Project history

COINCO North was approved for funding through the Interreg IV A Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerak programme in the end of February 2009. The application process has, however, been going since October 2007, and the actual starting date for the project was 15 September 2008.

The corridor Oslo-Göteborg-Malmö makes up the western leg of the EU's TEN-T (Trans European Network) number 12 in the Nordic Triangle. Whilst Europe is expanding its infrastructure, for example by introducing high speed trains in a number of places, the progress of such investments is slow in this part of Scandinavia.

Environmentally friendly and quick transport of goods and people is crucial when it comes to strengthening the region's ability to be competitive in a European and global setting. That is why it is important that the governments and regions in the area emphasize the completion of construction projects, particularly when it comes to railways.

Working together on business development across the regions involved is another important element in the COINCO North project. Through cross-border organisations like the Göteborg-Oslo cooperation, MedCoast Scandinavia and The Scandinavian Arena, there are already links established. There will also be a focus on culture and experience as an element of a creative and attractive region for starting up new businesses and enjoying a high quality of life.

COINCO was originally an Interreg III B project that included the area from Oslo to Berlin. The new project, COINCO North, covers the same geography as Den Skandinaviske Arena, from Oslo, via Göteborg to Malmö. All the partners are from within this region. There is reason to believe that the working processes in COINCO North will be more efficient than the first project, as the geographical area is smaller.

The background was that the original COINCO project, initiated by Den Skandinaviske Arena (DSA, The Scandinavian Arena), was finished in 2007, the partners agreed to continue working together.