Transcript Slide 1

Financing Solutions From EU
Structural Funds for S.M.E.’s and
Local Authorities
Conference, Bucharest 30th January
2008
Workshop 2 – Solutions for
Supporting Sustainable
Development of Cities
Stephen Blair
Director
Historical Background
♦ Close relationship between EU Cohesion
policy and Irish regional structures/policy
♦ 1989-1993 Round: First NDP/CSF – no
specific regional aspects (review co’ttees)
♦ 1994-99 Round: Regional Authorities (NUTS
III) to monitor CSF spending (with EU
Operational Committees inc. lead
Departments) and “promote coordination of
public services”
INTRODUCTION TO REGIONAL
ASSEMBLIES
The Regionalisation arrangements negotiated by
Ireland in the context of the Agenda 2000 Agreement
resulted in the designation of two regions in Ireland
for Structural Funds Purposes:
♦ The Southern and Eastern Region (S&E Region)
which qualifies for a six year phasing out regime for
Objective 1 Structural Funds up to the end of 2005,
and
♦ The Border, Midland and Western Region (BMW)
Region which has retained Objective 1 status for
Structural Funds for the full period to 2006.
REGIONAL ASSEMBLIES ESTABLISHMENT
♦ To administer these two new super regions and
to fulfill the E.U. Commissions requirements for
some level of devolved administration, the
Government created Regional Assemblies
♦ The two new Regional Assemblies were
established and came into effect on the 21st July
1999 under the local Government Act, 1991
(Regional Authorities) (Establishment) Order,
1999.
♦ Assemblies comprise of nominated elected
representatives of the Regional/ Local
Authorities within their regions
♦ Assemblies first met in Oct. 1999
Regional Assembly - Principal
Functions
♦ Promote co-ordination of public services in
region
♦ Manage Regional Operational Programmes
♦ Monitor and make proposals in relation to
general impact in region of all E.U.
Programmes of Assistance
♦ Promote consideration by Public Authorities
of the implication for, or the effects of their
decisions, and activities on the region
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2000-2006
The Regional Dimension
♦ Fostering balanced regional development was one of four core
National objectives.
♦ This was operationalised in strategy by a commitment to a
better regional distribution of public and private investment.
♦ The objectives of balanced regional development is interpreted
as reducing disparities between and within the two regions.
♦ One of the ways this is to be achieved is by development of
existing major gateways and focused development as regional
gateways of limited number of other larger towns.
♦ The identification of such further gateways was provided for in
the National Spatial Strategy published in November 2002.
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
2000-2006
OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE
♦ Expenditure under the Plan was made
under:– 3 National or Inter-Regional Operational
Programmes
– 2 Regional Operational Programmes
– Peace Programme
♦ This was the first time that a National
Plan contained Regional Programmes
NDP Implementation
.
NDP 2000-2006
51 Billon Euro
3.7 Billon in
Structural/
Cohesion Funds
Economic
and
Social
Infrastructure
Employment
and
Human
Resources
Productive
Sector
2 Regional
Programmes
Peace
Programme
Billion€
22.42
Billon€
12.6
Billion €
5.8
Billion €
9.4
Million€
127
REGIONAL OPERATIONAL
PROGRAMMES
♦ Complexity & Scale of Programmes
♦ Two O.P.’s with combined investment of €9.4 billion
accounted for approx 18% of total investment under
N.D.P.
♦ €5.33 billion for S&E Regional O.P.
♦ €4.06 billion for BMW Regional O.P.
♦ Ten lead Government Departments and host of
implementing Agencies
♦ Four sources of European Funding (ESF, ERDF,
EAGGF & FIFG)
♦ Regional Assemblies were managing authorities for
Regional O.P.’s and thus O.P. was approved by the
Assemblies.
S & E Regional O.P. - Four Main
Priorities
€ Million
1.
Local Infrastructure
2.
Local Enterprise Development
625
3.
Agriculture and Rural Development
543
4. Social Inclusion and Childcare
TOTAL
3,045
1,164
5,377
Local Infrastructure
€ million
*Non-National Roads
1,354
*Rural Water
190
*Waste Management
621
*Urban & Village Renewal
111
*E-Commerce & Communications Infrastructure
302
Seaports
125
Regional Airports
4
*Culture, Recreation & Sport
333
Tech. Assistance
4
TOTAL
EU Funds ERDF
3,044
€273.77m
* Measures delivered by Local Authorities
Social Inclusion & Childcare
€ million
Childcare Facilities
Equality
Community Development
Crime Prevention
Youth Services
Local Development
Staffing & Quality Improvement (Childcare)
TOTAL
EU Funds
107
24
112
72
271
374
203
1,164
ERDF
ESF
€38m
€70.74m
Framing the 2007-2013 Southern &
Eastern Regional Operational
Programme
Factors which have influenced the prioritisation
in the draft Programme;
♦ EU Priorities (Lisbon, Gothenburg, ERDF
Regulations)
♦ National Policies and Strategies
♦ Development needs of the Region
♦ Submissions from regional and local bodies
♦ Level of funding available
♦ Other Programmes (NDP 2007-2013, Rural
Development Programme)
♦ Need for a geographical and thematic balance
♦ Ex-ante Evaluation and Strategic Environmental
Assessment
Outline Development Strategy
♦
Having regard to all of the above factors it is proposed that the
development strategy should be to concentrate resources on
three broad priorities:
1 Innovation / Knowledge Economy. (€332m)
Priority is explicably linked to the Lisbon Agenda.
