2021-2027 EU PROGRAMMES
The European Union programmes represent an integrated series of activities adopted by the European Union for the purpose of promoting cooperation between member countries in various fields connected with common EU policies. Their purpose is to provide support to internal policies of the European Union, i.e. to make it possible for institutions in member countries to finance their projects for achieving the objectives of the EU policies.
There is a special legal regulation and rules of participation determined for each programme separately. Most of the European Union programmes are implemented according to the centralised model of implementation. In this model, the EU institutions are responsible for financial management and implementation and make decisions on programme type and duration, the available budget and they announce calls for submission of project proposals for which applicants from all EU member states and accession countries compete.
The European Commission encourages complementarity and synergy among the sources of finance, so that goals could better be achieved, and the effects maximised through interconnection with the programmes and financial instruments of the European Union. The European Union programmes are an extremely important instrument of the European Union, by which additional complementarity with EU funds available to member states in the new financial perspective is achieved.
The European Commission has made it clear that member states and the Commission should strengthen cooperation, improve communication and improve coordination in order to use the full potential of the synergy between the European Union programmes and the ESI funds. The concept of synergy does not only refer to combining different sources of funding, but there is a need for a joint strategic approach and joint coordinated action that will facilitate the coordination and complementarity of national programmes and the EU programmes in order to achieve the greatest possible effect and efficiency of public funding.
During the multi-annual programming period 2014 -2020, the Republic of Croatia used almost EUR 400 million from the European Union funds and participated in more than 10,000 projects from a wide variety of sectors and areas.
Although in the 2021 - 2027 programming period, the total number of the European Union programmes was reduced from seventeen (17) to sixteen (16), the amount of almost EUR 160 billion is available, i.e. 60% more funds compared with the 2014 - 2020 financial perspective, which indicates that the European Commission recognised the importance of the EU programmes.
The new financial perspective brought with it certain innovations in the contents of the Programme. In addition to the already existing ones, such as Horizon, LIFE, Erasmus etc., there are also some new programmes available, such as Digital Europe and Union Space Programme, as well as programmes that have combined several programmes from the past financial perspective such as Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values.
The list of programmes and detailed information about each individual programme is available at the link on the website of the relevant ministry here.
The regulatory framework for the period 2021 - 2027, as previously mentioned, enables the strengthening of synergies among the types of financing of the EU, the Union programmes and ESI funds. In the context of the above, it must be noted that, with the aim of improving the level of scientific excellence among Croatian scientists and creating a synergy effect through complementary and cumulative funding with the Horizon Europe programmes, within the Competitiveness and Cohesion Programme 2021 - 2027, grants are provided for successful applicants, i.e. beneficiaries of the Horizon Europe programme.
Finally, we can conclude that all relevant stakeholders must act together through networking, spreading and sharing knowledge, building partnership relationships and close interaction among management structures at the level of the EU and member countries in order to use all comparative advantages and achieve synergy with the programmes and financial instruments of the European Union.
There is a special legal regulation and rules of participation determined for each programme separately. Most of the European Union programmes are implemented according to the centralised model of implementation. In this model, the EU institutions are responsible for financial management and implementation and make decisions on programme type and duration, the available budget and they announce calls for submission of project proposals for which applicants from all EU member states and accession countries compete.
COMPLEMENTARITY AND SYNERGY WITH ESI FUNDS
The European Union has set up EU programmes to promote the cooperation primarily among member countries in the fields of various common European Union policies (research, innovation, education, culture, etc.), whereas the goal of ESI funds is to implement individual EU public policies in member countries, mostly at national and regional levels, with some exceptions of interterritorial activities.The European Commission encourages complementarity and synergy among the sources of finance, so that goals could better be achieved, and the effects maximised through interconnection with the programmes and financial instruments of the European Union. The European Union programmes are an extremely important instrument of the European Union, by which additional complementarity with EU funds available to member states in the new financial perspective is achieved.
The European Commission has made it clear that member states and the Commission should strengthen cooperation, improve communication and improve coordination in order to use the full potential of the synergy between the European Union programmes and the ESI funds. The concept of synergy does not only refer to combining different sources of funding, but there is a need for a joint strategic approach and joint coordinated action that will facilitate the coordination and complementarity of national programmes and the EU programmes in order to achieve the greatest possible effect and efficiency of public funding.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION PROGRAMMES IN CROATIA
Participation in the European Union programmes is of great importance for the Republic of Croatia taking into account the inclusion of a large number of state administration bodies, public institutions, civil society organisations as well as private persons and legal entities in European projects and cooperation.During the multi-annual programming period 2014 -2020, the Republic of Croatia used almost EUR 400 million from the European Union funds and participated in more than 10,000 projects from a wide variety of sectors and areas.
Although in the 2021 - 2027 programming period, the total number of the European Union programmes was reduced from seventeen (17) to sixteen (16), the amount of almost EUR 160 billion is available, i.e. 60% more funds compared with the 2014 - 2020 financial perspective, which indicates that the European Commission recognised the importance of the EU programmes.
The new financial perspective brought with it certain innovations in the contents of the Programme. In addition to the already existing ones, such as Horizon, LIFE, Erasmus etc., there are also some new programmes available, such as Digital Europe and Union Space Programme, as well as programmes that have combined several programmes from the past financial perspective such as Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values.
The list of programmes and detailed information about each individual programme is available at the link on the website of the relevant ministry here.
The regulatory framework for the period 2021 - 2027, as previously mentioned, enables the strengthening of synergies among the types of financing of the EU, the Union programmes and ESI funds. In the context of the above, it must be noted that, with the aim of improving the level of scientific excellence among Croatian scientists and creating a synergy effect through complementary and cumulative funding with the Horizon Europe programmes, within the Competitiveness and Cohesion Programme 2021 - 2027, grants are provided for successful applicants, i.e. beneficiaries of the Horizon Europe programme.
Finally, we can conclude that all relevant stakeholders must act together through networking, spreading and sharing knowledge, building partnership relationships and close interaction among management structures at the level of the EU and member countries in order to use all comparative advantages and achieve synergy with the programmes and financial instruments of the European Union.