„Drava River Basin Project“

1. „Drava River Basin Project“ Conference „European Territorial Co-operation and the Alps-Adriatic Working Community” 04October 2006 Velden, Austria ARGE DRBP

2. Intention On the basis of Austrian know-how, and within the context of a project co-financed by the European Union, it was intended to show innovative ways of implementing future infrastructure projects in financially weaker countries in the long term and in cooperation with the private sector. ARGE DRBP

3. Time Schedule Project start: 01.01.2003 Project end: 30.06.2006 (extended period: 6 months) ARGE DRBP

4. Project Finance • Total budget:EUR 2.283.000.-, thereof • EU - European Regional Development Fund (ERDF): EUR 750.000.-; • Austria - Federal Ministry of Economy and Labour + Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management + Regional Government of Carinthia + Regional Government of Styria + ARGE DRBP: EUR 759.834.-; • Croatian institutions and ministries: EUR750.000.-; • Hungarian institutions and ministries: EUR 24.000.-. ARGE DRBP

5. Innovative Project Partnership • ARGE DRBP Lead Partner Consortium coming from the private sector: - best-practice example for partnership structure, - recommended model for future projects in the Alps-Adriatic Region; • project successfully developed and implemented by internationally experienced interdisciplinary experts in co-operation with local, regional and national authorities and institutions from Austria, Croatia and Hungary. ARGE DRBP

6. iC consulenten GmbH Kaiserstraße 45 1070 Wien ARGE DRBP Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH Elisabethstraße 16/II 8010 Graz Quantum Institut für betriebswirtschaftliche Beratung GmbH Walther-von-der-Vogelweide-Platz 4 9020 Klagenfurt ARGE DRBP

7. Hungarian Project Partners • South Transdanubian Regional Development Agency, • Ministry of Environment and Water Management– South-Transdanubian Environmental Protection Authority, • General Assembly of Baranya County. Successful application for INTERREG III B PHARE projects fund: “Drava River Basin Project- Hungary”. ARGE DRBP

8. Project Area Northern Croatian counties (“županije”): • Krapina-Zagorje, • Varaždin, • Međimurje, • Koprivnica-Križevci, • Virovitica-Podravina, and • Osijek-Baranja County. Some 920,000 inhabitants live in an area of 8,573 sq km.  ARGE DRBP

9. Project Components • Waste management • Waste water management • Methodological tool – “Systematic Guideline” ARGE DRBP

10. I.Waste Management Pilot Project DRBP: • (Pre-)Feasibility studies • Strategic concept (for the whole project area) • Foundation of waste management association in NW CRO • Landfill location „Gunjak“ • Environmental Impact Assessment • Regional development plan • Tendering process(“Design Contest”) Ongoing project: • Monitoring • Implementation ARGE DRBP

11. II.Waste Water Management Pilot Projects DRBP: • Strategic concept (for the whole project area) • Selection of pilot project municipalities: Lepoglava and Varaždinske Toplice (both in Varaždin County) • Waste Water Management Concepts (technical, legal, economic, financial, organisational and ecological) - feasibility studies for waste water management solutions Ongoing project: • Evaluation of waste water management organisational models: • Government funding • Concession model • PPP • Decision by municipalities • Tendering process and contract award • Implementation ARGE DRBP

12. III. Systematic guideline The “Systematic Guideline for the Implementation of Environmental Infrastructure Measures in Water and Waste Management Sector in EU, Eastern and Southeastern European Countries” is a methodological tool or guideline for regional and local authorities in similar regions, aimed at planning environmental infrastructure projects. ARGE DRBP

13. The guideline is composed by: •  three levels (columns of the flowchart) and • seven project phases (rows of the flowchart). The three different levels are: • the “expert level: activities of public and private entities” • the “project level” and • the “decision making level”. The guideline distinguishesthe following seven project phases: • the project initiation and start phase • the strategic concept (development of the strategic concept) • the feasibility study • the foundation of an organisational form • the detailed project development • the environmental impact assessment • the tendering phase. ARGE DRBP

14. Structure of the Guideline: - Expert level - Project level - Decision making level Useful tools: - Checklists - Pitfalls ARGE DRBP

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17. Example Pitfalls: Pitfall 1 (P1) General pitfalls in planning and implementing environ-mental infrastructure projects • Lack of resources (time, funds, qualified personnel) in national, regional and / or local administrative structures for project activities; • Political changes on national, regional and / or local level causing delays and changes in commitment or strategy; • Language barrier in transnational projects; • Incongruity between politicians' and experts' priorities and knowledge; • Difficult planning of activities at the planning stage (concerning e.g. preparation of application, when official funding available) – impossible prediction of future changes; • Inappropriate planning of project costs and its distribution among project partners; • Difficult and often too ambitious planning of project duration, leading to corresponding delays or impossibility of fulfilment; … ARGE DRBP

18. Example Checklist – C3Feasibility Study Example of a structure for a feasibility study in waste management • Executive summary • Background • General data about the project area • Geographic details • National strategy • Statistical data • Legislation in force of the respective country • Definition of types of waste • Status and trend in the national waste management • Organisation and legal framework • Description of the current waste management situation • Organisation of waste collection • Ways of waste collection • Collection rate • Waste management situation (amount and composition of waste) ... ARGE DRBP

19. The “Systematic Guideline for the Implementation of Environmental Infrastructure Measures in Water and Waste Management Sector in EU, Eastern and Southeastern European Countries” is available on the project website: www.drava-river-basin.net (under “News”). ARGE DRBP

20. Future Perspectives • Physical implementation of pilot projects; • Start of new projects in the project area using the Systematic Guideline and EU funds, e.g. within INTERREG programme. • Development of new EU projects within the new neighbourhood programme – also in the Alps-Adriatic Region. ARGE DRBP