Objectives:

Objective 1: To enhance municipal infrastructure services in order to increase living standards and promote economic development
Objective 2: To increase energy efficiency and to reduce emissions, in particular greenhouse gases and hazardous substances
Objective 3: To improve the management, the safety, the efficiency and the reliability of communal/regional public transportation systems

Total allocation:

a) For the focus area: to 173,645 Mio Swiss francs;


A minimum of 30% of the amount allocated to this thematic focus area shall be used for Projects in the geographical focus areas.

Obligatory project values:

Within objective 1 - projects of minimum value of 15 Mio Swiss francs;
Within objective 2 - projects of minimum value of 10 Mio Swiss francs;
Within objective 3 - projects of minimum value of 3 Mio Swiss francs (non-investment projects) and minimum value of 10 Mio Swiss francs (projects including investment elements).
Maximum project value – none

Project approach is obligatory in a given area:

A project is an economically indivisible series of activities fulfilling a precise technical function and with clearly identifiable objectives and addressed at economic, environment or social needs within a given focus area.

Types of eligible projects:

PLEASE NOTE: In case of each of the 3 objectives it is allowed to join activities within a given type of project.

OBJECTIVE 1 – open call for project outlines lasted from 19 January to 20 April 2009.

Type of project:

Supplementing   the   existing  waste  management  system  by  collecting, depositing, sorting and cleaning hazardous waste, including hospital waste, as well as reducing the risk of asbestos.

Within the above type of project it is possible to implement the following activities:

1) Creating networks for collection of hazardous waste (including hospital waste) and constructing, renovating and/or modernizing installations for their thermal neutralization (with devices for cleaning fumes) or for physicochemical neutralization (pressure automatic machines, steam disinfection, chemical disinfection)

2) disassembly of products containing asbestos and depositing them on stockpiles, which are created for this purpose or separation of locations, adjusted to asbestos deposition, on already existing stockpiles.

Potential Executing Agencies

- self-governmental entities as well as the entities implementing the National Waste Management Plan i.e. administrative bodies, the Ministry of Environment, the Main Inspectorate of Environmental Protection, voivodship inspectorates of environmental protection;

- public healthcare units, which provide their healthcare services within contracts signed with the National Health Fund or provide healthcare services, financed from public resources, on the other legal basis  (entities delivering their services within  national healthcare system and implementing healthcare policy).

OBJECTIVE 2 – open call for project outlines lasted from 19 January to 20 April 2009.

Types of projects 

I. Improvement of energy efficiency by introducing renewable energy systems (including inter alia pilot projects with demonstration effect)

Within the above type of project it is possible to implement the following activities:

1) The installation of solar collectors of over 100 m2 or the construction of photovoltaic systems for public utility buildings and residential buildings

2) The construction of a wind power plant of up to 2MW;

3) The construction of a small hydropower plant with power ranging from 50kW to 5MW on the existing water fall (in the areas not covered by migratory fish restitution programmes) with safe fish ladders and automation systems limiting the draw of water by turbines in the case of low water levels in the river;

4) The creation of geothermal energy use systems;

5) The construction of a biomass boiler house with power ranging from 1 MW to 10 MW, using local fuel resources;

6) The production and obtaining of biogas for energetic purposes.

The application must demonstrate why the use of public funding is required and justified in a proposed project (i.e. why a proposed project cannot be financed by the private sector alone). 

II. Rehabilitation, renovation and/or modernization of municipal heating systems in city areas (densely developed with apartment blocks) heated by small local boiler houses and stoves in which the permissible and target air pollution levels are exceeded

Within the above type of project it is possible to implement the following activities:

1) Analysis of energy demand scenarios;

2) Rehabilitation,  renovation and/or modernization of central heating sources and networks of municipal heating systems;

3) Rehabilitation / renovation/modernization or replacement of heat exchange devices;

III. Rehabilitation / renovation and/or modernization of energy sources and heating installations in public healthcare units, which provide hospitalization  services  and public schools

Within the above type of project it is possible to implement the following activities:

1) Replacement of coal - powered boilers with preference given to combined heat and power systems;

2) Renovation and/or modernization of heating installations.

Apart from the above, other thermo-insulation activities are not eligible (such as insulate walls and partitions, replace entrance doors and windows, etc.). Nevertheless, the above activities must be described in the project and the Executing Agency is obliged to assure their financing, with other public (including aid programmes) or private funds. Implementation of these activities is a prerequisite for reimbursement of eligible expenses.

Potential Executing Agencies 

For the project category I

– public administration entities

For the project category II

– self-governmental entities (which carry out necessary installation works in favour to the residents acting within their territorial authority) or entities implementing tasks of self-governmental bodies regarding heating provision, e.g. entrepreneurs (including municipal companies) dealing with the maintenance of heating networks and systems

For the project category III

– self-governmental entities, public healthcare units, which provide their healthcare services  within contracts signed with the National Health Fund or provide healthcare services, financed from public resources, on the other legal basis  (entities delivering their services within  national healthcare system and implementing healthcare policy); public schools

CRITERIA OF CONTENT-RELATED EVALUATION FOR THE ACTIVITY AREA “Rehabilitation and modernisation of basic infrastructure and improvement of the environment” - Objective 1 and 2 (58,5 KB) 


OBJECTIVE 3 – open call for project outlines lasted from 19 January to 20 March 2009.

Types of projects/activities 

Within the Objective 3 it is possible to implement the following activities:

1) Preparation of documentation (such as e.g.: feasibility studies, environmental impact assessments, transport concepts, master plans) for projects combining at least one branch of transport and/or connections between different branches of transport;

2) Projects in the field of traffic management systems (steering systems) for railway and roads and monitoring systems (including electronic system of toll collection) – eligible only as study projects (soft measures such as documentation) or study projects with small investment components;

3) Construction, renovation and/or modernization of railway infrastructure, including particularly projects ensuring efficient railway connections between city centres and airports – study projects, study projects with investment components, investment projects.

Within a given type of project it is possible to build/ renovate and/or modernize the following railway infrastructure: railway lines, track-beds, semaphores, signalling equipment, grade crossings, monitoring and control systems as well as railway stations (their renovation must refer to passenger servicing facilities strictly linked with the transportation services)

4) The purchase of rolling stock.

Given activity must be in line with relevant state aid regulations and cannot be a subject to requirement of notification to the European Commission.

Potential Executing Agencies 

For the project category 1.

- entities managing railway and road infrastructure, relevant public administration bodies (including self-governmental entities and the Ministry of Infrastructure) or other specialised entities established for execution of specific infrastructural tasks implementing state policy;

For the project category 2.

-  entities managing roads, entities responsible for the saftey of road traffic, including General Directorate of Domestic Roads and Motorways, the Chief Inspectorate of Road Transportation;

- public administration entities (self-governmental entities and the Ministry of Infrastructure, other specialised entities established for execution of specific infrastructural tasks implementing state policy;

- entities managing railway infrastructure, entities managing railway stations;

For the project category 3 and 4.

-  entities managing railway infrastructure, relevant public administration entities (incl. self-governmental);

CRITERIA OF CONTENT-RELATED EVALUATION FOR THE ACTIVITY AREA “Rehabilitation and modernisation of basic infrastructure and improvement of the environment” - Objective 3 (54,5 KB)