended by Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/2066 (5).

(8) It is therefore necessary to establish the lists of Interreg programme areas to receive support, broken down by strand and Interreg programme,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1 The list of programme areas to receive support from the ERDF under the cross-border cooperation strand of the European territorial cooperation goal, including under external cross-border cooperation also supported by IPA III and NDICI, and including regions of third or partner countries or territories outside the Union which do not receive support from the ERDF or from an external financing instrument of the Union, or which contribute to the Union budget by external assigned revenue, is set out in Annex I.

Article 2 The list of programme areas to receive support from the ERDF and the external financing instruments of the Union under the transnational cooperation strand of the European territorial cooperation goal, including regions of third or partner countries or territories outside the Union which do not receive support from the ERDF or from an external financing instrument of the Union, or which contribute to the Union budget by external assigned revenue, is set out in Annex II.

Article 3 The list of programme areas, including partner countries or parts thereof supported by the NDICI or OCTs supported by the OCTP or both, to receive support from the ERDF under the outermost regions’ strand of the European territorial cooperation goal, is set out in Annex III.

Article 4 The list of NUTS level 3 regions of the Union taken into account for the ERDF allocation for cross-border cooperation at all internal borders and those external borders covered by the Union’s external financing instruments, is set out in Annex IV.

Article 5 This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 17 January 2022. For the Commission Elisa FERREIRA Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 231, 30.6.2021, p. 94.

(2) OJ L 231, 30.6.2021, p. 159.

(3) Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) (OJ L 154, 21.6.2003, p. 1).

(4) Commission Delegated Regulation 2019/1755 of 8 August 2019 amending the Annexes to Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) (OJ L 270, 24.10.2019, p. 1).

(5) Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/2066 of 21 November 2016 amending the annexes to Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) (OJ L 322, 29.11.2016, p. 1).