STRUCTURED DIALOGUE WITH EUROPEAN STRUCTURAL AND INVESTMENT FUNDS’ PARTNERS GROUP OF EXPERTS
21 NOVEMBER 2017
9:30 – 17:30
Venue: Centre de Conférences Albert Borschette (CCAB), Room 4A Rue Froissart 36, B-1040 Brussels
Agenda – available here 
Presentations:
- The main findings of the 7th Cohesion Report – available here
- Update on the Thematic Network on Partnership – available here
- Communication on boosting growth and cohesion in border regions – available here
- Communication on strengthening innovation in Europe’s regions – available here
Main findings of the 7th Cohesion Report
Main conclusions on social cohesion: challenges are still high
- Risk of poverty or social exclusion: has fallen back to its pre-crisis level, but remains higher in EU-15 cities and in EU-13 rural areas.
- Increase in inequality in many Member States. Many EU-15 cities have high levels of inequality (reflected by in at-risk-of-poverty rates, higher concentrations of deprivation and households with low work intensity).
We need continued investments in human capital
- Demographic challenges including long term integration of migrants
- New technology and productivity paradigms
- Ensuring solidarity and cohesion
- Continuing structural reforms for more resilient economies
Supporting the European Pillar of Social Rights for equal opportunities and access to the labour market; fair working conditions and adequate and sustainable social protection
Post 2020: Investment priorities
- Social inclusion, employment, skills, innovation, climate change, energy and environmental transition
- Reflection papers mention positive impact of CP on SMEs, healthcare and social infrastructure, transport and digital infrastructure, and skill upgrading.
- Improving institutions (e-Governance)
- Positive incentives for structural reform
- Support to cooperation, especially on innovation
Post 2020: How to invest
- A single rule book
- A radical approach to simplification
- Allocations linked to EU challenges and priorities
- Higher national co-financing
- An unallocated capacity to create flexibility
- Faster implementation: N+2 and faster closure
- Complementarity between financial instruments
Update on the Thematic Network on Partnership
Key work strands and outputs
- Mapping of relevant concepts, models, challenges.
- European Code of Conduct on Partnership (ECCP) Review.
- Cross-network activity/resources – e.g. coproduction dossier.
- Database of peer-reviewed partnership practices.
- Process connections.
Initial findings of the ECCP Review
- Lack of awareness of ECCP and its principles.
- Debate about the extent to mandate implementation.
- Emphasis should be on quality of implementation of partnership principle.
- Some suggestions for changes to principles text, suggestions for guidance to ‘give life’ to the document
- Need for greater efforts to promote ongoing stakeholder involvement in Operational Programmes.
- Reporting on what is being done needs to be improved.
How you can partner…
- Collectively, consider the ECCP and discuss the underpinning principles.
- Explore your own partnership practice in this light – challenges, ‘what works’, making policy impact.
- What would you like to see in / as support to the ECCP 2021-2027?
Make your recommendations to the network by Friday, 19th January
Contacts: Leda Stott, Thematic Expert – Partnership, lstott@telefonica.net and Ruth Pritchard (Ireland) ECCP Review Lead, rpritchard@pobal.ie
Community Living for Europe: Structural Funds Watch 