7th LDPP (Local and Regional Development Pilot Projects) MEETING OF PROJECT COORDINATORS AS PART OF THE REGIONAL PROGRAMME FOR CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE
France, Strasbourg, from 30 November to 01 December 2009
The 7th LDPP meeting of Project Coordinators was held from 30 November to 01 December 2009 in Strasbourg, France. The meeting was attended by the following participants:
- Gianluca Silvestrini, Mikhael de Thyse, Alison Helm, Claudine Nonnenmacher-Cancemi, the representatives of the Department of Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage of the Council of Europe;
- Terry O’Regan, Tatjana Rener, experts;
- Anne Pisot, Project Manager;
- Thomas de Vos, Project Assistant;
- Representatives of the countries of the South East Europe: Galina Kardjolova (Bulgaria), Tatjana Lolić (Croatia), Lejla Abdić-Đoković (Montenegro), Borislav Šurdić (Serbia), Snežana Gerasimova Mateska (Macedonia), Burbuqe Bakija-Deva (Kosovo), Tarik Jazvin (Bosnia and Herzegovina);
- Leila Tumanishvili, Rusudan Mirzikashvili (Georgia), monitors;
The meeting was held with the aim of making an insight into the status of the Pilot Project in the countries of South East Europe, with a special focus on the importance of the study visit to Cork (September) and the Ljubljana Conference (November) as well as finding out which measures are to be taken to strengthen political support and funds for sustainability of the LDPP. The LDPP was assessed as a crucial project for 2010 as part of the Regional Programme. The meeting was described as a turning point for the further course of the project, and the government representatives of the countries of South East Europe are expected to strongly support it. Bosnia and Herzegovina should improve the project and demonstrate to be able to acomplish it.
The conclusions boil down to the following points that should be a key to the LDPP success in 2010:
1. Political phase of the project;
2. Management and partnership;
3. Fund raising;
4. Communication;
5. Coordination meetings and training;
6. Pre-diagnosis / Diagnosis.
Bosna and Herzegovina was tasked with fulfilling a number of priorities by the end of 2010, which are as follows:
a) Provide political support to the project
The LDPP development strategy should produce positive effects on the social and economic conditions of the Pilot territory with the aim of providing the better quality of lliving. The Programme Coordinator should remind and convince the Inter-Ministerial Commission of the importance of the project and request that the interest in the LDPP is maintained. Triggering off the political support to the project will help to provide a budget for 2010. I requested for the Secretariat to address a letter to the Inter-Ministerial Commission in order to remind them of the obligations they assumed within the LDPP.
b) Fulfill the obligation of compiling the required documentation
It is necessary to draft the Terms of Reference (ToR). This document is similar to the already signed Memorandum of Understanding, but it is of a rather technical nature. The drafting of the Terms of Reference would bring about the LDPP regeneration, which would again start progressing in a positive direction.
c) Apply for additional funds
Apply for new funds through various Funds (certainly one application to the Central European Initiative, and another one through the IPA and other European funds, national funds...). Provide funds from 2010 Budget to strengthen the project.
d) Conduct Pilot actions
It is necessary to compile a list of pilot actions according to the LDPP needs by May 2010, which would be aimed at raising public awareness. The Pilot territory should produce a brochure to reflect the LDPP progress no later than June 2010, and create a logotype through a public competition procedure by the end of the next year (in schools, etc.).
e) PIU consolidation and training
The actions of the PIU as a management body to become more consolidated, hiring new employees, etc..
f) Pre - diagnosis
Prepare a proposal for the pre-diagnosis and envisage a visit of the expert mission of the Council of Europe in that period of time. This should be done in the second half of the next year.
The deadline for preparing a proposal „Draft Action Plan 2010“, which should include, among other issues, the stated priorities as well, is 14 December 2009.
Items a) and b) will serve as indicators based on which the progress of the project will be assessed. In case of the failure to fulfill them, there is a likelihood to change the Pilot territory, which would be a bad signal from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The deadline for these two items is Spring 2010.
In addition, it is necessary to identify one person to monitor the on-line Collaboration Platform that will soon become operational. That person will have his/her access code and will have to process the data of the Platform almost on a daily basis and work on monthly reports. It would be desirable that a person from the PIU be the LDPP Project Manager. In this way the Council of Europe will be able to follow the ongoing (absence of) work on the project.
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