2000-2006 Objective 2
Programme
In 1999 Gibraltar was designated as an Objective
2 area for the Programme period 2000-2006. This
represented a continuation of earlier Objective 2 Programmes in 1994-96 and 1997-99.
Gibraltar’s continued eligibility
for European Community assistance highlights the problems facing the Territory which
originally derived from cutbacks in the UK military presence and the difficulties in
diversifying the economy given the unique constraints of size, topography and geography
(see Section 2.0 for further information).
According to the Single Programming
Document (SPD), the overall aim of the Gibraltar Objective 2 Programme is to
“…maximise the potential for creating
wealth and employment in Gibraltar through sustainable development and economic
diversification….”
To achieve this aim there are two
priorities:
- Priority 1: Tourism,
heritage, urban regeneration, transport, port SME development and E-Commerce
- Priority 2: Technical
Assistance
Priority 1 is broken down into four
Measures:
- Measure 1.1:
Tourism, heritage, urban regeneration and nature conservation
- New visitor
attractions
- Refurbishment and
improvements to existing visitor attractions
- Production of
market and information literature and tourism marketing and promotion
- Measures to protect
and enhance the territory’s natural habitat and biodiversity
- Development of
night sightseeing tours
- Creation of
conference and related facilities
- Floodlighting of
historical buildings and churches
- Schemes designed to
restore monuments or buildings of historical importance, particularly those that are
listed
- Investments in
upgrading the range and standard of tourist accommodation
- Management plans
and associated studies in relation to world heritage assets
- Feasibility studies
related to any of the above
- Measure 1.2:
SMEs and E-Commerce
- Refurbishment,
improvement and development of sites for industrial or commercial uses and premises for
SMEs including incubator units and associated essential infrastructure such as water,
electricity and sewage investments.
- Creation of a Small
Grant Scheme to provide a fast track for accessing grants up to a maximum of £10,000.
- Measures to enhance
the knowledge base of local SMEs through the exploitation of advanced telecommunications.
- Measures to
encourage use and investment in E-Commerce.
- Waste minimisation
and energy conservation schemes for SMEs.
- Improvements to
training and business support infrastructure, including the establishment of specialised
Training Centres.
- Common Services to
groups of SMEs.
- Measures to promote
local businesses and products.
- Business
investments and the possibility of accessing trade finance for SMEs and the self-employed.
- Measures that will
facilitate business support development, which may include advising and consultancy
services.
- Provision of
childcare facilities to assist prospective women returners and single parents to attend
training programmes.
- The provision of
business advice and assistance to encourage women to start up their own business.
- Feasibility studies
related to any of the above.
- Measure 1.3:
Port and transport
- Land reclamation
within the harbour, for economic afteruse.
- Dredging of
existing berths.
- Enhancement of the
Cruise Ship Terminal.
- Measures to improve
the quality of public transport.
- Measures to improve
touristic transport.
- Measures to assist
disadvantaged persons, such as the physically disabled and parents with young children.
- Feasibility studies
related to any of the above.
- Measure 1.4: Environment
- Eligible costs
associated with the construction of a new sewerage plant.
- Upgrading the
facades of buildings in main shopping/tourist areas, which have been the subject of
beautification.
- Measures to
encourage environmentally friendly transport.
- Measures to clear
derelict land and buildings and improve the physical environment.
- Measures to exploit
forms of sustainable energy, especially solar energy.
- Measures to improve
the physical environment.
- Feasibility studies
related to any of the above.
In addition to these Programme measures
there are four horizontal themes which cut across all activities:
- Equal opportunities – a
commitment across all projects and activities towards ensuring that there are equal
opportunities for all, with a particular focus on improving the level of female
participation in the workforce.
- Environment sustainability – to maintain
and enhance the environmental assets of Gibraltar and ensure that development occurs in a
sustainable manner so as not to compromise the needs of future generations.
- Information and communications technology (ICT)
– to increase the use of ICT amongst businesses and individuals across Gibraltar.
- Publicity actions – to raise
the awareness of businesses and individuals as to the opportunities made available by
Objective 2 funding.
The total allocation of the 2000-2006
Objective 2 Programme is some € 20.3
million (£12.5 million). Of this total,
€ 8.7 million (£5.4 million) is
provided by ERDF, a further € 10.7
million (£6.6 million) by the Government of Gibraltar, and the remaining € 0.9
million (£0.6 million) by the private sector. The
following tables summarises the total allocation current commitment and the certified
eligible expenditure under each of the Meaures, broken down by the three different
sources. (Using an exchange rate of £1 =
€1.62 which is consistent with the figure used in the SPD).
Total
Allocation by Measure (£ million)
| Measure |
ERDF |
State |
Privfate |
Total |
| 1 |
5.2985 |
6.4758 |
0.5556 |
12.3299 |
| 1.1 |
2.4288 |
2.9586 |
0.0000 |
5.3874 |
| 1.2 |
1.0379 |
1.2642 |
0.4321 |
2.7342 |
| 1.3 |
0.7940 |
0.9888 |
0.0000 |
1.7828 |
| 1.4 |
1.0378 |
1.2642 |
0.1235 |
2.4255 |
| 2 |
0.0988 |
0.0988 |
0.0000 |
0.1976 |
| Total |
5.3973 |
6.5746 |
0.5556 |
12.5295 |
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