EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy EN Information and Publicity

EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy EN Information and Publicity in 2007 -2013 programming period SFIT meeting, 12 December 2005 Barbara Piotrowska, DG REGIO barbara. piotrowska@cec. eu. int

A new partnership EN for Cohesion Publicity for Cohesion Policy New regulation EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy Commission implementing regulation for 2007 -2013: circumstances Barroso Commission puts emphasis on: • communication: need to make Community actions more visible to the European citizens. • transparency of Community actions and spending 2

A new partnership EN for Cohesion Publicity for Cohesion Policy New regulation 3 EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy Circumstances (2) • This is a draft regulation, some provisions can still be changed! • It has been presented twice to the Member States during the Committee for Development and Conversion of the Regions (June, November) and to the SFIT members. The comments have been taken on board.

A new partnership EN for Cohesion EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy Council Regulation 1260/1999 Art. 46 1. Member States shall ensure that publicity is Publicity for given to development plans. Cohesion 2. The managing authority shall be responsible for Policy ensuring that publicity is given to the package and particularly for informing: (a) potential final beneficiaries (…) about the opportunities afforded by the assistance; (b) the general public about the role played by the Community in the assistance concerned and its results. 3. The Member States shall consult the Commission and inform it each year of the initiatives taken for the purposes set out in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article. 4

A new partnership EN for Cohesion Publicity for Cohesion Policy New regulation 5 EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy General Council Regulation for the programming period 2007 -2013 Art. 68 1. The Member States shall provide information on and publicise co-financed programmes and operations. The information shall be addressed to European citizens and to the beneficiaries. It shall aim to highlight the role of the Community and ensure that assistance from the Funds is transparent. 2. The Managing Authority for the operational programme shall be responsible for the publicity in accordance with the implementing rules of this Regulation adopted by the Commission.

A new partnership EN for Cohesion Publicity for Cohesion Policy New regulation EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy Draft Commission Regulation for the programming period 2007 -2013 Information and Publicity : Title 2 of the implementing regulation 3 Chapters: 1. Communication plan 2. Information and Publicity measures for the public 3. Networks 9 Articles. 6

A new partnership EN for Cohesion EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy Chapter I, art. 2 -3 Communication plan • Drawn up by the Managing Authority Publicity for • Covers one or more Operational Programmes Cohesion financed from the same Funds Policy • Contains communication actions and activities, aimed at potential and final beneficiaries and the general public; indicative budget; evaluation New indicators regulation • Transmited to the Commission within 4 months after adoption of the OP (or the adoption of the last OP) • The Commission has 2 months to send the comments, the MS has 2 months to prepare changes if needed 7

A new partnership EN for Cohesion Publicity for Cohesion Policy New regulation 8 EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy Monitoring of the communication plan • Progress in implementation, the examples of the products or information and the tools used - presented during the meetings of the Monitoring Committee of each OP. • Annual reports and in final report sent to the Commission shall include the examples of information activities and the evaluation. • NEW: The evaluation of the I&P shall be included in 2010 mid-term report and in the final report. • Commission shall be informed about any amendments to the com. plan in the annual reports. • The means used shall be proportional to the information needs.

A new partnership EN for Cohesion EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy Chapter II, art 4 -8, Information and publicity measures Publicity for Cohesion Policy Addressed to: New regulation • Potential beneficiaries • Beneficiaries • General public - Managing Authorities' responsibilities - Beneficiaries' responsibilities 9

A new partnership EN for Cohesion EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy I&P aimed at potential beneficiaries • Managing Authority supplies maximum of Publicity for information on the possibility of financing offered Cohesion jointly by the Community and the Member States in Policy the operational programme. • MA shall ensure that operational programmes are New published widely, with details of the financial regulation contributions from the Funds concerned, and that they are supplied to all interested applicants. • MA uses, such as professional groupings, socioeconomic partners, non-governmental organisations, trade and business circles to relay information. • NEW: MA shall inform that the list of beneficiaries + the name of the operation + the amount of public funding allocated to the operation will be published 10

A new partnership EN for Cohesion Publicity for Cohesion Policy New regulation EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy I&P aimed at beneficiaries Managing authority makes sure that the beneficiaries are informed that: • their project was selected from a programme part-financed by the ERDF, ESF or the Cohesion Fund • their name + name of the operation + the amount of the public funding allocated to the project will be published 11

A new partnership EN for Cohesion Publicity for Cohesion Policy New regulation EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy I&P aimed at public • Principle - Managing Authority together with the beneficiaries undertake all possible actions to provide the public with information and publicity on selected projects and their implementation. • Clear division between managing authorities' and beneficiaries' responsibilities. 12

A new partnership EN for Cohesion Publicity for Cohesion Policy New regulation 13 EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy Managing Authority's responsibilities MA follows the communication plan, using all appropriate forms and methods at the appropriate territorial level MA informs the public about the following points: • adoption of the operational programme by the Commission, the main achievements in its implementation, its closure; • Commission's adoption of the decision on a major project and the main steps in implementing that project.

A new partnership EN for Cohesion Publicity for Cohesion Policy New regulation EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy Minimum measures NEW: publication of the list of beneficiaries of financing under the OP, the names of the operations, the amount of public funding allocated NEW: a major annual information activity presenting the achievements of the OP examples/suggestions: • an information activity resulting in an audiovisual broadcast on the launch of the operational programme or programmes covered by the communication plan. 14 • On 9 May each year, flying the European flag for a week on the site of all projects

EUROPEAN COMMISSION A new Regional Policy partnership EN Beneficiaries' responsibilities for Cohesion • The beneficiary erects a billboard on site, which will stay there during the works and/or carrying out of the projects. Publicity for • CHANGE: concerns projects exceeding 500 000 Cohesion €: it will be replaced by a plaque, which is Policy explanatory, permanent, visible and of a size which is appropriate and significant, 6 months at the latest New regulation after the end of the works and/or carrying out the project. • Billboards and plaques contain the description of the projects and the elements mentioned in the article 9. These elements occupy at least 25% of the billboard or plaque. • NEW: a new paragraph will be added foreseeing sanctions against beneficiaries who do not comply with the I&P requirements 15

A new partnership EN for Cohesion Publicity for Cohesion Policy New regulation EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy Beneficiaries' responsibilities, ESF • The beneficiary displays a clear notice that the project being implemented has been selected under an operational programme part-financed by the ESF. • All possible paper and electronic documentation in a project of this type contains a mention that the operational programme was part-financed from the ESF. 16

A new partnership EN for Cohesion Publicity for Cohesion Policy New regulation EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy Article 9 - Technical characteristics The measures for informing the public shall include the following elements: The European flag and the following slogans: European Union: European Regional Development Fund European Union: Cohesion Fund European Union: European Social Fund MA should add an additional explicatory statement /slogan according to the local circumstances 17

A new partnership EN for Cohesion EUROPEAN COMMISSION Regional Policy Chapter III, art. 10, Network • Each managing authority appoints person/s responsible for the information and publicity and Publicity for informs the Commission. Cohesion Policy • The Commission sets up and is responsible for coordinating the network composed of the above New regulation mentioned persons. Tasks: to ensure the exchange of good practices and the exchange of experience concerning the implementation of the communication plan. The Commission may provide backing for exchange of experiences in the field of information and publicity through Technical Assistance. 18