– Priorities will focus on three themes as follows:
♦ Increasing the regional research capacity across the
Region and ensuring greater transfer and
commercialisation of the research
♦ Improving the entrepreneurial base of the Regions small
indigenous enterprises
♦ Enhancing the research capacity of the regional higher
educational institutions
♦ 2
Environment and Accessibility (€215m)
– Priority largely focused on the Gothenburg Agenda
– Seeks to protect and enhance the environmental conditions
in the Region to assist both competitiveness and the long
term sustainability of economic development in the region.
– Priority focused on three key areas:
♦ Protecting ground water conditions and raw water
sources
♦ Initiatives to promote alternative energy production and
energy efficiency
♦ Promoting increasing regional accessibility to
broadband for SME’s
3
Sustainable Urban Development Priority
177m)
– Building on the work of the NSS, and recognising that the
Urban centres are drivers of the regional economy, this
priority is targeted at the major urban centres in the region
in support of both the Lisbon competitiveness objectives
and the need to promote greater intra-regional balance in
the interest of greater internal cohesion
– Priority is the focus of two themes:
• City Regeneration
• Town Renewal
Urban Priority Background
♦ Critical role of cities and towns in driving
economic and social development
♦ Development of regional cities and towns
critical to ensuring greater intra-regional
balance
♦ NSS identification of limited number of
Gateways and Hubs to promote sustainable
economic development
Priority Objectives
♦ Seek to enhance the attractiveness of
Gateways and Hubs as places to live, work
and invest in
♦ Complement Priorities 1 and 2 and other
investment strategies supporting the
implementation of the NSS
♦ Assist Gateways / Hubs to maximise their
growth potential to gain critical mass
Thematic Focus
♦ Sustainable development involves more than just investment in
physical infrastructure
♦ Requires co-ordinated planning of physical environment,
economic base, knowledge and research capacity and cultural
and leisure infrastructure
♦ Requires co-operation across local authority areas and across
key stakeholders in public and private sector
♦ Intervention to be based on integrated sustainable
development strategies for the designated Gateways & Hubs
♦ Priority to be focused on three themes
– Gateway Challenge Fund
– Hubs Challenge Fund
– Inter Gateway Co-Operation Fund
Theme 1, Gateway Challenge
Fund
♦ Assistance available for the 9 designated NSS
Gateways to improve economically,
environmentally, socially & culturally
♦ Requirement for integrated development
strategy and to show how proposed contribute to
enhancing growth potential of Gateways actions
♦ Prepared on a partnership basis – co-ordinated
by LA’s in Gateway and should incorporate the
inputs of local/regional development agencies,
3rd Level institutions, economic actors &
community/voluntary groups
Theme 2, Hub Challenge Fund
♦ Under this theme assistance will be give to the
designated NSS Hubs in the two Regions to
improve economically, environmentally, socially
and culturally
♦ Each of the Hubs will be required to prepare an
integrated development strategy to demonstrate
proposed actions to enhancing the
attractiveness of urban centres – physical
economic and social fabric of the centre
Theme 3, Inter-Gateway CoOperation Fund
♦ Aims to establish greater levels of connectivity
and synergies between gateways and to
promote a more balanced polycentric
development – basic premise – by co-operation
in relevant areas, the development potential of
the Regional Gateways can be enhanced
♦ Proposals for joint actions should be developed
on a partnership basis (to be co-ordinated jointly
by the Gateways) and should incorporate inputs
from public, private and social actors in the
gateways and in the connecting corridors
Indicative Operations
♦ The indicative operations to be supported under
this priority will be the creation of a challenge
fund in order for the relevant local authorities to
bring forward innovative, participative integrated
proposals. These could include:
♦ Urban infrastructure
♦ Public amenities, parks and playgrounds
♦ Physical regeneration and renewal
♦ Social Infrastructure
Indicative Operations (cont’d)
♦Public ‘iconic’ sculptures/artwork
♦Sustainable transport
♦Arts and Culture Facilities
♦Development of natural, cultural and built heritage
♦Promotions/branding of the urban centre
♦Address social exclusion
♦Capacity building and leadership
Gateway Innovation Fund
In addition to the Regional O.P a Gateway Innovation
Fund (GIF) is being provided for in the NDP 20072013 with the aims of enhancing and accelerating the
growth of the 9 gateway cities and towns identified
under the NSS. An initial exchequer allocation of
€300m is being provided through the Fund which will
operate initially on a pilot basis for the period 20082010. Under the management of the Department of
Environment, Heritage and Local Government, a
detailed scheme for the new Fund, has been
finalised, and can be viewed on the Department’s
website www.environ.ie
Contact Details
Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly
Assembly House
O’Connell Street
Waterford
Ireland
Tel: 00353 51 860700
Fax: 00353 51 879877
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.seregassembly.ie