As part of the second Swiss Contribution to selected EU member states, the Swiss-Romanian Cooperation Programme (SRCP) aims at improving the lives of Romania's inhabitants, and at strengthening existing and create new Swiss-Romanian partnerships between public institutions and private organisations at all levels. The SRCP targets areas where there are recognised needs of Romania as well as opportunities for Switzerland to add value with its expertise and experience.

The Framework Agreement signed between Swiss and Romanian governments in December 2022 foresees 11 programs (also called support measures), which contribute to at least one of the following 5 objectives : 

• Promoting economic growth and social dialogue, reducing (youth) unemployment; 
• Managing migration and supporting integration. Increasing public safety and security; 
• Protecting the environment and the climate; 
• Strengthening of social systems;
• Civic Engagement and transparency;

The Swiss financing amounts CHF 221.5 million and the 11 programs have to be completed by the end of 2029. 

Vocational & Professional Education & Training (DVET)

The strategic objective of the programme DVET is to strengthen Romanian dual vocational education and training (VET) system, with the involvement of schools and private companies. The programme will be divided into the following components: 

• Carry out an analysis of Romanian public policies on dual education;
• Review the National Qualification Framework (NFQ) /European; Qualification Framework (EFQ) for the Level 5;
• Piloting VET qualifications of Level 5 NQF/EQF;
• Provide trainings for trainers;
• Develop promotional campaigns on DVET; 

The implementing institution is the Romanian National Center for the Development and Implementation of Professional and Technical Education, under the MInistry of  Education. 

Research & Innovation

Under Research & Innovation thematic area, two programs will be implemented: the "International Research Cooperation Programme" and the "Emissions Research & Monitoriting Infrastructure Programme". 

The strategic objective of the "International Research Cooperation Programme" is to strengthening the research excellence and innovation capacities of Romanian research organizations, universities and enterprises, through a multilateral joint research projects as well as collaboration on nuclear physics between the Extreme Light Infrastructure-ELI-NP (Romania) and Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland). 

The "Emissions Research and Monitoring Infrastructure Programme" has as strategic objective the boosting of scientific research in Aerosol, Clouds and Trace gases Research Infrastructure and in Methane Emissions in collaboration with Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) and Paul Scherrer Institute. 

Financing for SMEs

This programme aims to provide Romanian private manufacturing SMEs with access to external finance (a combination of grants and loans) to make green and digital investments so as to improve their environmental and carbon footprint as well as their productivity and competitiveness. 

Through this programme, the Romanian Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism, in partnership with selected Romanian commercial banks will address an important funding gap for investments in green and digital technologies and will provide to businesses the financial resources to start or complete their transformative process. 

Improving Public Safety & Security (Internal Affairs Programme)

Under the responsibility of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Programme will improve the security and the safety of the Romanian population by ensuring a closer interaction of the Police with the communities, the support to victims of violence, by improving the fight against organized crime and trafficking in human beings and through improving the air rescue services and disaster preparedness.

This programme will build upon the existing and long-lasting cooperation between Switzerland and Romania, especially in the area of fight against organized crime and community policing as well as in the disaster preparedness and response area, with a view to continuously building trust and further strengthening the relationship between all actors involved.

Improving Public Safety & Security (Justice Programme)

Under the overall responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, the programme’s main goal is to strengthen the capacity of the Romanian judicial system to effectively combat crime and uphold the rule of law, in order to ensure professionalism and efficiency in the judiciary.

The safety of citizens will be the core of the programme, through a strengthened interinstitutional cooperation, better access to justice as well as capacitated judges, prosecutors, investigators and other specialists working in this sector. 

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy

This programme aims to improve the quality of life of Romania's inhabitants by increasing energy efficiency and promoting the use of renewable energy sources in selected Romanian cities as well as in socioeconomic disadvantaged communities. To this end, high-quality technological solutions will be implemented, drawing also on Swiss experience in this sector. The programme shall be implemented through the following components:

• Financing investments in larger Romanian cities; 
• Financing investments in smaller, disadvantaged communities;
• Provide managerial and technical capacity development for cities and communities (Romanian European Energy Award Programme); 
• Know-how exchange with and technical support from Swiss partners.

Public Transport & Mobility

The main goal of the programme “Improvement of Access to the
Bucharest Metro Network” is to identify and implement solutions for the improvement of the access to the Bucharest metro network, with a special focus on the target group associated to people with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility.  

The implementing agency of this programme is the state-owned company Metrorex S.A, which wants to improve the accessibility and attractiveness of the metro network to all its users, by providing them a “barrier free” access, ensuring the necessary conditions for their mobility and allowing them to achieve the full potential as equal and active members of society.

Health

The Health Programme intends to create scale-up models of cross-sectoral interventions, aiming to prevent and reduce addiction behaviours and specifically drug abuse among children, adolescents and young adults (10 to 20 years old).

This will be achieved through policy dialogue, communication and awareness campaigns, capacity building as well as enhanced approaches for prevention and treatment of addiction across different stakeholders. The provision of a continuum of care will ensure that adolescents and young adults at risk or already abusing substances receive adequate treatment and specific support for their social inclusion. 

Minorities & socially disadvantaged groups

The Social Inclusion Programme is designed to address the needs of vulnerable communities living in marginalized urban areas in Romania, by delivering  integrated community services, combining health/educational/social assistance and thus enhance their quality of life. Through two integrated components, this programme aims to tackle various challenges faced by marginalized populations:

• The first component will focus on implementing integrated community services within marginalized urban areas of 7 selected cities/ municipalities, inhabited by vulnerable communities, with a high presence of disadvantaged citizens of Roma ethnicity;
• The second component will focus on measures that promote non-discrimination at national and local level, including through culture and history of Roma minority.

Civic Engagement & Transparency

The Civic Engagement Programme aims to contribute to strengthen the civic space in Romania by supporting civil society’s actors (in particular civil society organisations) as a voice of citizens in advocating for reforms, public debate, transparency and accountability, climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as social inclusion, including gender equity. The programme is divided into the following components: 

• Implementation of larger predefined projects with an integrated approach and an impact at national/regional level (block grant); 
• Implementation of smaller projects addressing grassroots initiatives and needs of smaller CSOs, often with limited capacities, and active in less developed regions and/or locations (block grant);
• Under the responsibility of the consortium composed by Civil Society Development Foundation, in partnership with Romanian Environmental Partnership Foundation and KEK-CDC, capacity building activities (e.g advocacy, coaching, etc.) will be provided to the selected civil society organisations;

The civil society organisations are to be selected through the launching of calls for projects. 

Additional information on the 11 programmes of the second Swiss contribution to Romania can be found in this Factsheet (PDF, 2 Pages, 342.8 kB, English).