Strategic planning is the key to carrying out regional development

Details

Hits: 353

Zagreb, 26th of October 2013 – "Strategic planning is the key to carrying out the policy of regional development, and the plan of development programs is a link between the strategy and the budget in which ways and preparations of candidating projects for EU funds are defined", highlighted Maja Lehman, advisor for regional development of the Agency for the development of Varaždin County on the Academy's seminar about regional development in units of local self-governance.

The seminar began with an introduction by AZRA director Nikola Kučiš who glanced on the agency's work.

"In the context of regional development and helping everyone interested, AZRA provides services of counseling, planning, education and following tenders and help in preparation and carrying-out of projects, and today we shall speak about strategic development documents in the context of regional development in conjunction with the EU's development policy", said Kučiš.

Lehman spoke about the regional development of Croatia in the continuation, the key and strategic legal documents, bylaws as well as the development index. She stopped here on the central electronic base of development projects which is being established and run by the Ministry of regional development and EU funds (the Agency for regional development) and which shoould mark more effective planning and following of the regional development policy, as well as local, County, regional and national levels of the project.

"The final success depends on good definition of regional priorities and competences of all regional participants who will prepare quality project drafts in a timely manner and ensure their successful and effective carrying out", said Lehman.

In the continuation she mentioned the Council for regional development which is founded for the needs of a scientific and expert foundation of the policy for regional development and a creation of expert bases for decision making important for regional development and counseling the Ministry during the carrying out of the regional development policy. Speaking about the creation of a new generation of planning documents of the regional development policy she put emphasys on strategy.

"The entire development of counties, towns and municipalities must be planned, because it is based on strategy and strategic documents, and the creation of a new strategy of regional development is expected at the end of this year. Strategic documents give direction, and if we don't have planned funding from the budget, the strategy cannot be carried out", concluded the advisor for regional development of AZRA.

Speaking about the program period of 2014 - 2020 Kučiš defined the way that funds from structure funds and the cohesion fund will be used, concretely speaking about the planning of regional development in conjunction with the EU's development policy. In the continuation he highlighted eleven thematical goals of the "Europe 2020" strategy highlighting the goal of strengthening institutional capacities, as well as an effective public administration. When speaking about EU funding sources, he counted five funds and underpinned everything with examples of good practice from EU countries.

"With good practice examples of EU countries, we define the rules of engagement through the operative program, and the state determines acceptable and unacceptable expenses", said the AZRA director.

Kučiš also placed importance on the prerequisites for drawing funds relating to the prepared strategic documents and projects, as well as the corresponding administrative capacities for carrying out.

"Technical documentation must be looked after, because the procedure of drawing money from EU funds is complicated. In some places, there will be as many as three checkpoints and I personally think that a good thing, because you must play by the rules of engagement", concluded Kučiš and outlined advice to everyone present for successful preparation and carrying out of projects.