On November 4, Grodno /Elena Stasyukevich - BELTA/. The European Union has allocated over €350 million under the Eastern Partnership programmes available to Belarus. This was announced to journalists by EU representatives in Belarus today during a seminar in Grodno, according to a BELTA correspondent. The seminar, "Overview of Cooperation Programmes between the European Union and the Republic of Belarus: Experience and Prospects for the Grodno Region," featured presentations by programme coordinators and participants of specific projects. "The Grodno Region is actively involved in various EU programmes and projects," noted Vyacheslav Shelegeyko, coordinator of projects for the EU Delegation. "The region has successfully participated in projects under programmes such as Tempus, cross-border cooperation programmes, Civil Society Development, and Local Authorities. The projects covered tourism development, higher education, healthcare, environmental protection, and others." Yanka Kupala Grodno State University alone has participated in approximately 15 projects. "Nevertheless, we expect even greater activity from the region and Belarus as a whole," the interviewee added. Belarus, along with five other states, is included in the Eastern Partnership initiative, which provides additional financial support of €350 million for programme implementation until 2013. Under the cross-border cooperation programmes, one in three to four applications receives funding. The number of applications for project implementation in some areas reaches up to 12. However, the seminar organisers noted, it is worth participating in the application competition repeatedly. Practice shows that projects approved by the EU only on the third attempt often turn out to be very successful. Participants of the event also received detailed consultations on preparing project proposals for the EU's international technical assistance programmes. -0-

BELTA