Thanks to three editions of the Poland-(Belarus)-Ukraine programme, we have done a lot of good work for the Polish-Ukrainian border region and the Podkarpackie region. With relatively limited money from the European Union budget, we have subsidised the construction of new roads, improved access to clean water, contributed to the construction and equipping of hospitals. All activities take place in cooperation with local communities and local authorities from the Polish-Ukrainian border region

- said Deputy Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy, Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak.

The conference was attended by representatives of the European Commission, Polish and Ukrainian local authorities, NGOs and administration, who have been initiating and successfully implementing joint projects in the Polish-Ukrainian border area for twenty years. Participants included, among others, Deputy Governor of the Voivodeship, Jolanta Sawicka, Deputy Marshal, Piotr Pilch, as well as the Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Lviv, Eliza Dzwonkiewicz, and the Consul General of Ukraine in Lublin, Oleh Kuts.

In the second part of the event, the first call for competitive projects under the Interreg NEXT Programme Poland-Ukraine 2021-2027 was announced. The programme's budget amounts to over EUR 187 million and the maximum subsidy for projects is up to 90%. 

Under the first call for proposals, partners from Poland and Ukraine will be able to receive EU funding for joint projects under the Health (EUR 37 million budget) and Environment (EUR 43 million budget) priorities.
Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, health projects will be of particular importance. We support both training of specialists and the purchase of equipment and investment in the necessary infrastructure. We believe that an important element of Polish-Ukrainian projects will be the systemic assistance to those affected by the Russian aggression. 

On the other hand, in the Environment priority, we are looking forward to projects on climate change mitigation and adaptation, prevention of natural disasters, increasing access to good quality water and sustainable water management, protection of biodiversity and reduction of all types of pollution. The first settlements are planned later this year.

The cross-border cooperation between Poland and Ukraine is a long-standing story of openness and overcoming stereotypes, perseverance, even in very difficult times, and hope for a successful future. Today, we are opening another page in our joint relations - we officially launch the Interreg NEXT Poland-Ukraine 2021-2027 programme. I am convinced that we will record it wisely and responsibly

- concluded the deputy head of the MDFRP. 

The area of the Interreg NEXT Programme Poland-Ukraine 2021-2027 covers the Podkarpackie, Lubelskie, Podlaskie and part of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship in Poland, as well as the western districts of Ukraine: Volyn, Lviv, Zakarpattia, Rivne, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk. 

The Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy plays the role of the Managing Authority of the programme.
The Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers in Ukraine acts as the national authority and coordinates the implementation of the programme on the Ukrainian side. 

The Programme will support the implementation of projects under the following 5 priorities: 

Priority 1: Environment

• supporting climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention and resilience, taking into account an ecosystem approach,
• promoting access to water and sustainable water management,
• strengthening the protection and conservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas and reducing all types of pollution.

Priority 2: Health

• ensuring equal access to health care and supporting the resilience of health systems, including primary health care and supporting the transition from institutional to family and community-based care.

Priority 3: Tourism

• strengthening the role of culture and sustainable tourism in economic development, social inclusion and social innovation.

Priority 4: Cooperation

• enhancing the efficiency of public administration by promoting legal and administrative cooperation and collaboration between citizens, civil society actors and institutions, particularly with a view to eliminating legal and other obstacles in border regions.
• building mutual trust, in particular by supporting activities that facilitate people-to-people contacts.

Priority 5: Borders

• development of border crossing infrastructure and training for uniformed services.

The programme is addressed to:

• local authorities and their subordinate bodies,
• services, inspections and guards,
• state budgetary units,
• NGOs, chambers of commerce, trade and business.

The following projects will be implemented under the programme:

• large infrastructure projects (selected in a non-competitive procedure, with an infrastructure component of at least EUR 2.5 million), 
• competitive projects (with a funding value of EUR 100 thousand to EUR 2.5 million),
•  and microprojects (with a funding value of up to EUR 100 thousand). 

The conference was the first in a series of 20 events for the 20th anniversary of the Programme organised in 2023 (10 in Poland, 10 in Ukraine). They will present the results of the projects and existing project beneficiaries will be invited to organise them jointly. The events will be organised as open days in the projects.