EU Strategy for the Danube: a new challenge in the context of the territorial cohesion in the SEE

Bucharest, 20 January 2010

SEE Joint Technical Secretariat

Danube area…

…the SEE area

The financial instruments

3.337.268 (yearly)IPA

228 MEuroERDF

1.000.000ENPI

P1. Facilitation of innovation and entrepreneurship

P2. Protection and improvement of the environment

P3. Improvement of the accessibility

P4. Development of transnational synergies for sustainable growth areas

44,051,157 7,773,734 51,824,891 85%

53,739,828 9,483,499 63,223,327 85%

55,160,834 9,734,265 64,895,099 85%

41,338,329 7,294,999 48,633,328 85%

ERDF Nat. Pub. Contr. Total % IPA 2nd CfP

228,576,645.00 EUR

4,333,383.80 EUR

The Programme budget

Status Submitted EoIs Eligible EoIs Invited EoIs Eligible AFs Approved

Overall 809 615 95 71 40

Rate 100% 76.02% 11.74% 8.78% 4.94%

ERDF req. N.A. 957.842.479 168.674.925 128.753.792 76.628.855

Rate N.A. 419% 74% 56% 34%

Results of the 1st Call for proposals

The “Danube” projectsAcronym AoI Short description

DANUBE FLOODRISK

2.1 Management and forecast of flood risk

WANDA 2.2 Ship waste management along the Danube

DANUBEPARKS 2.3 Conservation of natural heritage of Danube river

NEWADA 3.1 Improvement of physical accessibility of waterway

infrastructure

NELI 3.2 Cooperation for know-how sharing and innovation in inland

navigation

DONAUREGIONEN+ 4.2 Developing a joint Danube Regions Development strategy

DATOURWAY 4.2 Development of tourism

• Umbrella project – collection of partners from different countries with hardly related problems / activities into a partnership under vague objectives;

• Inventing a problem - that is not really relevant on transnational level, but based on local needs of PPs forming a partnership

The failures: lack of transnationality

• Proposal narrowly focused with little impact on SEE area – solving the problems of a fish species in Danube (there

are other programmes)– International cultural festival (not promotion of use of

cultural values for development)• Pure research and technology development - without

clear links to other actors (public administration /industry)– more concrete, tangible results expected!

The failures: missing objectives

• Unclear problem definition;• Poorly defined / articulated objectives (SMART);• Lack of coherence - problems – objectives – activities –

outputs / results (LOGFRAME);• Inconsistent bunch of WPs;• General descriptions - poor definitions, missing concrete

indicators / measurements;• Unrealistic objectives, activities, outputs, results (20%

increase of employment, etc.)• Outputs and Results confused• Limited next steps planning

The failures: poor planning

Communicating about EUSDR in the framework of the SEE Programme

We can have less application failures if we:

• communicate better!

• communicate sooner (than later)!

• communicate in a balanced manner!

= need for a pro-active approach !

• SEE – complex and diverse area • SEE Programme - complex and diverse instrument

– aims to improve cohesion, stability and competitiveness of the region.– helps to promote better integration between the Member States,

candidate and potential candidate countries and neighbouring countries

– supports projects which are covering the whole area but also which are aimed to develop specific sub-areas as Black Sea, Adriatic, Aegean, Charpatian, Danubian,

– provides a suitable framework to take to a practical level the political cooperation that has been achieved so far among the Danube countries and to explore new opportunities to promote cooperation among countries in the region

= complex and diverse communication !!!

• EUSDR: important topic – adding to what already is an extremely interesting and varied programme

• How can the SEE Programme be involved?• How does EUSDR reflect upon the current / the future projects? • What kind of input would be useful? • What type of information is needed for a start? • How to connect the right stakeholders and communicate towards /with them?• What lessons can be learnt from the SEE programme / projects management for the Danube Strategy?

• SEE pro-active approach: “prepare the ground” for the strategy :

– Awareness-building and information: raising awareness of the Danube Strategy among the beneficiaries, potential beneficiaries, other stakeholders.

– Identifying relevant projects, in order to show the added-value of SEE cooperation projects for the regional development of the Danube area.

Some communication challenges• Inform about the strategy (timely, correctly);

• Provide balanced information: the SEE Programme is not only about the Danube – on the other hand it is in a special position, as it does cover almost the entire EUSDR area (Germany to be included within the 20% flexibility rule);

•Integrate some elements related to the strategy in future programme communication;

•Involve the current projects on Danube: project results and achievements of cooperation

•Attract potential projects that are in line with the Strategy to apply in our Programme (without

prejudicing projects on other topics);

The existing projects

• Highlight their added-value for the regional development of the Danube area

• Cooperating with each-other – joint events, joint actions for a more powerful impact / the bigger

picture

Some examples of planned project actions

• WANDA – River shows in ports of the participating countries;• NEWADA – Danube Information Services Conference• DATOURWAY - Transnational conference: Big River and Network building • Donauregionen - website featuring a GIS server Module: enables presentation of GIS data and supports elaboration of  geographic  analysis

The future / potential projects

• Inform about the Strategy at our events (Annual event, Lead Applicant seminars, Lead Partner

seminars etc.)

• Encourage projects related to the Strategy to apply to our programme (in line with the characteristics of

the future calls)

Connecting (with) the stakeholders

• Cooperation between the programmes / projects involved in the strategy (common events,

exchange of experience)

• Addressing relevant thematic issues in a cooperation context and facilitating the exchange

of information

THANK YOU!

Lelia RotaruCommunications ManagerSouth East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme Joint Technical SecretariatE-mail: rotaru@southeast-europe.net; jts@southeast-europe.net www.southeast-europe.net