ECOS-OUVERTURE 1998 to 2001 INTER-REGIONAL COOPERATION WITH AREAS OUTSIDE THE EUROPEAN UNION The European Union as a motor of inter-regional cooperation in response to current economic changes (98/C 183/07)

All European countries are having to cope to varying degrees with ever more rapid and mutually reinforcing trends such as the globalisation of the economy, the transition towards an economy based on services and other intangibles, the speed with which the information society is developing, the pressures on the environment, security of supply, high levels of unemployment and increasing attention to equal opportunities.

People involved in local development are trying to respond to all these challenges. The range of know-how available which, because of the diversity of the situations on the ground, has to operate against backgrounds which are themselves culturally and institutionally diverse, has given rise to widely differing working methods and experiences throughout Europe.

Inter-regional cooperation offers a forum for working together where ideas, methods and practices can be compared. All the various parties involved can subject their working methods to review and learn lessons from partners in other regions which will enrich their own ways of working. In addition, exchanges and cooperation will help to solve problems better and more swiftly. Pilot projects can help to foster the emergence of methods of regional economic development, enabling actors at local level to assume their full responsibilities within a broad partnership.

Such experience makes a useful contribution to economic and democratic transition, particularly in partner countries of Central Europe (CCE). Experience of this kind can also provide a framework which helps towns and regions in the applicant countries to integrate successfully when the European Union comes to be enlarged. Working together is thus both a motor for European integration and a factor in reducing tensions.

The Union's support for cooperation

Inter-regional cooperation is an important element in the European Union's policies and programmes.

Article 10 of the Regulation on the European Regional Development Fund provides a mechanism for financing innovative regional development measures, including external inter-regional cooperation with partners outside the Union.

The Commission (DG XVI) accordingly launched Ecos/Ouverture in 1991, and since then, using ECU 70 million, including ECU 55 million from the ERDF and ECU 15 million from Phare programme resources, it has financed 400 projects involving 1 500 local and regional authorities.

During the programming period now beginning (1998 to 2001) the Ecos/Ouverture programme will receive ECU 25 to 30 million from the ERDF and ECU 15 million from Phare, enabling it to make financial contributions towards mutually beneficial cooperation between regions and towns in the European Union and, principally, their counterparts in Central Europe (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia) (1).

As part of Ecos/Ouverture 1998 to 2001, the Commission is launching this call for proposals in order to invite local authorities in the eligible regions to submit a proposal for an inter-regional cooperation project before the deadline of 15 November 1998.

The aims of cooperation

- To encourage cooperation between those involved at regional level in different geographical areas through joint projects based on the exchange of experience or transfer of know-how.

- To promote decentralisation and devolution by encouraging the development of skills at regional and local level.

- Improved capacity for action and better methods of achieving economic and social development in the countries of Central Europe and the less-favoured areas of the European Union for local authorities and others involved at local and regional level.

- To achieve practical results in regional or local development which provide examples that can serve as pilot schemes for the spread of good practice in the region in question or in neighbouring regions.

- To prepare for enlargement by strengthening the pre-accession strategies of the local authorities in Central Europe. This involves informing those concerned about Community policies, particularly about the Structural Funds.

Areas of cooperation

The following four areas of cooperation have been selected:

1. Improving the working methods and tools of local or regional authorities:

- establishing local or regional development strategies, particularly in preparation for enlargement (2),

- improving urban and rural services, particularly the organisation of transport systems, and use of information technology.

2. Improving support services for the modernisation and development of small and medium-sized firms:

- setting up support services for the modernisation and development of small and medium-sized firms,

- women entrepreneurs: developing the role of women in local economic life.

3. Protecting and restoring the environment with a view to sustainable development:

- protecting, enhancing and managing nature,

- improving pollution control, managing and/or recycling solid waste and waste water,

- saving energy and promoting renewable energy.

4. Economic development of the cultural heritage of the regions in order to maintain or create permanent jobs.

The cooperation partners

The main partners must be local authorities in the European Union and non-member countries or a body controlled by them and acting on their instructions.

One of the principal partners belonging to the CCE or the Union must be responsible for managing Phare and ERDF appropriations.

The project leader responsible for organising cooperation must be either the principal partner responsible for managing ERDF appropriations or the principal partner responsible for managing the Phare appropriations.

Associate partners may be regional or local authorities, development agencies, chambers of commerce and other bodies undertaking work of public interest, and economic and social partners.

Cooperation projects should cover between three and six principal partners from different areas in at least two Member States, with at least one area in a central European country (3).

