Petri Haapalainen Jyväskylä 7 April 2006 European Regional and Structural Policy 2007-2013 – focus on European Territorial Co-operation (Objective 3) Petri Haapalainen Jyväskylä 7 April 2006

Goal-oriented development The European Union regional and structural policy increases the economic and social cohesion of the Member States as well as decreases differences in development between the regions, which, in the long run, will benefit the whole of Europe. Common objectives have been approved to direct the support. 27.11.2018

Objectives of the Regional and Structural Policy 2000 - 2006 Objective 1: promoting the development and structural adjustment or regions whose development is lagging behind Objective 2: supporting the economic and social conversion of areas facing structural difficulties Objective 3: supporting the adaptation and modernisation of policies and systems of education, training and employment 27.11.2018

Community Initiatives 2000 - 2006 complement the Objective Programmes promote transnational and interregional co-operation and innovative operations as well as the dissemination of good practices also across national borders Four Community Initiatives are running during the current programming period (INTERREG, URBAN, Leader, Equal) 27.11.2018

Community Initiatives 2000 - 2006 INTERREG supports cross-border, transnational and interregional co-operation URBAN seeks the economic and social regeneration of declined URBAN regions Leader aims to diversify economic opportunities in rural regions and increase co-operation between their inhabitants Equal combats discrimination and inequality in the workplace through international co-operation 27.11.2018

Structural Funds as tools 2000 - 2006 Cohesion Fund The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) The European Social Fund (ESF) The European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) The Financial Instrument for Fisheries guidance (FIFG) 27.11.2018

Objectives of the Regional and Structural Policy 2007 - 2013 ”Convergence” objective (Objective 1) ”Regional Competitiveness and Employment” objective (Objective 2) ”European Territorial Co-operation” objective (Objective 3) No Community Initiatives any more 27.11.2018

Convergence objective 2007 - 2013 is to cover the Member States and regions whose development is lagging behind; the regions targeted by this objective are those whose per capita gross domestic product (GDP) measured in purchasing power parities is less than 75 % of the Community average 27.11.2018

Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective 2007 - 2013 is to cover the territory of the Community outside the ”Convergence” objective; the regions eligible are those under Objective 1 in the 2000 – 2006 programming period which no longer satisfy the regional eligibility criteria of the ”Convergence” objective and which therefore benefit from a transitional aid, as well as all the other regions of the Community 27.11.2018

European Territorial Co-operation objective 2007 - 2013 is to cover regions having land or sea frontiers, the areas for transnational cooperation defined with regard to actions promoting integrated territorial development and support for interregional cooperation and exchange of experience 27.11.2018

Structural Funds as tools 2007 - 2013 Less Funds than in the previous period: Cohesion Fund The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) The European Social Fund (ESF) 27.11.2018

New Objective 3: European Territorial Co-operation From a Community Initiative to an Objective in its own right Somewhat higher financing € 5.8 billion → € 7.3 billion 27.11.2018

New Objective 3: financial framework Present programmes Financial perspective 2007 - 2013 Cross-border co-operation 3998 mio € 5621 mio € Transnational co-operation 1394 mio € 1387 mio € Interregional co-operation (incl. INTERREG IIIC,URBACT, ESPON, INTERACT) 406 mio € 292 mio € Total 5799 mio € 7300 mio € 27.11.2018

New Co-operation objective Cross-border co-operation 77.61% * Transnational co-operation 18.49 %* Interregional co-operation 3.89% In addition, interregional co-operation with regions in other Member State will be encouraged in Convergence and Competitiveness programmes Co-financing rate: up to 75%-85% Altogether 12,1 % has been proposed to be transferred from Objective 3 ERDF-allocation from the Member States concerned to the external instruments (ENPI and IPA) *) Flexibility at Member State level: +/- 10% 27.11.2018

Co-operation projects 2007-2013 Financial instruments Cohesion policy: Objective 3 – European Territorial Co-operation Policy for External relations: European Neighbourhood and Partnership instrument (ENPI) Instrument for Pre-accession (IPA) for (incl. future) candidate countries 27.11.2018

Cross-border co-operation along external borders 12.1% of the Objective 3-allocation has been proposed to be transferred to the budget for external relations → Most external EU-borders will therefore not be covered by cross-border Objective 3 programmes (Cohesion policy) Instead they will be covered by ENPI or IPA-programmes (External relations) 27.11.2018

Today 62 cross-border programmes 27.11.2018

Internal cross-border co-operation Regions eligible for cross-border co-operation 27.11.2018

Cross-border co-operation: programme structure The addition of many maritime borders will change the eligible programme areas considerably General approach: reduce the number of programmes whenever possible, as a high number of small programmes and excessive administration costs would not seem sensible Larger co-operation areas may bring in new innovative projects As some topics of cross-border and transnational programmes may overlap, especially after the inclusion of many maritime borders, coherence between cross-border and transnational programmes should be ensured already at the programming stage 27.11.2018

