Country and cities are fighting for money from the EU

Brno - Villages and towns from South Moravia and Vysočina are competing for European funds for their development. This year, around 840 million crowns are allocated for them, but the applications exceed 2.8 billion. Nearly 200 projects have applied, and it will be clear by the end of June who will receive the subsidies, said today to ČTK Milena Marešová, the spokesperson for the Regional Council of the Cohesion Region Southeast.
    European funds could help with paving squares, repairing schools, health centers, cultural centers, or sports facilities, regenerating unused industrial sites, and building sewers. Mayors even want more funds after the first round than what officials have prepared for the entire funding period from 2007 to 2013. In total, they aim to allocate about 2.2 billion crowns in the coming years.
    For the first round, the regional council has earmarked a larger pool of money - 270 million for the Rural Settlement Development and Stabilization program and 570 million for the Development of Regional Centers. The first funding title is intended for municipalities with more than 500 inhabitants, while the second is for towns with 5,000 to 49,999 inhabitants. "We allocated more money to the first call because we knew that the municipalities were prepared and we wanted to satisfy them as soon as possible," explained Marešová.
    Towns and municipalities will receive 75 percent of the project costs. Initially, they could receive up to 85 percent from the EU, but mayors agreed to reduce the share to cover more projects.
    "Previous grants and subsidies were not very beneficial for us; we were either too large or too small," described Šárka Ježková, the mayor of Blížkovice in the Znojmo region. The municipality wants to use European funds for sewage systems, repairing sports facilities, and public spaces. In Havraníky near the Austrian border, they are also starting to repair the entire center of the village. European funds are expected to give a new look to the square in Boleradice and Němčičky in the Břeclav region. Like other municipalities, they mainly want to attract more tourists.
     In the coming years, a total of 704.4 million euros (approximately 17.7 billion crowns) should come to South Moravia and Vysočina from Brussels, not only for the development of cities and the countryside. Entrepreneurs, local governments, and non-profit organizations can also apply for funds for road repairs, the construction of bike paths, and health and social care.