REGIONAL POLICY: COMMISSION CLEARS THREE INTERREG PROGRAMMES.

The European Commission has approved three cross-border co-operation programmes under the INTERREG III Community Initiative for the 2000-2006 period. The schemes, which were cleared on February 12, apply to Finland and Estonia (EU aid worth Euro 14.1 million), Finland and Russia (Euro 28 million), and Portugal and Spain (the Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands with EU aid of Euro 145.1 million). As is generally the case with EU Structural Fund initiatives, governments and the private sector will be called upon in each case to top up the funding supplied by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).The funding priorities for each of the programmes are as follows:- Finland/Estonia: creating various levels of activities in multiple sectors; job creation and improving competitiveness; environmental protection (waste water processing and waste management issues);- Finland/Russia: business activities (reskilling); promoting cultural exchanges and exchanges of know-how; improving transport operations around border crossings and developing communications;- Portugal/Spain: spatial planning and revitalising rural areas; developing transport and communications systems and promoting R&D (reducing the peripheral nature of the area in question), promoting economic and institutional co-operation; development and sustainable management of natural and cultural resources...JJ:(IS)