Students:EU (2012 e-learning)

Stakeholder profiles
Stakeholder profiles according to the criteria:

Development vision
++

These criteria are fundamental for the EU to give grants for region’s projects.

Into the ‘North-West’ Region (Usti nad Labem and Karlovy Vary region merged together), has already been invested about 14mld CZK within the EU Regional Operational Programme North-West. The grants are perceived as an impulse for the region and cities within it. Some projects are already done and some in construction. According to a Chairman of Regional Council of the North-West Cohesion Region, the EU projects are more successful than operational projects organised by ministries. (1)

In addition, a vision is not recognisable at the moment and there might be a lack of new ideas. @@

Flexibility and innovation
-

In this case I think that the people are about to adapt their actions to the EU in order to reach their goals. The EU organisation is supposedly too “high” to be reached from the levels of citizens. But innovations in other sense – improvements and development of the region – are being supported.

Relationships
++

There is being practiced a Regional Operational Programme in North-West Cohesion Region and within this programme the encounters and application for grants are being held.

Communication
+

EU has highly consistent view of its goals and the informational agenda is very clear. But the administration process of applications for grants is very complicated and thus there occur problems with applying.

Transparency
++

Transparency is another fundamental criterion for communication within the EU.

Trust
++

The EU in this case seems to be maybe more trustable than the Czech side.

Operational effectiveness
++

There is a strict way in which EU checks on the results of the goals that it helps on.

Conflicts
+-

When there is a conflict, it is most often due to the second side, not EU, so the second side has to answer for the charge or is sanctioned.

Resources
+

In this little- scale case of our case study I think I can say, that EU is financially independent on other stakeholders.

Conflict of interest with the public interest & external influence
--

In this case the public interest should copy the interest of EU. Due to the burreaucracy and precise judging no lobbying should influence the EU decission.

Corruption susceptibility
+-

The chain of money - decision making is in different stages differently influencable. I do not thing there are big corruption problems on parts of the chain outside the Czech boarder, but on the part of money-chain inside Czech Republic corruption occured.

@@There are 5 priority axes in Regional Operational Programme: ROP Priority axes (2)
 * 1) P1 Urban regeneration and development
 * Revitalisation and regeneration of urban agglomerations
 * Infrastructure in the area of human resources development
 * 1) P2 Integrated support of local development
 * Developing local development capacities, public information and education
 * Investments into the improvement of physical infrastructure
 * 1) P3 Region’s accessibility and transport services
 * Development of traffic infrastructure of regional and supraregional importance
 * Development of the region’s transport services
 * 1) P4 Sustainable development of the travel industry
 * Building and developing touristic attraction and infrastructure
 * Improving the quality and offer of accommodation and catering facilities
 * Support of marketing, creation and development of tourism products
 * 1) P5 Technical assistance
 * Support of major control and implementation tasks attended to by controlling body and intermediary bodies
 * Support of absorption capacity development (in form of a service) ensuring efficient and sustainable investments on the basis of suitable integrated strategies and development practice
 * Information and publicity
 * Support in form of minor grants used to process diverse studies related to the strategy as well as to drafting and implementation of projects
 * Technical assistance

2) Strategic options:

 * EU leads the region to a sustainable development, as it is said in the Operational Programme 'North-West' (which is under Convergence objective, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF): The purpose and aim of the EU investment is: „The overall objective consists in supporting the economic, social, territorially balanced and sustainable development of the Northwest region, according to its specific needs and resources, focusing on transport accessibility, urban and local regeneration, development of tourism. This objective will be achieved in close coordination with the actions implemented by other operational programmes at the national level.“ (3)
 * Motivating people to apply for the grants
 * Training for people how to communicate with the EU

3) Open questions:

 * How is the communication with EU actually being proceeded?
 * Do the applicants for grants from EU have any problems with the procedure?
 * Do the applicants for grants from EU have any suggestions how to improve the system of applying?
 * How is the situation when a conflict occurs being solved?

Resources
(1) ROP Severozápad: Regionální projekty 2007-2011 online. Úřad Regionální rady regionu soudržnosti Severozápad, 2011 cit. 2012-05-20. Dostupné z: http://www.nuts2severozapad.cz/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ROP_brozura_PP_2011.pdf

(2) ROP Severozápad. online. cit. 2012-05-20. http://www.nuts2severozapad.cz/en/rop-2007-2013

(3) European Commission. Development Programmes online. cit. 2012-05-20. http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/country/prordn/details_new.cfm?LAN=7&gv_PAY=CZ&gv_reg=ALL&gv_PGM=1080&gv_PER=2&gv_defL=2&lang=7