Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration from Romania as Managing Authority announces that today, on 18^th of June 2018, the first Grant Contract was signed in the frame of the Joint Operational Programme Black Sea Basin 2014-2020. Subsequently, in the universe of ENI CBC programmes, Joint Operational Programme Black Sea Basin 2014-2020 is the first one which has passed to project implementation.

Georgian Institute of Public Affairs together with Elva Community Engagement from Georgia, Varna Economic Development Agency from Bulgaria and SMART Development Center from Romania seek to support cross-border trade opportunities and modernisation in agricultural sector by delivering the most advanced, effective, innovative online marketplace platform used on the national and international levels. With a total budget of 699,993 euro (643,993.56 from ENI), the project Piloting Modern Trading Opportunities in Agriculture through Creation of the Innovative Online Platform – AgroNet (BSB294) foresees the development of 8 additional ITC based tool to support cross-border cooperation and increasing cross-border trade opportunities for agricultural products to support 300 business development organisations. The online platform agriculture trading platform will help farmers, agricultural cooperatives, wholesalers, exporters, retailers and processors, warehouses, enterprises to improve their agricultural practices, will bring them in line with increasing food safety international standards, will give then access to agriculture and trade related information aiming to increase cross-border trading.

Joint Operational Programme Black Sea Basin 2014-2020 aims to improve the welfare of the people in the Black Sea basin regions through sustainable growth and joint environmental protection. The Programme builds upon the previous cooperation framework and has a total budget of approx. 54 million EUR, out of which 49 million EUR represent support from the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI). Joint Operational Programme Black Sea Basin 2014-2020 is co-financed by the European Union through the European Neighbourhood Instrument and by the participating countries: Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.