Territorial Cooperation and Territorial Cohesion Results of the

Territorial Cooperation and Territorial Cohesion Results of the consultation on the consultation Input to TCUM seminar 25 September 2009 | Brussels

The challenges are clear – Is Territorial Cohesion part of the solution? • Globalisation, climate change, energy supply, demographic change • Individual solutions will be ineffective: We need a European adjustment to these challenges • Our thinking, our inspirations and our solutions cannot afford to be limited by administrative boundaries • Cooperation should be at the heart of policy development to face these challenges

1. Territorial Cooperation is essential to harmonious territorial development • For removing the barrier effect of borders (physical, administrative, economic, cultural and mental barriers) • For providing a development framework beyond the national level (macro-regions) • For ensuring the flow of new ideas throughout Europe • With better links needed between different implementation levels and with European and national sectoral initiatives • Concentration, connection, cooperation and limitation

2. Balancing diversity & the need for focus • Flexibility is needed in programming but focus is needed during implementation • Accept that every programme area is different but that all should be expected to show progress on the main challenges from their different starting points • Enthusiasm for the strategy approach: - Provides link to national policy and instruments - Creates a counter-balance to ’shopping list’ approach - Promotes objective / result based projects

Promoting Territorial Cohesion means many different things Degrees of cooperation. 1 = least developed (but necessary first steps of) cooperation 6. Implementation - Joint implementation of a project, efficient project management, fulfilment of requirements by each partner 5. Decision - Binding commitment of partners, partnership agreements 4. Strategy / Planning - Defining joint objectives and developing a concrete project 3. Coordination / Representation - Creating a joint partnership structure, first allocation of functions and roles 2. Information - Developing (targeted) exchange of information, building basic cooperation structures and trust, shaping a project idea 1. Meeting - Getting to know partners, learning about motivation, interests, needs, skills, expectations, cultural and structural aspects

3. Making better use of good practice and experience • Territorial Cooperation offers a holistic (cross-sectoral) approach to specific challenges. Territorial Cooperation could be the laboratory, playground, classroom and testing ground for our future mainstream policies • But good practice sometimes poorly understood, extracted and recorded. Project approval should not be the end point of programme delivery • Better need to understand what is achieved and how it is achieved. What is a good result? • Potential of centres of excellence as a tool for capturing and conserving thematic good practice?

4. The role of the INTERACT support programme? • Cooperation is a specialist field – with a corresponding need for training, management support and trust building • Programmes should focus on content - not management and administrative procedures • Someone should provide a Europe-wide perspective of programme performance (KEEP) • Territorial Cooperation (and sectoral programmes) need an effective mechanism for sharing results – the final step in knowledge exchange

Closing comments • Territorial Cohesion is a gradual process. Our role is to consider sensible next steps rather than expect to make it happen tomorrow • We can focus existing instruments better, improve application of e. g. Partnership Principle, strengthen the link to national funding and sectoral initiatives – and more • But significant change to structures will almost certainly impact simplification and N+2/3

Thank you very much for your attention. Please don´t hesitate to contact us for further information or visit www. interact-eu. net