EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region
BSS Laboratory group findings & suggestions
Ms. Riitta Ahdan IP Turku
8 July 2009 | Brussels
Laboratory Group on EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region
Outline for the presentation
 The task & the preamble
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Working means
The foreseen structure
The 4 key questions
Facilitation and needs
Suggestions for programmes
Working with International Funding
Institutions
Laboratory Group on EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region
Preamble
 support the overall coordination
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aim of the strategy
define the implications on
programmes already adopted
to seek operative solutions
to identified points
to identify consequences
on programme management
Laboratory Group on EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region
Working means
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Group represents operational programmes in the region
Continuous briefing on the development by DG Regio
4 meetings from 5 February to 11 June 2009
• Written responses to 4 key questions
• Workshops to analyse and suggest an approach
13 members representing:
ETC programmes (CBC and Transnationals)
Convergence and Competitiveness Objective programmes
ENPI programme representation
EU/DG Regio
Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth
International Funding Institutions
Laboratory Group on EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region
The foreseen structure for future work with the Strategy
EUROPEAN COUNCIL
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Financial
Expert
Group
“IFIs”
TASK FORCE (4)
HIGH LEVEL WORKING
GROUP (10-15)
Core within DG REGIO
National coordinators
Technical secretariat
outside the commission
Organising stakeholder
Conferences
(existing organisation ???)
Liaison with the ground
15 Priority Areas Coordinators
70 Flagship Projects / Leaders
Programmes
=>
Annual report on
implementation / Reporting to DG REGIO
Laboratory Group on EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region
Responses to 4 key questions
•
How does the Baltic Sea Strategy affect respective
programmes?
•
How could programme work be organised to facilitate
implementation of the strategy?
• What necessary steps need to be taken concerning
application procedures etc?
•
How could cooperation with other financial instruments be
organised in order to implement actions mentioned in the
strategy?
Laboratory Group on EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region
Raise Awareness of
MA/JTS/AA/CA/MC/SC
Labelling ”BSS” by
linking regional
activities to FlagShip
projects
How to
Facilitate
Change Attitudes,
campaigns
Review selection
criteria in line with
BSS (Joint
Understanding)
To identify Flagship projects and to find
partnership to stimulate project
developments and support
Laboratory Group on EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region
Raise Awareness
MA/JTS/AA/CA/MC
/SC
Labelling ”BSS” by
linking regional
activities to
Flagship projects
How to
Facilitate
Change Attitudes
campaigns
Review selection
process in line with
BSS
(Joint Understanding?)
To identify projects to fit into Flagship
projects and to stimulate project
development and support
Laboratory Group on EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region
Coordination and training needs for programmes
• Joint workshops and trainings for beneficiaries in the
region
•
Coordination of assessors to reach a joint understanding &
Training of assessors to apply jointly agreed criteria
•
Joint calls vs. targeted calls
•
Joint evaluation and monitoring at Flagship level
(quality, political, strategic)
Laboratory Group on EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region
Each programme to identify parts of the
strategy they would like to be part of
Address the leader country of Priority Area
or the Flagship (leader / labelling role)
Asking DG REGIO for Advice and completing
the financial plan (via geodesk or taskforce)
Developing a joint partner search tool for
the Baltic Sea Region
Working together with the Financial Expert
Group
Laboratory Group on EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region
How to work with International Financial Institutions
• Arrange information activities to explain how IFI:s can be involved
and what the basic requirements are in order for projects to be
“bankable”
• Ask projects to prepare “roadmaps for financing” already in the
application & implementation phase
• Initialise a sector related “pilot workshop“ in e.g. transport
including IFI:s to identify bankable projects
• JTS will analyse potential for bankable projects
• IFIs follows projects during implementation (Expert Group)
• Disseminate “success stories”
Laboratory Group on EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region
How to work with International Financing Institutions
• Information activities to explain how IFIs can be involved and
what are the basic requirements for projects to be “bankable”
• Ask projects to prepare “roadmaps for financing” already in
the application & implementation planning phase
• Initialise a sector related “pilot workshop“ in e.g. transport
sector including IFI:s to identify bankable projects
• JTS will analyse potential for bankable projects
• IFIs follow projects during implementation (Experts)
• Disseminate “success stories”
Identify parts of
the Strategy
Financial
Expert
Group
Programme
Perspective
Joint tools for
Flagship
partnership
Address the
leaders
Laboratory Group on EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region
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