Ann Reynard

1
The Transnational Dimension Learning Adapting
Practice

• Ann Reynard
• EU Projects Consultancy

2
Agenda

• What role does Transnational activity have in the
  new programmes?
• The learning from the Transnational Partnership
  how this might be used to influence policy
• Questions to the panel of Building
  Entrepreneurship Transnational Partners

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Building EntrepreneurshipTransnational Partners

• Anna Csongor Hungary Autonómia Foundation
• Montse Basora Spain Barcelona Activa
• Dorthe Degn Denmark EVU

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Introduction

• Reasons for presentation
• Research nightmare
• DfES Equal Dept. for Education Skills
• GLA / Brussels Office Greater London Authority
• GOL Govt. Office for London
• LDA London Development Agency
• LVSTC London Voluntary Sector Training
  Consortium
• What transnational meant in the past

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What is on Brussels websites

• Recognition of the value of transnationality and
  transnational partnerships
• Recognition of the value of entrepreneurship,
  micro-enterprise and social economy
• Recognition of the economic and social value of
  minority ethnic entrepreneurs

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DG Employment Social Affairs

• Multi level and inclusive approaches based on
  partnerships are needed
• ESF promotes partnerships by funding activities
  that
• Promote the networking of stakeholders
• Encourage the inclusion of social partners and
  NGOs

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Recognition of the value of Equal

• Future cooperation to be supported, based on
• Equal lessons
• Co-operation between projects in different Member
  States
• Co-operation between national networks
• Co-operation between organisations or area-based
  partnerships
• Partnerships between national organisations, such
  as ESF managing authorities

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Promoting international activities of SMEs

• Most Member States have put a range of programmes
  and support structures in place to help smaller
  firms tackle export markets
• A group of experts from all Member States is due
  to produce a catalogue of good practices in early
  2008

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Ethnic minority entrepreneurs

• An important pool of potential entrepreneurs
• Policies must take full account of this potential
• Some of the specific barriers recognised
• The Commission is working with Member States to
  overcome the difficulties
• Data for the EU as a whole is not available

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Raising awarenessof BME entrepreneurs problems

• Circumstance rather than discrimination
• Many common problems - each Member State can
  learn from the others
• The Commission plans to publish a study of good
  practice in support measures and ethnic business
  organisations
• A follow-up conference is planned for Spring 2008

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Craft and micro-enterprises

• An important segment of the European economy
• The Commission recognises that specific efforts
  to help are essential for European growth
• Micro-enterprises are very often the source of
  innovation
• 16-17 April 2007 - the Fourth European Conference
  on Craft and Small Enterprises
• Successful ways of overcoming many problems have
  been proven elsewhere in Europe

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Europes social economy

• Ensures effective competition
• Provides a wide range of products and services
  across Europe, and generates millions of jobs
• 10 million jobs, but membership of social economy
  enterprises is as high as 150 million
• Forms of enterprise and the fields in which they
  are active vary across Europe
• It is vital that regulation takes full account of
  the specific characteristics

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DfES Equal Office

• Re. England
• Guide on co-operation and innovation due by end
  of 2007
• Best chance of funding for transnational
  cooperation work is the ESF Innovation Measure
  next year
• Lifelong learning programme currently strong
  links with combating exclusion. Leonardo call
  in Oct. 2007

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GLA / Brussels Office

• Equal is not managed by this office

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GOL

• Transnational work is priority for EU funding
  2007 2013
• Interreg ERDF long running
• Regional competitiveness unemployment
• Open to LAs individual organisations
• In London, Interreg B C concerned with
  transnational cooperation
• Rules for engagement are different London falls
  into NW EU area
• First course of proposals 15 Oct deadline. Apply
  now for eligibility
• There will be more calls
• Susanna Standell Interreg GOL

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LDA

• LDA has a small amount of money for London
• They are working with GOL GLA
• Project monitoring ERDF / ESF
• Framework 7 VCS Voluntary Community Sector
  Local Authorities LAs could contribute more
  to university research
• Train interested VCS to undertake research?

