This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Euro funding for East of Scotland
10/02/2003
A variety of projects across the East of Scotland are set to benefit from £12.9 million of European funds announced today.
This latest round of European Structural funding, worth over £36 million overall, includes support for local projects promoting economic development and boosting the tourism potential of local areas, using the skills and talents of people within East of Scotland communites.
Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services Peter Peacock said:
"I am delighted to be able to announce a further injection of European Funding today which will benefit a wide and diverse range of projects across the East of Scotland.
"These new project approvals will provide considerable additional benefit to a wide and diverse range of projects throughout the East of Scotland Programme area. They will provide significant benefits not just to the wider area as a whole but also to a number of the local Community Econonmic Development areas around the East of Scotland.
"The projects include a number of exciting strategic economic developments to support Small and Medium size Enterprises (SME's) including the University of Abertay's proposal to identify and support the development of actual business opportunities from the student base within Universities in Scotland.
"The contined economic development progress of Edinburgh's South East Wedge is also confirmed through this funding with an approval of support to Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh & Lothians. This follows on from Andy Kerr, Minister of Finance and Public Services' announcement recently of the largest East of Scotland European Regional Development fund grant of nearly £6 million to the Edinburgh Biomedical Research Institute
"I am also happy to announce the approval of funding for Phase II of the old Royal Ballater Railway Station development. This will build on the success of the Phase I restoration through the acquisition and restoration of an original Royal Railway Carriage built in 1897 as part of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Train used by the Royal Family on visits to Deeside until 1935.
"We are providing continued support for the development of niche markets identified in 'A New Strategy For Scottish Tourism' with the approval of the Development of Golf Tourism in the East of Scotland project for the Angus and City of Dundee Tourist Board. The project spans a large part of the East of Scotland are includingTayside, Fife, Aberdeenshire and East Lothian. The targets include the attraction of 64,000 additional visitors providing £19 million of new expenditure and the creation 89 gross new jobs.
"In addition to this, and as part of our continued support to Community Economic Development areas in the East of Scotland, EC funding will be going to the Fife and Dundee City Councils to support the long term regeneration of these communities who require support to develop community capacity."
The East of Scotland Objective 2 Programme 2000-2006 was approved in principle by the European Commission in November 2000 and is worth €250 million over the period. The figure includes transitional funding of over €80 for those areas in the East of Scotland that lost full status from the present Objective 2 and Objective 5b Programmes.
This sixth round of awards to the Programme takes the total amount of European Regional Development Fund committed to date is almost £75 million.
For further details on the projects, please contact Nigel Thomas at the East of Scotland European Partnership, on 01383