Reeleaf’s support to the INTERREG North Sea Region 2021-2027 Programme

From April through September 2020, Nordregio, Oxford Research and Reeleaf (aka NORth consortium) have joined forces to work on the scoping study for the 2021-2027 edition of the North Sea Region Programme.

Following this cooperation, final products, a report and annex, are now publicly available. Over the last couple of weeks, Reeleaf, together with its partners, have helped the participants in the Programme’s Preparation Group in making informed decisions on the NSR Programme strategy, in particular on the policy objectives.

Building on the unique aspects of the North Sea Region

The scoping study’s final report delivers insights in challenges that the North Sea Region area faces, based on regional development statistics and territorial analysis. Much like the art of winemaking, the focus of the new Programme begins long before the first grapes are ever harvested, or the first barrels ever filled. Indeed, the art of winemaking begins with the land itself, or the concept of ‘terroir’, which is a way of describing the unique aspects of a place that influence and shape the wine made from it. How to harness the full potential of that land and create site-specific wines reflecting that unique terroir? That has been central in delivering a scoping study in support of shaping the Programme.

Answering to the specific needs of the North Sea Region

The final report assesses how the six ERDF (5 policy + 1 Interreg-specific) objectives fit with the needs of the North Sea Region. It does so by taking into consideration the European Commission’s recommendations for the upcoming Programme, achievements and lessons learned in the 2014-2020 Programme and material in the annex (an EU strategic framework review and individual country reports). All in all, the scoping study’s final report offers conclusions and attention points for six ERDF objectives and their specific objectives.

The scoping study is available online at: northsearegion.eu