ESPON Workshop at the Open Days Brussels, 6 October 2010

1. ESPON Workshop at the Open Days Brussels, 6 October 2010 ESPON provides regions with targeted analysis Success for Convergence Region’s Economies Victoria Primhak, L.U.P.T. - University of Naples Federico II

2. Research Team • Lead Partner: L.U.P.T. University of Naples Federico II • Coordinator: Prof. Guglielmo Trupiano • Team: Dr Enrica Rapolla, Dr Ettore Guerrera, Dr Filomena Izzo, • Dr Victoria Primhak • Partner: Dept.of Environmental Sciences, Geography/ Urban and • Regional Studies, University of Basel • Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Rita Schneider-Sliwa • Team: Dr Tina Haisch, Prof. Urs Muller, Esther Gloor • Subcontractors and local experts: BAK Basel Economics, Eurofund • Project Consulting S.L., Nodi srl, Stowarzyszenie Miasta w Internecie, • Georgia Karavangeli, Vasilis Lepidas, Lukas Nikitin

3. Stakeholders • Campania (Italy) • Podlasie (Poland) • East Macedonia – Thrace (Greece) • Valencia (Spain) • Umbrella Organisations: • Conference of Peripheral Maritime • Regions • Assembly of European Regions • Assembly of European Border • Regions • Advisory status: • Ministry of Economic Development • Italy

4. General Goals • To understand why some convergence regions continue to lag behind and others are able to accelerate their growth rates and catch up with the EU mean • To identify factors that affect above average and below average growth rates relating to effective fund management and effective public administration • To identify effective strategies regional policy-makers can adopt in lagging regions to improve economic performance and make the most of cohesion policy • To draw up policy suggestions for the 4 stakeholder Regions

5. Research approach

6. Key Findings • Preconditions for Economic success • Efficiency of the public workforce • Efficient decision-making for fund allocation and implementation procedures • Effective monitoring and evaluation systems • Transparency and accountability of processes, including low levels of corruption and a stable regulatory framework • Economic drivers • Exploiting knowledge and innovation potentials, eg university quality • Enhancing accessibility & connectivity • Improving the quality of life including heritage, social conditions • Exploiting/modernising the economic settings and structure • EU funds amount and allocation • Economic enablers • Taxation • Regulation • Administration system and governance

7. Key findings – stakeholder regions …from the regional survey: questionnaires Weak and catching up convergence regions differ in regard to success factors!

8. Lessons Learned • Convergence regions can take full advantage of cohesion policy only if the economic preconditions are met. • The effectiveness and efficiency of EU funds allocation and spending in convergence regions is more important than the amount available • Differences in the exploitation of resources or economic drivers in convergence regions explain successful economic performance • Exploiting innovation potentials should be a policy focus, but must be geared to regional contexts and strengths • EU funds add to economic growth in the absence of corruption and high accountability in convergence regions • Other relevant factors include quality of human capital and decentralisation

9. Policy suggestions • Foster cooperation up-stream and improve coordination down- • stream for the implementation of cohesion • Public accountability and the transparency of processes • Avoid concentration on a single sector but ensure diversification is complementary to regional potentials • Invest in major transport and infrastructure projects • Invest in available human capital • Campania: improvement of public administration efficiency and coordination of funds in key areas • Podlasie: improvements in the economic structure • REMTH: modernising public administration to better utilize regional potentials • Valencia : innovation, natural and cultural heritage • .

10. THANKS Many thanks for your attention! Victoria Primhak Contact: trupiano@unina.it