Half of the principal partners from the Community must be in ERDF areas eligible under Objectives 1, 2, 5b or 6.

However, for local authorities choosing to establish development strategies (area 1, point 1) the maximum number of principal partners is four, with two from the Union and one or two from Central Europe and/or Cyprus. One of the partners from the Union must be in an Objective 1 region, the other in an area eligible under the ERDF (Objectives 1, 2, 5b or 6).

An active and balanced partnership

Past experience of inter-regional cooperation shows that the cooperation networks which achieve the best results combine a number of the following features:

- Establishment by the principal partners of an active associate partnership at local level in each of the areas: all the public and/or private bodies which have responsibilities and interests in the area concerned and which wish to participate in the project.

- Establishment of a dynamic inter-regional partnership, in which the project leader is responsible for stimulating the whole of the network and coordinating the project while the principal partners of each of the other areas participating is responsible for coordinating the local associate partnership and carrying out the work which constitutes the substance of the cooperation project.

- Development of practical, balanced inter-regional cooperation based on the organisation of work which is genuinely shared at both local and inter-regional level, producing concrete results leading to the acquisition or improvement of know-how.

Quality project management

- The project leader is technically and financially responsible for the success of the project and must demonstrate managerial ability to coordinate the network and manage the project itself.

- The project leader must set up a steering committee representing the principal partners of the project. This Committee will have territorial and political responsibility for cooperation. It must approve the composition of the project team in charge of the technical implementation of the project itself.

- The project leader is responsible for setting up a team in which each partner takes an active part on the basis of a jointly agreed, clear and balanced allocation of tasks. It must set up a clear and feasible work programme.

- The cooperation network should secure the expertise it needs to do quality work, even if this comes from areas other than those engaged in the cooperation project.

- There should be periodic interim assessments to ensure that the resources being used are appropriate to the objectives set.

Expected results

- Results on the ground which provide a vehicle for the exchange of experience or transfer of know-how and which can also have a demonstration effect for the region and neighbouring regions.

- Learning to work together at regional and/or local level and an increase in the capacity for action of local organisations and persons engaged in economic development.

- The introduction of new methods or the improvement of existing methods by comparing practice in different regions facing the same or broadly similar problems.

- The development of action strategies and feasibility studies, activities and/or achievements which are useful for the economic and social development of the areas concerned.

Budget and timescale

Each project should involve Community financing within a range from ECU 200 000 to 800 000 under the ERDF, and ECU 100 000 to 400 000 under Phare (4).

The Community contribution could amount to 75 % of eligible expenditure in the regions eligible under Objectives 1 and 6, 50 % for other areas of the Union and up to 75 % for central European partners (5).

At least half the ERDF contribution should go to areas eligible under Objectives 1, 2, 5b or 6 of the Structural Funds.

Each project should be carried out in no more than three years.

Main selection criteria

1. Partnership

- Local partnerships: diversity and complementary nature of the local associate partners, the extent of their involvement, the quality of the organisation of the local partnership, the number of those involved at local level and the nature of the benefits they can derive.

- Inter-regional partnerships: the principal partners' political and technical representativity, the balance of the inter-regional partnership, shared motivation, inter-regional composition of the steering committee, suitability of the partnership to implement the joint project.

2. Involvement of actors at local level:

- The importance given to learning and the exchange of know-how, particularly in the context of concrete achievements for a significant number of bodies and individuals involved in each of the areas.

3. Organisation of the network:

- Organisation of the steering committee: active participation of the local authorities that are principal partners of the project.

- Organisation of the project team: managerial ability of the project leader, quality of the local teams and capacity of the local coordinator, composition of the team.

- Mode of operation of the project team and effective working methods, including: means of communication inside and outside the network, common working language.

- Management capacity of the body responsible for managing the Community funds, financial management arrangements.

4. Objectives/expected results:

- Shared objectives: clearly formulated objectives for the project, credibility of objectives in relation to the local contexts, concrete, feasible short-term objectives, mutual consistency of the objectives, appropriateness of the project to the objectives pursued.

- Expected results: clearly formulated, qualified and quantified, credible, concrete and feasible, of inter-regional and local interest (at both network and project level), consistency with the shared objectives and the means mobilised.

- Impact/benefits for the various partners: expected impact/benefit for each partner, particularly for the partners in non-member countries: quality, credibility and consistency with the programme objectives; dissemination of the experience gained from the project.

