INTERREG VI-A AUSTRIA-HUNGARY PROGRAMME

Programme budget

The programme Interreg VI-A Austria-Hungary is co-financed through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). In the 2021-2027 programming period the EU contributes ERDF-resources to an amount of over 49 m EUR. The total programme budget amounts to 62 m EUR.

Projects receive funding from the EU up to a maximum of 80% of their total costs. All projects have to raise a financing contribution out of public or private means of at least 20%.

Potential beneficiaries can apply for two types of projects with the following budget parameters:

•    Standard projects have a total budget of more than EUR 200 000 but not more than EUR 3 000 000. 
•    For the period 2021-2027, small-scale projects with a minimum budget of EUR 25 000 and a maximum budget of EUR 200 000, involving a partnership of up to three project partners, are also eligible.

Priorities

In thematic terms the support of the programme Interreg VI-A Austria-Hungary concentrates on four cooperation areas, the so-called priorities, whereat each priority contains specific objectives. To obtain support for a cross-border project, it shall fit in the pre-defined priorities and specific objectives of the programme as well as in the respective activity fields.

Priority 01: A green and resilient border region

SO11 Climate change adaptation – Promoting climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention, and resilience, taking into account eco-system-based approaches

SO12 Sustainable water – Promoting access to water and sustainable water management

SO13 Nature protection and biodiversity – Enhancing protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution

Priority 02: A better-connected border region

SO21 Sustainable transport – Developing and enhancing sustainable, climate resilient, intelligent and intermodal national, regional and local mobility, including improved access to TEN-T and cross-border mobility

Priority 03: A competent border region

SO31 Education and training infrastructure – Improving equal access to inclusive and quality services in education, training and lifelong learning through developing accessible infrastructure, among others, through fostering resilience for distance and online education and training

SO32 Culture and sustainable tourism – Enhancing the role of culture and sustainable tourism in economic development, social inclusion and social innovation

Priority 04: An integrated border region

SO41 Legal and administrative cooperation – Enhancing efficient public administration by promoting legal and administrative cooperation and cooperation between citizens, civil society actors and institutions, in particular, with a view to resolving legal and other obstacles in border regions

Potential applicants and their locations

At least one Austrian and one Hungarian partner shall be involved in the partnership.

The following legal entities may have acted in the Interreg VI-A AT-HU programme:

•    Public or public-equivalent institutions
•    Non-profit organisations
•    Other institutions which on the project level act in the public interest
•    Private institutions, including private companies, having legal personality

Private individuals, political parties, direct subsidies to individual enterprises and profit-oriented activities within the framework of the project are not eligible.

Furthermore, partner institutions have to be located in the programme area or to be competent in their scope of action for certain parts of the eligible area (like ministries or other national institutions). 

In only exceptional cases, institutions from outside the programme area can participate in a project, provided they have special expertise not available in the programme area, but being essential for the project.

Availability of funds

As of May 2024, 16.2 million EUR ERDF funding has been committed for projects under the 2021-2027 programme, with the next deadline for new applications under the programme being 15 November 2024. The remaining ERDF funding available amounts to 29.6 million EUR.

For more information on the projects supported, see: https://www.interreg-athu.eu/