GREENER

Priority 2: A greener region

Total budget, including the technical assistance funds: 93.4 mil euro (73.61 mil euro ERDF)

The allocation available for projects: 86 mil euro (68.8 mil euro ERDF)

Specific Objective 2.4

Promoting climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention, resilience, taking into account ecosystem-based approaches 

The Programme has a strategic approach to address disaster risk reduction and resilience.

Two operations of strategic importance could be financed under the Priority 2, SO 2.4:

STREAM 2 - Streamlining cross-border cooperation: Joint approach in disaster resilience 

• Lead Partner: General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, Romania
• Partners: Directorate General Fire Safety and Civil Protection, Bulgaria; “Dobrogea” Constanța County Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, Romania; Territorial Inspectorate of Border Police Giurgiu, Romania; Academy of Ministry of Interior, Bulgaria; National Association of Volunteers in the Republic of Bulgaria.
• Indicative budget: 19,500,000 euro (ERDF)

 Danube RISK - Danube Risk Prevention

• Lead Partner: Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, Romania
• Partners: National Administration „Romanian Waters”, Ministry of Environment and Water, Bulgaria, Danube River Basin Directorate, Bulgaria
• Indicative budget: 14,000,000 euro (ERDF)

Actions related to disaster risk prevention and resilience will be implemented through operations of strategic importance jointly developed by public authorities together with other relevant stakeholders on both sides of the border, considering ecosystem-based approaches. The actions will focus on:

  Improving risk prevention and intervention capacity in the cross-border region, by developing joint operational centers and joint intervention plans;

  Increasing the capacity of intervention and reaction through investments in equipment and vehicles, IT systems etc.;

  Developing common training curricula and deployment of joint exercises, including the voluntary response services.;

  Improving cross-border coordination and capacity for adaptation to climate change and its associated risks (floods, fires, hydrological droughts, pollution);

  Developing joint methodologies for risk assessment and risk monitoring in the cross-border area (risk of floods, including torrential floods, risk of drought).

 

The types of actions related to climate change adaptation will be implemented through targeted/regular calls for projects. Here are a few examples:

  Supporting behavioral change, by raising awareness, building networks of communities and stakeholders and implementing educational activities on how to adapt to the negative effects of the climate change, especially among the local communities, the tourism sector and forest owners;

  Developing joint methods and tools to improve the planning, decision-making and intervention capacity of relevant stakeholders, including public engagement, in the adaptation to climate change (e.g. identification, assessment of needs, designing and implementing joint cross-border strategies, action plans, procedures, methodologies, policies, tools, monitoring systems etc.);

  Developing methods and tools to support adaptation planning and decision-making on climate change adaptation measures;

  Identifying, assessing and reducing the negative implications of climate change on socio-economic activities in the area (e.g. development and implementation of joint strategies, tools, plans, solutions, joint support activity);

Implementing joint ecosystem-based measures for climate change adaptation, for example:

• Reforestation, conservation and forest protection measures, including implementing community-based forest monitoring systems related to climate change;
• Preventing and reversing desertification through integrated management of land and water (e.g. protecting the vegetative cover, planting trees, establishing seed banks, enriching the soil with nutrients, reintroducing selected species, building green "buffer areas");
• Supporting water and land management through green solutions (for example: swales, creek restoration and nature scaping, green solutions for drainage systems, naturalized storm-water ponds, etc.)