INTERREG a funds as an instrument for managing a border region

Abstract

The article focuses on the financing of border regions from the point of view of the use of selected EU funds. It analyses INTERREG A funds designed to support cross-border cooperation. The purpose of the research was to identify and analyse innovative projects undertaken under INTERREG A programmes in Polish-German areas. The territorial scope of the study corresponded to the assisted area outlined for the purposes of these programmes. It included Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship on the Polish side, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg on the German side. The temporal scope covered three programming periods: 2000-2006 (Poland only joined it in 2004), 2007-2013 and 2014-2020 (still ongoing). The studies were based on an analysis of material obtained from INTERREG A online project databases, as well as the available reports and other sources. The results confirmed that INTERREG A programmes provided opportunities for innovative projects, the share of which, among all the projects completed was small, but essential from the point of view of the development of a cross-border region. The innovative projects were mostly in the field of healthcare. The structure of the entities performing such projects was diversified, although higher education institutions prevailed