Regional Development Strategies Key factors for success Claudiu N. Cosier North-West RDA Director, Romania

1. 1 Regional Development StrategiesKey factors for successClaudiu N. CosierNorth-West RDA Director, Romania

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3. 3 The Region-Northern Transylvania 2.75 million inhabitants 6 counties, 421 local administrative units 14.32% of surface of Romania Rural region (45% rural population) In 1999 10% unemployment rate Industrial restructuring Starting of preparation of national development plan to be negotiated with EC

4. 4 The North-West Regional Development Agency established in 1999, 40 employees(2004) Executive body of Regional Council, the board of local administrations associated through a convention Decentralised institution Intermediate body =the voice of local administrations in the fields related to development =delegated tasks in implementing the policies

5. 5 Regional Development Strategy-a continuous process Purpose and benefits Ensuring a common vision Ensuring coordination of interventions in different places in region Ensuring the impact of the interventions by coordination with other interventions at local level Purpose and benefits The effect of multiplication of public investments Ensuring transfer of information and of competencies at local level Send inputs to the national level Legitimacy

6. 6 Key factors for success Clear methodological guidelines Reasonable timetable Partnership approach Follow-up: fostering projects Monitoring and evaluation

7. 7 Clear methodological guidelines Scope of the document Clear links with upper and lower level documents �How-to� instructions

8. 8 Reasonable timetable Time consuming activities: building an effective partnership network drafting the document regional consensus upon the document debate and comments on the national planning documents Each activity has its own natural pace!

9. 9 Partnership networks What do we forget? Partners are: individuals representing institutions carrying projects and proving co-financing beside providing data and out-sourced expertise

10. 10 Partnership networks Working groups thematic working groups vs. territorial working groups selection of partnership institutions provision of financial resources working procedures expected outputs

11. 11 Partnership networks Ensuring acceptance and fostering ownership: decision mechanisms all-stakeholders consultations transparency through media coverage, open public meetings and web tools appropriate location and other incentives endorsement of the final version by a legitimate authority

12. 12 Follow-up: fostering projects Fostering projects: communication campaigns project ideas technical assistance for project definition identification of alternative sources of financing Measures should be checked for projects before they are included in the strategy Keep concentration in programming!

13. 13 Follow-up: fostering projects 2000 - financing SMEs +basic infrastructure +business infrastructure (parks) 2002 +tourism (winter, balnear) +vocational system 2004 +SMEs (incubators, inovation) +tourism (termal)

14. 14 Monitoring and evaluation Key issues: mechanisms and procedures transparency periodicity Monitoring is for identifying remedial actions Evaluation is for identifying lessons for future planning

15. 15 Impact of strategies-Ex-post evaluation Type of interventions used: Small and large infrastructure HRD Financial support for SMEs Implementation started in 2000 PHARE and NRDF Incentives for Underdeveloped Areas (UA) Total investments (in 2003)=63.4 MEURO 2077 projects processed 494 projects contracted Implemented in the period 2000-2003 446 projects 7.58 MEURO 1412 new companies in UA New Jobs created 2905 through projects 15932 in UA The unemployment rate decreased to 6.8%

16. 16 Thank you! Comments are welcome! adrnv@mail.dntcj.ro