RECITE II FINESTRA Project Innovative Financial Instruments for New Businesses & Services Territorially Anchored

Project Leader Partners EPF - Lecce (Italy) Project Leader Santiago de Compostela (Spain) Vale do Ave (Portugal) Bastia - Futura (France) SERA - (Ireland) Région Epirus (Greece) Région Umbria (Italy) 2 PARTNERSHIP: Innovative Financial Instruments for New Businesses & Services Territorially Anchored BUDGET: Euro TERM: From 15/9/1998 To 14/9/2002

AIMS Improve the way Structural Funds are used by promoting cooperation between the Private sector and local and regional Public Authorities Active involvement of SMEs in all stages of the territorial development process Transfer of positive experiences between partners in this field 1.Structural Funds/Territorial Development ; 2.Anchorage of SMEs on the territory; 3.Opening of new market niches; 4.Fruition of new resources (financial and others); 5.Cooperation between public and private sector; Use of the most efficient ways of cooperation; Simplification of the SMEs access to credits; Verification of the feasibility and efficiency of the innovative instruments identified in the different sectors and contexts. GENERAL: Key issues : SPECIFIC: 3

WORK PROGRAMME 4 Pilot actions: 1.Urban renewal 2.Services to SMEs 3.Urban and extra-urban mobility 4.Alternative Tourism and Rural Tourism 5.Public/Private administrative and financial cooperation Phases of the work programme : 1.Feasibility 2.Verification - implementation 3.Recommendation 4.Diffusion of results Organisation of the partnership : 1.Project promoter 2.Coordination/animation group 3.Steering committee 4.Operational groups 5.Regional responsible 6.Regional Steering Committee

5 EXPECTED RESULTS Long term network cooperation between partners; Opening of new markets at local, regional and international level for the existing SMES and creation of new enterprises trough the identification of « hot » initiatives Implementation of innovative juridical, financial and administrative instruments. Improvement of the situation of SMEs on the territory of the involved partners Diffusion of a certain number of useful mechanisms to improve the external conditions for SMEs providing them new development perspectives

6 « ARCHITECTURE » OF THE PILOT ACTIONS URBAN RENEWAL Aim: 1.Re-qualification of the historical state heritage through a coherent combination of public and private interventions. Donor : Santiago Receivers: Lecce / Bastia / Umbria

7 SERVICES TO SMEs Aim: 1.Transfer/implementation of mechanisms for assistance and providing real financial and technological services on the base of existing experiences; Donors : Futura (Bastia) / South East Regional Authority Receivers: Santiago « ARCHITECTURE" OF THE PILOT ACTIONS

8 ALTERNATIV TOURISM /RURAL TOURISM Aim: 1.Creation/optimization of the opportunities of alternative tourism/ rural tourism trough the application of the Portuguese model (integrated territorial interventions) Donor : Vale do Ave Receivers: South East regional Authority/ Lecce/ Greece « ARCHITECTURE » OF THE PILOT ACTIONS

9 URBAN AND EXTRA - URBAN MOBILITY Aim: 1.Testing of a regional mobility network, through the creation of mixed societies Donor : Umbria Region Receivers: Epirus / SERA/ Vale do Ave « ARCHITECTURE » OF THE PILOT ACTIONS

10 PUBLIC-PRIVATE ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL COOPERATION Aims: 1.Research and application of the best practices of public/private cooperation. 2.Activation of the most efficient mechanisms of administrative and financial support 3.Creation of new niche enterprises Donors: EPF/ all partners according to the acquired experience; Receivers: all partners « ARCHITECTURE » OF THE PILOT ACTIONS

11 OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES ENDED BY JUNE 2002 FINAL CONFERENCE IN ROME on September 9th:  Project Partners,  EC officials,  Public Authorities of the concerned countries,  SMEs representatives. « STATE OF THE ART »

12 EPF is as well Principal Partner in the RECITE II EDIMAR Project (Lead Partner: Welsh Development Agency) with the following aims:  To strengthen the economic base of maritime regions, through area-based partnerships, integrated development strategies and co-operative networking with other similar maritime regions;  To develop a comprehensive action-plan to assist port-related SMEs to identify new markets within the partner regions and with other potential trading areas;  To examine the potential for growth in SME tourism support services with particular reference to the cruise ship and ferry sector. « EDIMAR »