Commission adopts RECHAR II operational programme for Thuringia
On a proposal from Monika Wulf-Mathies, Commissioner responsible for regional and cohesion policies, the European Commission has adopted an operational programme for the Thuringia region of Germany. The programme has been adopted within the framework of the RECHAR II Community initiative which provides support for restructuring coal-mining areas in the European Union. The total value of the RECHAR II operational programme for Thuringia is ECU 10 million for the period 1994-1997. Of this, 50% will be provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and 50% by the regional authorities concerned. The programme relates specifically to the district of Altenburger Land (112,000 inhabitants), situated in the extreme east of Thuringia on the border with Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. The coal-mining district of Altenburger Land is one of the areas most seriously affected by the problems of economic reorganization in eastern Germany and the rapid decline in the coal industry (loss of 8,000 jobs after the end of coal subsidies, equal to 20% of those working in the district). The operational programme will focus on supporting projects to secure mines and provide drainage technology in the area, which has been seriously damaged by mining, in order to create a basis for new companies to move into the district. Overall responsibility for the implementation of this programme lies with the "Thueringer Ministerium fuer Landwirtschaft, Naturschutz und Umwelt" (Thuringia Ministry for Agriculture, Nature Protection and the Environment).
Countries
Germany