A Next Italy-Tunisia programme, in collaboration with the national authorities of the two countries and the financial support of the European Union, announces the launch of the first call for projects. With a budget of 22.245.034 euros, the tender represents an opportunity for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), agenzianova reports.
The territories involved include nine Sicilian provinces and 16 Tunisian governorates, thus offering a broad field of action for bilateral cooperation initiatives. Stakeholders eligible for the call include universities, research institutions, non-profit organisations, private companies, national and regional public authorities, as well as municipalities. Each project must involve at least two partners per eligible territory, thus promoting effective cross-border collaboration.
Furthermore, a partnership cannot include more than three partners from the same country. The European Union will contribute to projects with an amount between 800 thousand and 1,2 million euros for projects that fall within priorities 1, 2 and 3, and up to 1 million euros for those that fall within priority 4. This contribution cannot exceed 90 percent of the total eligible costs of the project and the co-financing must represent at least 10 percent of the total eligible costs. The deadline for submitting project proposals is set at 90 days following the publication of the notice, scheduled for May 2, 2024. Proposals may be submitted starting from the 60th day following publication.
The programme affects an area of 200 thousand square kilometers and approximately 16 million inhabitants. Pursuant to article 8 of EU Regulation number 232/2014, the area affected by the program includes the eligible areas, the neighboring areas and the “Great Centre”. The cooperation area is therefore divided as follows: the eligible territories for Italy are the five provinces of Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Ragusa, Siracusa, Trapani. For Tunisia, the nine governorates of Bizerte, Ariana, Tunis, Ben Arous, Nabeul, Sousse, Monastir, Mahdia and Sfax. The three Sicilian provinces of Catania, Enna and Palermo and the territorial areas of the six Tunisian governorates, namely Béja, Manouba, Zaghouan, Kairouan, Sidi Bouzid and Gabès, were considered territorial zones. The participation of neighboring areas is authorized provided that their added value for the Program is well justified and that their participation is essential to achieve the objectives and strengthen the cross-border impact.
TunisianMonitorOnline
