Governance of Territorial Strategies: going beyond strategy documents Seminar of the Austrian EU pre

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Governance of Territorial Strategiesgoing
beyond strategy documentsSeminar of the
Austrian EU presidency 8./9.6.2006Preliminary
Outcomes
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Governance Process for Territorial Strategies
Objectives
Hidden institutional interests and personal
motives (taboo?)
Community Strategic Guidelines
Realistic Taking account of possible impact
chains, external influence and limited
intervention capacity
National Strategic Reference Framework
G O V E R N A N C E P R O C E S S Many actors ?
many views, interests, objectives, decentralized
knowledge ? communication ( monitoring
exchange of experience ? reflection ? evaluation
? learning)
Operational Programmes
Output Projects
Use of Results, further Impacts
ultimate Effects
Policy Tools measures (resources), procedures
(rules) Input
External influence
Territorial framework conditions (physical,
socio-economical, institutional)
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Seminar Programme

• Initial presentation John BACHTLER Preparation
  of NSRFs in Member States

Working Session I Territorial Aspects of NSRF
Working Session II Governance of Cohesion Policy
Danuta HÜBNER Reaction from EU Commission
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Working Groups I (Territorial)- Questions

• What are the territorial elements in the NSRF ?
• e.g. specific types of territories, analysis of
  geographic framework conditions, objectives for
  territorial development, spatial impacts of
  sectoral strategies
• How were these territorial elements integrated
  in the NSRF ?
• e.g. taking spatial / territorial concepts or
  plans into account, involving partners from
  territorial professions / institutions in the
  process of reparing the NSRF
• What was the value added of this treatment of
  territorial aspects for Cohesion Policy ?
• during the preparation of the NSRF?
• expected value-added during implementation)?

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Working Groups I Preliminary Findings

• The understanding of the notion of territorial
  differs widely among member states (and their
  languages) and not all agree that territorial
  has a value added
• but nevertheless there is widespread consensus
  about most of the possible contents of
  territorial
• Place and geographical context matters
• Policies should be differentiated according to
  context
• Thematic integration of different sectoral
  policies with impact on certain places (at
  whatever level) would be desirable but
  obviously difficult to achieve
• Involvement of actors from subnational levels
  (regions, municipalities) is crucial for success
  of policies (strategies) and for translation into
  regional language of people

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Working Groups II (Governance) - Questions

• Which governance processes and communication
  mechanisms are foreseen to safeguard the
  achievement of NSRF objectives? What are the main
  elements?
• Which actors (private, non-profit and public)
  should be involved in this governance process?
  From which levels and/or sectors?
• Which of these governance provisions could (and
  should) be applied at EU level? How could the EU
  Commission support governance processes at
  national level?

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Working Groups II Preliminary Findings

• The strategy process is more important than the
  strategy documents but the latter are necessary
  by-products for communication between MS and COM
  with the public.
• Suggestions for governance process at EU level
  (to be facilitated by COM)
• Transparency as precondition
• Impact studies and thematic evaluation to
  investigate attribution gap between immediate
  outcomes and final impact
• Presentation of cases by beneficiaries (create
  ownership, make strategy visible)
• Exchange of experience between MS and regions
  requires appropriate format of meetings and
  communication tools
• Surprise important element

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Some reactions from Commissioner HÜBNER

• EU is outside documents
• Process is important
• Diversity is challenging, but crucial to be taken
  into account
• Quality of strategy implementation depends on
  partnership ? involvement of actors and action
  from below
• Evaluation needs to be improved, to take
  complexity better into account
• Good evaluation starts with good programming

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Seminar follow up

• Written results
• Documentation of input papers and presentations
• Presidency summary report conclusion of main
  findings(no positions of institutions - informal
  character !)
• ? to be handed over to incoming presidencies
• FI informal Ministerial meeting (11/2006) on -
  reinforcing innovation in Cohesion Policy
  programmes- consistency between Cohesion and
  Lisbon strategy
• DE informal Ministerial meeting (05/2007) on
  Territorial Agenda

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• Contact for further information
• Federal Chancellery, Division IV/4
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• E-Mail iv4_at_bka.gv.at
• Website www.bka.gv.at/regionalpolitik