Norway and EU signed new agreement
With a more than one-year delay, Norway and the EU yesterday signed an agreement on EEA contributions for the period 2009-2014. Norway will in the period allocate an annual 347 million EUR to projects in the newest member countries of the Union.
The 12 newest member states, as well as Portugal, Spain and Greece will be beneficiaries of the money, which first of all will be granted to green projects, labour rights, research and human resources. The total contribution for the period – 1388 billion EUR – is up 22 percent from the previous four-year period.
It is believed that parts of the money will be allocated also to cross-border projects between the new member states and their non-member neighbors in Eastern Europe.
-With the new EEA money we have an historic opportunity to strengthen cooperation with the EU’s newest members states, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre says in a press release. –It is in Norwegian interests to contribute to economic and social development in these countries, he adds.
The new agreement is a follow-up of the previous four-year agreement between the parts, and is signed more than one year after schedule. Consequently, no fresh Norwegian EEA money will be allocated to project before at earliest 2011.
Norway contributes with the money in return for getting access to the EU markets as part of the EEA Agreement, a treaty including Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein and the EU.
Norway and the EU have also reached agreement on a disputed point on improved market access of the EU to Norwegian fish resources, and a separate agreement on this will be signed today, the Norwegian Government press service informs.
More information about the Norwegian EEA money can be found at www.eeagrants.org