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LVSTC 1

• Very hard to work out whats happening but we are
  aware of the issues
• A national programme Equal is going down to a
  regional base
• New possibilities now with regional programmes
  working with transitional not just national
  programmes
• Conscious with continuation of Equal-style
  initiatives that it has to be as effective when
  managed by the regions
• There have been delays in the guidance coming out

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LVSTC 2

• Transnational activity will be closely linked to
  innovation - but bureaucratisation stifles
  innovation
• ERDF/ESF- there will be elements of transnational
  across all
• We are told that Equal will be mainstreamed.
  Very difficult to see evidence of mainstreaming
• Ray Phillips working with European Anti-Poverty
  Network EAPN
• Funding expecting a new programme to be
  announced before Christmas

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LVSTC 3

• Two months of further preparation
• LVSTC are trying to find out how this will be
  expressed across CFOs Co-financing
  Organisations
• Support from LDA Mayors office
• LVSTC are having an event in Autumn to build
  Equal into new programmes
• LVSTC monthly focus groups needs someone to say
  what about the transnational element? Stewart
  Goldring, Deputy Director/ESF Delivery Unit
  Co-ordinator - stewartg_at_lvstc.org.uk

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The learning from the Transnational Partnership
how this might be used to influence policy

• The Transnational Partners Publications
• Spain Study on Micro enterprise Financing and
  Development Good Practice in Europe
• UK Understanding European Policy and
  Identifying Good Practice at the Intersection of
  Social Inclusion and Enterprise Development
• Denmark Moving out of the Shadow Economy
• Hungary Building the Social Economy

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Topics the Transnational Partnership learnt about

• Micro finance
• Social enterprise
• BME business support methods
• Tools for working with entrepreneurs
• Tools for entrepreneurs
• Shadow economy
• Ways of introducing a social economy to
  regenerate a region
• Funding issues
• Comparative studies - similarities and
  differences between countries

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Influencing Policy 1

• Presentations at EU level UK were invited to
  present at the Equal event in Hanover 2007
• The Danish partner worked closely with a BME
  entrepreneur who is an active city counsellor in
  Copenhagen
• The UK partner had meetings with DG Enterprise
  and DG Research to disseminate findings
• The Danish partner invited the Director of DG
  Enterprise to make the opening presentation at
  their conference

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Influencing Policy 2

• The Spanish partner is located within the local
  authority in Barcelona and is already engaged in
  mainstreaming some of their Equal findings
• On the 2nd day of the Hungarian 2007 conference
  regional and national funders and policy makers
  were invited to make presentations and answer
  questions
• The Hungarian project is working across an entire
  region with prominent Romany civic leaders
• The UK partner works with the local authority who
  is the lead partner of their DP project

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Influencing Policy 3

• The Spanish partner invited speakers from
  Catalonia, Spain, UK, Germany, Sweden and France
  to their conference
• The Transnational Partnership created the
  Building Entrepreneurship website to assist
  lobbying and dissemination
• UK November 2005 workshop Representatives from
  UK Equal were invited to make a presentation on
  Engaging policy makers
• UK and Denmark are developing links with key DG
  personnel and MEPs in Brussels

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Opportunities for Transnational Cooperation

• Research institutes / institutions
• ESF Innovation Measure/s
• Progress parts of
• New ECs Lifelong Learning Programme
• Leonardo UK
• Interreg B C
• ERDF
• LDA
• Mayor of London GOL/GLA
• The strategic opportunities are NOW

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Your panel

• Anna Hungary
• Montse Spain
• Dorthe Denmark
• To answer your questions on the role of
  transnational activity and adapting practice

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Useful websites

• Equal at DfES now Dept for Children, Schools
  Families www.dfes.gov.uk
• DTI now Dept. for Business, Enterprise
  Regulatory Reform www.dti.gov.uk
• Equal at Ecotec www.equal.ecotec.co.uk
• GLA www.london.gov.uk
• GOL www.gos.gov.uk/gol
• LDA www.lda.gov.uk
• LVSTC www.lvstc.org.uk
• Leonardo da Vinci www.leonardo.gov.uk
• ESF UK www.esf.gov.uk
• ERDF www.erdf.communities.gov.uk
• EU http//europa.eu
• DG Enterprise http//europa.eu/enterprise
• DG Employment http//europa.eu/employment
• Interreg www.interregiii.org.uk
• European Anti-Poverty Network EAPN
  www.eapn.org

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The Transnational Dimension Learning Adapting
Practice

• Ann Reynard
• EU Projects Consultancy