Directorate General
Regional Policy
Policy development
Preparatory ACTION:ERASMUS FOR REGIONAL
AND LOCAL ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES
Background information
The challenges facing European local and regional territories (economic and financial crisis, climate and demographic changes, environmental issues, etc.) increasingly call for actions to be undertaken through sustainable and integrated development strategies involving all levels of governance.
As stated in the 'Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities',integrated strategies and coordinated actionsare vital if the objective of sustainable cities is to be achieved.[1]
The concept of an integrated sustainable approach is also supported by the Territorial Agenda 2020 (TA2020) agreed at the Informal Ministerial Meeting of Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning and Territorial Development on 19th May 2011 in Gödöllő, Hungary, which states'The objective of the TA2020 is to provide strategic orientations for territorial development, fostering integration of territorial dimension within different policies at all governance levels and to ensure implementation of the Europe 2020 Strategy according to territorial cohesion principles.'[2]
The objectives of the EU defined in the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth can only be achieved if the territorial dimension of the strategy is taken into account, as the development opportunities of the different regions and urban areas vary.
As more attention is given to multi-level governance, the role of local and regional authorities is becoming crucial – as is the need to help them upgrade their skills and capacities in order to meet the new targets. It has to be ensured that those working to deliver integrated development policies at all levels acquire the generic and cross-occupationalskills and knowledge needed to develop local, urban and regional areas as sustainable communities.
Stronger support should be provided at European level to elected representatives – with particular focus on those with little experience in EU affairs and policies - in order to help them to:
-Increase their knowledge of European cohesion policy and its rules (e.g. strategic planning, partnership, co-funding, monitoring, additionality, evaluation), with particular focus on territorial and urban development, through the participation in European seminars and workshops;
-Strengthen the interaction and mutual learning approach through the organisation of activities that may facilitate sharing and exchange of experience with their counterparts throughout Europe;
-Increase their ability to implement integrated approaches to sustainable local and regional development.
In order to help tackle these issues the European Commission, at the initiative of the European Parliament[3] and in collaboration with the Committee of the Regionsis launching the Preparatory Action entitled 'Erasmus for local and regional elected representatives'[4], with the aim of increasing European elected representatives' knowledge and expertise on EU Cohesion Policy through ad hoc training and transnational learning activities.
Objectives
Through the implementation of the preparatory action the European Commission intends to achieve the following objectives:
-to provide help and support to local and regional elected representatives within the EU with very limited or no experience in multilateral co-operation at EU level;
-to encourage multilateral cooperation between local and regional institutions on a political level on issues related to EU Cohesion Policy;
-to stimulate exchange of ideas on the problems the local and regional representatives encounter on a regular basis when implementing EU Cohesion Policy by means of on-the-spot training and the sharing of experience, and
-to promote the exchange of better practices.
Description of activities
Selected candidates willtake part, over a period of six months (fall 2012 – spring 2013), in a 'three-step learning process', namely:
-Step 1: Participation in the OPEN DAYS 2012[5]which will take place in Brussels from 8 to 11 October. Selected candidates will be invited to attend a general introductive session on the aims and content of the preparatory action and at least five workshops on EU Cohesion Policy issues, chosenfrom a fixed menu focussed on integrated territorial development and community led local development.
-Step 2: On-site visits to an EU city/region. Building on the knowledge gained through the participation in the OPEN DAYS, participants will take part in a twoand a half daysite visit linked to one of the following themes (provisional):
- community led local development,
- energy efficiency in housing,
- energy efficiency in transport,
- culture and creativityas leverage to territorial regeneration,
- urban-rural partnership,
- integrated approach to social and economic inclusion,
- brownfield regeneration.
-Step 3: Final seminar. Participants will be invited to a two-day seminar in Brusselsin which they will have the chance to gain further insights into the covered topics, discuss lessons learnt, and exchange knowledge and experience gained.
N.B. Participants will have to commit themselves to participate in the whole learning process, as the admission to step 2 and 3 will be dependent on attendance of the previous steps.
Eligibility and selection criteria
To be eligible, a candidate shouldbe an elected local or regional representative in one of the EU Member States (and Croatia)whose term in officewill not end in the following 18 months.
In the selection process, the following criteria will be used:
- The geographical balance will be taken into account in the selection of applications.
- While elected representatives with European cooperation experience (e.g. involvement in URBACT projects or other European programmes/projects implying transnational learning activities such as: peer learning, exchange activities, etc.) are eligible to apply, preference will be given to those withlittle or no experience in cooperation at EU level.
- Candidates should have good command of at least one of the following six languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian, German or Polish[6]). Passive understanding of English is highly recommended to all candidates as some workshops may not benefit from interpretation.
- The selection of candidates will be made in full compliance with the principle of gender equality.
- In order to increase added value, priority will be given to representatives from Member States which have recently joined the EU or those which will soon join (Croatia), in case of equal competences;
- Should the number of applications - in case of equal competences – exceed the number of 100, priority will be given to younger candidates.
How to apply
Following the launch of this call for expression of interest, up to 100 elected representatives will be chosen to participate in the 'Erasmus for regional and local elected representatives' preparatory action.
Interested participants should fill in the attached form (Expression of Interest) in one of the six languages covered by the preparatory action and send it by the 20th of June to the following email address: forms received after this deadline will not be taken into account.
Thecosts related to the participation of the selected candidates in the above described activities (travel, accommodation, per diem) will be covered by the organising institutions (the European Commission[7], and the Committee of the Regions if applicable).
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[3] In the context of the 2012 budgetary procedure, the European Parliament has voted three new Preparatory Actions, one of which is devoted to support mobility of elected local and regional representatives. Article 130334:"The objective of this preparatory action is to provide help and support for local and regional councils in the Union. The first principle of the preparatory action is to encourage and support the mobility of both elected local and regional representatives within the Union. The second principle of the preparatory action is that the mobility element is included in an agreed programme of on-the-spot training and sharing of experience with focus on ‘economic and social cohesion."
[4]The implementation of this preparatory action is subject to the availability of the appropriations provided for in the draft financing decision for the preparatory action entitled "Erasmus for elected local and regional representatives" for 2012 after the adoption of the decision.
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[6] Given the 'pilot' nature of the action and the logistical constraints, only a limited number of languages can be covered by interpretation facilities.
[7] For the reimbursement of participants to the Erasmus preparatory action the rules for reimbursement of expensesincurred by people from outside the Commission invited to attend meetings in an expert capacity will be applied. For details see 'Expenses reimbursement' document attached.