Cross border co-operation: programme structure The Commission is involved in a process of discussion with Member States aiming at agreeing the programmes and their managing structures so that the programming process can proceed Programmes along all borders Programme for each border or group of borders Small programmes to be merged in order to diminish bureaucracy and administrative burden. Subprogrammes or specific priorities possible where necessary Trilateral/quadrilateral programmes and merging small cross-border programmes might in several cases offer interesting co-operation possibilities. Projects may still be bilateral 27.11.2018

Co-operation programmes Strand A Cross-border co-operation for solving local problems include strategic projects, especially along maritime borders Strand B Transnational co-operation - no longer studies and plans but concrete, strategic projects important for the whole area Strand C Interregional co-operation - exchange of experiences and best practices to improve regional policy design 27.11.2018

Cross-border programmes essentially local in nature, but include strategic projects at least along maritime borders Entrepreneurship and SMEs, tourism, culture and cross-border trade Protection and joint management of the environment Better access to transport Information and communication networks Water, waste management and energy management systems Joint use of health, culture and education infrastructure Judicial and administrative co-operation Important issues in the programming process: individual programmes should become more focussed more focussed calls and commissioned projects 27.11.2018

Transnational co-operation Allocation principle: national population More strategic approach, well planned projects coordinated at national level Focus on innovation, RTD, enterprises environment, water management, risk prevention, incl. maritime safety improved accessibility, transport, information and communication technology urban development 27.11.2018

Transnational co-operation Higher profile programmes Concrete projects with some investments Networking, plans and studies only to prepare concrete projects Some strategic projects developed by the programme, involving both regional and national authorities - some of these projects may be written into the Programming document Not only open calls for proposal but also focussed calls Can spend 20% outside the eligible area Can spend 10% outside the EU, if for benefit of the EU regions 27.11.2018

Transnational co-operation: programme structure 13 programme areas agreed The Commission is involved in a process of discussion with Member States programme by programme aiming at agreeing the programmes and their managing structures as soon as possible so that the programming process can proceed 27.11.2018

Project ideas Maritime safety initiative (already initiated by the North Sea programme and now joint for 5 transnational programmes) Business co-operation and technology transfer between SMEs, research institutes, universities and regional development agencies to improve the competitiveness of the regions Protection against flooding Combating environmental threats Co-operation between coastal ports and towns to improve accessibility and transport interoperability 27.11.2018

Two approaches to interregional co-operation Interregional co-operation under Objective 3 Interregional co-operation encouraged also within Objective 1 and 2 programmes 27.11.2018

Interregional co-operation Number of partner organisations per EU Member States 27.11.2018

Interregional co-operation programmes foreseen Thematic interregional co-operation programme focusing on Lisbon and Gothenburg priorities (based on INTERREG IIIC) Studies, data collection, observation and analysis of development trends, small spatial planning projects (developed on the basis of ESPON) Identification, transfer and dissemination of best practice in management of co-operation programmes (developed on the basis of INTERACT) Framework programme for the exchange of experiences on urban renewal (developed on the basis of URBACT) 27.11.2018

Thematic interregional co-operation programme Strong focus on Lisbon and Gothenburg agendas, topics in line with topics from "Regional competitiveness and employment" objective Simple, transparent and consistent programme framework for project applicants Thematically organised application and selection processes Systematic analysis of project results and dissemination ensuring easy access to best practice examples for regional policy makers 27.11.2018

Interregional co-operation in Objective 1 and 2 programmes Inclusion of a specific priority for interregional co-operation in Objective 1 and 2 programmes (optional) Will allow co-operation between objective 1 and 2 regions and between regions of the same objective Interregional co-operation can cover common topics of the programmes Each project partner funds own activities from respective programme 27.11.2018

Cross-border and transnational co-operation: Programme structures to support true co-operation projects of high quality Cross-border and transnational co-operation: Partners from at least two countries Fulfill at least 2 of the following 4 co-operation criteria: joint project development joint implementation joint project staff joint financing 27.11.2018

Programme management structures: well working and cost-effective Managing Authority (MA) Good management capacity as tasks are complex, particularly for transnational and interregional programmes. Joint Technical Secretariat (JTS) Strong secretariat with international profile capable of supporting the MA effectively Provide help and support to projects at all stages Process applications and organise expert assessments Criteria defined for good MA+JTS Monitoring Committee Normally also responsible for project selection 27.11.2018

Programme structures to support true co-operation projects of high quality No pre-allocations to different regions nor Member States participating in the programme Projects should compete on the basis of quality and relevance However, specific priorities or subprogrammes will be accepted True Lead Partner (LP) projects, where the LP is responsible for implementing the whole project and concludes agreement with MA and with the beneficiaries participating in the operation (project partners) Mirror projects only exceptionally 27.11.2018

Programme and management structures to support projects of high quality Avoid potential conflicts of interest and apply transparent procedures: Use external experts to make an initial assessments of projects, especially in those cases where the region managing the programme is also participating in a project The Joint Technical Secretariat or a Member of the Monitoring and Steering Committee should not be involved in managing a project 27.11.2018

European Territorial Co-operation programmes Time-table for programming Programmes aim at starting in the beginning of 2007 First drafts of programmes in June-July 2006 Discussions going on concerning the new programmes between Member States and the Commission 27.11.2018