Latvian office or Euroregion “Country of lakes” April, 2016 Moldova Cross roads on 5 borders of Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Russia and Estonia Latvian office or Euroregion “Country of lakes”

Euroregion “Country of lakes” About us Euroregion “Country of lakes”

Euroregion “Country of lakes” 2016 Belarus – 10 Latvia – 15 Lithuania - 8

Attracted financing: 1998-2016 13mlj. EUR

Strategic priorities 2014-2020 Good public governance Cultural heritage Social inclusion Small and medium entrepreneurship Capital of nature Mobility and sustainable transport

Co-operation partners Embassies and consulates Lithuanian ministry of Interior Latvian ministry of environment protection and regional governments NGO "Peipsi project, Pskov" , Russian Federation Euroregion «Pskov-Livonia» Euroregion “Belovezskaja Puscha” Euroregion “Saule” Krasnogorodskij, Sebezskij, Nevelskij, Kunjinskij, Strugo-Krasnenskij, Usvjatskij districts of Pskov oblast, Rusian Federation

Short history I 1998-first meetings 1999-first CBC project 2000-strategy 2001-culture, business development 2003-Culinary heritage 2005-Discover the Baltic Country of lakes

Short history and future II 2007-Exciting cycling net 2009-LATLIT TRAFFIC 2010-GREEN MOVEMENTS 2012-CURED BY ANIMALS 2012-2015-ESTLATRUS TRAFFIC, GREEN MAN, NEIGHBOURS ROAD, 3rd STEP 2016-new challenges/ new strategy/ new period for the development

15/10/2009 Where we are? 52 cross border cooperation programmes

ENPI CBC Land border, Sea Crossing and Sea Basin Programmes 2007 –2013 15/10/2009 ENPI CBC Land border, Sea Crossing and Sea Basin Programmes 2007 –2013

Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus

Project example NEIGHBOURS ROAD 4 project partners Lead Partner: 7/12/2009 Project example Total Project budget: EUR 511 755,34 ENPI co-financing: EUR 460 579,80 Project Duration: ?? 07/2012 - 05/2013 Activities: Border seminars, 79 info points, reconstructed 2 stages or neighbours’ road in LV and BY, parking place in BY NEIGHBOURS ROAD 4 project partners Lead Partner: Kraslava municipality

Latvia-Lithuania Programme Kurzeme, Zemgale, Latgale Covers 65% of the total territory of state Effect on 42% of total state population Lithuania: Klaipėda, Telšiai, Šiauliai, Panevėžys, Utena, Kaunas (adjacent region) Covers 63% of the total territory of state Effect on 61% of total state population BUDGET: EUR 60 mln. (2007–2013) Shares 588 km of the border between two countries Effect on 3 million people

Project example CURED BY ANIMALS 17 project partners Lead Partner: 7/12/2009 Project example Total Project budget: EUR 214 677,00 ERDF co-financing: EUR 182 475,45 Project Duration: 11/2010 - 12/2011 Direction: Development of Active and Sustainable Communities CURED BY ANIMALS 17 project partners Lead Partner: Euroregion “Country of lakes”

Project example LATLIT TRAFFIC 16 project partners Lead Partner: 7/12/2009 Project example Approximate total Project budget: EUR 3 720 307.84 ERDF co-financing: EUR 3 162 261.66 Project Duration: 01/2009 - 01/2011 Direction: Improvement of Internal and External Accessibility of the Border Region EUSBSR: Priority area 11 To improve internal and external transport links LATLIT TRAFFIC 16 project partners Lead Partner: Euroregion “Country of lakes”

Estonia-Latvia-Russia Programme area Kirde-Eesti, Lõuna-Eesti, Kesk-Eesti;adjoining: Põhja-Eesti Latvia Latgale, Vidzeme; adjoining: Riga City and Pieriga Russia Leningrad Region, Pskov Region and Saint Petersburg

Project example ESTLATRUS TRAFFIC ~20 project partners Lead Partner: 7/12/2009 Project example Total Project budget: 1 876 570,00EUR ENPI co-financing: 1 688 913,00 EUR (90%) Project Duration: 04/2012 - 04/2014 Activities: Traffic safety campaigns, improvement of transit road infrastructure ESTLATRUS TRAFFIC ~20 project partners Lead Partner: Latvian office or Euroregion “Country of lakes”

Partnership

Conclusions I CBC programmes are the succesful tool for the intergration/co-operation of border regions CBC projects are bringing neighbours closer CBC projects strengthenign the EU border because of transparency across the border Cross border communication helps to understand the neighbours Intervence across the border contributes to social – economic development in spite of visa regimes, differences in legislations etc.

Conclusions II «Hard» CBC projects contributes to the political intergration/co-operation of border regions at the same time for the sustainable development of border regions atractive for living and visiting Working on common challenges across the border (both «hard» and «soft») gives a lot of unique common opportunities to solve the problem with cross border aproach «Soft» CBC projects strengthening the border regions on the people-to people level, increasing the patriotism on local level, strengthening the national border as well

Thank You for attention! Ilze Stabulniece Manager of Latvian office of Euroregion “Country of lakes” Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus Brivibas 13, Kraslava LV-5601, Latvia Mob. Tel. +371 29472638 Email: ilze@kraslava.lv 27 27