110 likes | 335 Views
EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region as a tool to implement the EU2020. European Commission Directorate General Regional Policy Territorial Cooperation. Why an EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region?.
E N D
EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Regionas a tool to implement the EU2020 European Commission Directorate General Regional PolicyTerritorial Cooperation
Why an EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region? • Requested by the European Council, inter alia helps to address the urgent environmental challenges • A need to speed up implementation of important priorities • An integrated approach to identify needs, solutions and match them to available resources • Four pillars: 1) Environment 2) Economy 3) Energy and Transport 4) Safety and security
Outputs and Outcomes Outputs • Rolling Action Plan for the Baltic Sea Region with 15 priority areas, actions and examples of flagship projects • Analytical report on the Baltic Sea Region Outcomes • 70 actions, 80 flagship projects • Alignment of policies / funding • Coordination in implementing of EU legislation • Improvement of Spatial Planning • Integrated Maritime Policy
Smart Specialisation Strategies –Why? • Harnessing knowledge potential, investing smarter, mobilising all regions for Europe 2020 • Mainly to be seen in the framework of spending Structural Funds more effectively, by focusing on local strengths and investing in research and innovation • But also in terms of better synergies with R&I policies to avoid policy fragmentation and duplication and assure better governance • Upgraded rationale for role of Regional Policy by ensuring the diffusion of innovation and its benefits across all regions
Smart Specialisation Strategies –Why? Main message: Investment in R&D, human capital and innovation is crucial for all regions • But: no “one size fits all” Regional Policy model, diversity as asset for different growth path/policy mixes • Policy mixes need to recognise regional diversity and innovation capacity (assets, not ambitions) • There are potentially large gains from strategies that exploit areas of competitive advantage and focus investments rather than spreading them thinly across many sectors and areas
Implementation • Simple implementation system: making better use of existing institutions, funding, and legislation (rule of “three No”) • Policy development: European Council (assisted by High Level Group Meeting twice a year, composed of 27 MS representatives) • Coordination, monitoring and follow-up: European Commission • Implementation on the ground: Member State or equivalent to coordinate Priority Area; Ministry, agency, or other body to lead flagship projects • Annual Forum with stakeholders
Smart Specialisation Strategies – How? • Strong focus on bottom-up process and stakeholder involvement and interaction • Combination of top-down setting of objectives (Europe 2020, Innovation Union) and bottom-up processes of entrepreneurial discovery • Involving experts, businesses, research centres, universities and other knowledge-creating institutions and stakeholders • Sound analysis, identification of competitiveness factors (e.g. critical mass) and bottlenecks, enabling technologies (sourcing in), concentrating resources on key priorities, …
First Results • New projects created and financed in response to the needs identified in the Action Plan • New momentum to existing projects across the four pillars • New governance process (domestic re-organisation, better use of existing structures, etc.) • Creation of new macro-regional networks in areas previously dominated by national approaches • Extension of networks in otherwise established areas • Reinforcement of cooperation with third countries (Russia) • Macro-regional policy discussions
Examples of Flagship Projects launched within the area of Innovation • BSR Stars that focuses on creating and strengthens links between national research and innovation milieus, clusters and SME networks; • Create a Baltic Sea Fund for Innovation and Research • Set up cross-sectoral reference projects for innovation in health and life sciences • Setting up a Baltic Science Link
Next Steps • To maintain high-level political pressure • To intensify work on identification and promotion of cross-cutting links among priority areas • To keep on working to align different sources of funding to the Strategy and policies (lab group, seminar in Gdansk 2011, trust fund, etc.). Strategy should guide policy in the region • To better involve private sector • To start reflection on results and impact of Baltic Sea Strategy: other macro regions enthusiastic to develop strategy - e.g. Danube, Alpine, Adriatic, etc.
Thank you for your Attention! EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region: an integrated framework to address the challenges and opportunities of the Baltic Sea Region http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperation/baltic/index_en.htm