5. Quality of the work programme:

- Planned measures: likelihood that the planned measures will achieve the shared objectives of the project and bring about the expected results; clearly formulated measures; a sufficient number of suitable local and inter-regional measures to meet the needs of the project; balance between local and inter-regional measures.

- Clarity of the work plan: the plan should indicate for each measure the work to be done, the role of inter-regional cooperation, the partners involved, the beneficiaries, the expected results; organisation of shared work, a clear and credible allocation of tasks, balance, how measures complement each other, their appropriateness in view of the shared objectives; timetable for implementation.

6. Budget and financial commitments:

- The adequacy and transparency of the budget in terms of the objectives, work programme and measures to be implemented, the quality of the explanations of the budget headings and the calculation of estimated expenditure by heading and by measure; inter-regional part-financing balanced between the various partners.

- Consistency between the official commitments of the partners and associates and their contribution to the budget.

Eligibility criteria

Only those applications will be evaluated in which the projects meet the following criteria:

1. Partnership: partners from at least three and not more than six areas in at least two Member States and at least one partner country in Central Europe (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia) (6).

However, for partners from Central Europe and Cyprus choosing to establish development strategies (area 1, point 1) the maximum number of principal partners is four, with two from the Union and one or two from non-member countries. The compulsory partner from the Union must come from an area eligible under Objective 1, the other must come from one of the areas eligible under the Structural Funds (Objectives 1, 2, 5b and 6).

2. At least half the Community partners must come from areas eligible under the Structural Funds and must receive at least half of the ERDF assistance allocated to the project.

3. The principal partner that is project leader and the other principal partners for each area involved must have signed a letter of commitment in accordance with the specimen in the Infopack, indicating the amount of their own contribution.

4. If where a principal partner does not have the status of a local authority, the local authority to which it is answerable must specify how it controls the body and must have signed a letter of authorisation in accordance with the specimen. This letter sets out the local authority's undertaking to participate in the project's steering committee. The local authority is politically, technically and financially responsible for the body which will represent it in the project.

5. The ERDF funds must be managed by a principal partner from the Union, the Phare funds by a principal partner from Central Europe.

6. Community financing of between ECU 200 000 and 800 000 from the ERDF and ECU 100 000 and 400 000 under Phare.

7. Only bodies that contribute to the part-financing of the project can be reimbursed as associate partners for their work. Bodies which are remunerated for the totality of their work should be regarded as service providers.

8. Complete files based on the official application forms, in six copies and submitted no later than the date stated below.

9. Implementation of the project:

- application forms must contain an exhaustive description of the project.

- all the financing tables supplied in the information pack should be included, showing the bodies which intend to make contributions (principal and associate partners) with their letters of intent to this effect.

Submission of applications

Proposals for pilot projects should be sent to the Commission in six copies, postmarked no later than 15 November 1998, at the following address.

European Commission

DG XVI.A.2 - Regional policy and cohesion

DG I.A.B. - Foreign affairs

External inter-regional cooperation projects

Building CSM2 - 3/67

Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 200

B-1049 Brussels.

The Infopack/information file

Information packs containing the application forms, together with the procedures and eligibility criteria for the submission of projects and the general principles governing Community assistance, may be obtained from the above address or on request by fax ((32-2) 299 56 01) citing the message 'DG XVI-DG 1A, Ecos-Ouverture 1998 to 2001` or by e-mail (ecos-ouverture @fmb.dg16.cec.be), or through the website:

www.inforegio.org

The Infopacks will be sent as from 15 June 1998.

Lastly, between 22 and 24 June 1998, a partnership grant and seminars will be organised by the Commission in a central European country, to inform local authorities interested in measures financed through the Ecos-Ouverture 1998 to 2001 call for proposals about the opportunities offered by the programme and to increase their knowledge so that they can participate successfully in measures for external inter-regional cooperation.

(1) The NIS (Moldova, Western Russia, Ukraine, Belarus) and the Mediterranean partners (Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey) may also be associated with the cooperation networks set up by the Union's partners and the central European countries. For details of finance for these partners, see the Infopack.

(2) NB: special eligibility conditions for Central Europe and Cyprus.

(3) Partners from the New Independent States and non-member Mediterranean countries may also be associated with networks set up by the Union and central European partners.

(4) For information on financing for the Mediterranean partners or New Independent States, see the Infopack.

(5) For information on financing for the Mediterranean partners or New Independent States, see the Infopack.

(6) Mediterranean partners must come from Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey. Partners from the New Independent States must come from Moldova, Western Russia, Ukraine, Belarus.