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BUSINESS TODAY 30 May 2019

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30.05.19 14 EU FUNDS ENTITIES, departments, and NGOs will be able to submit their proposals for strategic projects in the Mediterrane- an, as a new call under the ENI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme 2014-2020 has opened. The call for proposals amounts to €68 million and fourteen different countries are eligible to benefit from such funds as approved by the European Commission. The call has four thematic objectives, namely business and SMEs development (in- novative start-ups and eu- ro-Mediterranean clusters), education, research, tech- nological development and innovation (technological transfer and commerciali- sation of research results), social inclusion and fight against poverty (employabili- ty of young people and wom- en), as well as environmental protection, climate change adaptation and mitigation (water management, waste treatment, renewable energy and energy efficiency). Specifically, it has the fol- lowing priorities: • Support innovative start-ups and recently established enterprises • Strengthen and support e u r o - M e d i t e r r a n e a n networks, clusters, con- sortia and value chains in traditional sectors and non-traditional sec- tors • Support technological transfer and commer- cialisation of research results • Provide young people, especially those belong- ing to the NEETS, and women, with marketa- ble skills • Water management - Support sustainable in- itiatives targeting inno- vative and technological solutions to increase water efficiency • Waste treatment and re- cycling - Reduce munic- ipal waste generation, promote source-sepa- rated collection and its optimal exploitation • Renewable energy and energy efficiency - Sup- port cost-effective and innovative energy reha- bilitations relevant to building types and cli- matic zones, with a fo- cus on public buildings. Eligible beneficiaries in- clude public authorities, bodies governed by public law, private institutions and international organisations operating in the Programme's eligible area. Deadline for submission of project proposals is 3 July 2019 at 1pm. During an information ses- sion on the call, EU funds par- liamentary secretary Aaron Farrugia said that the trans- national dimension of this Programme gives the bene- ficiaries the opportunity to exchange best practices with our European and Mediterra- nean counterparts, carry out studies, implement pilot pro- jects and capitalise on best practices. "I became aware of the im- portance of this programme in particular when I was elect- ed as Head of Maltese delega- tion of the Parliamentary As- sembly for the Mediterranean last year," he said. "There, I met with repre- sentatives like myself from Mediterranean countries, who had visions and ideas, but a lack of funds. This is where I promoted this pro- gramme for the first time. Now I am promoting it here with departments, entities, and NGOs, in order to share expertise and best practices." Farrugia explained that Mal- tese entities are already par- ticipating in three ongoing projects under the first call pertaining to this programme, following on the footsteps of other entities which have suc- cessfully implemented their projects in the previous pro- gramming period. "Malta intends to pursue such participation in the cur- rent call too and therefore I strongly encourage you to take this opportunity by join- ing or submitting joint pro- jects in collaboration with our European and Mediterranean counterparts. Let's explore all possibilities being offered as part of this call and come up with project ideas which could possibly be funded. "Let's see how we can work with our colleagues on both sides of the Mediterranean to turn common challenges into feasible ideas and pos- sibilities. Let's join forces to improve our way of doing things, in collaboration with our counterparts, in the are- as being addressed under this call." Farrugia said there were two other calls under which funds are available under the Territorial Cooperation Pro- grammes. These include a call under the Interreg Italia-Malta Pro- gramme, which is due to be launched in the coming weeks and another call under the Interreg MED Programme, which is currently open. "I urge you to keep an eye open for such opportunities and make the most of them for the benefit of our coun- tries and citizens." New call for proposals for strategic projects supporting business, education, and environment "Let's see how we can work with our colleagues on both sides of the Mediterranean to turn common challenges into feasible ideas and possibilities" Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds Aaron Farrugia

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