Vitebsk and Grodno regions will be the main territories in the EU program "Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus".

November 25, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The Vitebsk and Grodno regions will become the main program territories from Belarus in the cross-border cooperation program of the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) "Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus", said Leonid Orlov, Executive Director of the Coordination Bureau of the EU's TACIS Program, in an interview with a BELTA correspondent. He is taking part in a regional conference of EU TACIS Program projects in Vitebsk. The main goal of the "Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus" program is to bring the socio-economic development levels of cross-border regions closer, so its priorities include supporting business and entrepreneurship, increasing regional accessibility through the development of transport and communication networks and services, and developing cross-border tourism. Along with socio-economic issues, the program is designed to help solve common problems in environmental protection, natural resource conservation, support for education and healthcare, improvement of border management and customs procedures, as well as the development of infrastructure and equipment at border crossing points. The "Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus" program was approved by the European Commission at the end of 2008 and is designed for the period up to 2015. Its total budget is over 40 million euros - about 2 million euros per year for each country. Republican and local authorities and administrations, educational and scientific institutions, chambers of commerce and industry, and public associations can participate in the program. A mandatory condition for participation in the program is the submission of partnership projects involving at least two countries. From Latvia, the Latgale region has been declared a program territory, and from Lithuania - Utena, Vilnius, and the Alytus region. Minsk, Minsk and Mogilev regions, declared as adjacent territories, can also participate in the "Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus" program. This status means that organizations from these regions cannot be project applicants, but they can become full partners. The first call for proposals is expected to be announced after the meeting of the joint monitoring committee, which will be held in Grodno on December 2-3. -0-