1. Welcome to objective 2 programme East-Flanders Belgium
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2. 1. Introduction
The European Commission has decided to contribute actively to the development of East Flanders by co-financing the Objective 2 programme for the period.
Structural Funds assistance will amount to € million out of a total budget of € 59.1 million.
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3. 1.2 The map of the eligible area
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4. 1.3 Description of the eligible area
The programme concerns two areas of East Flanders: parts of the city of Ghent and a rural area north of Ghent known as ?Meetjesland?. The first area, corresponding to the 19th century inner suburb surrounding the historic city centre, has inhabitants (of a total of in Ghent). The youthful population includes a high number of immigrants of Moroccan and Turkish descent, who make up 21.6% of the population (7% for the city as a whole). In contrast, Meetjesland is a relatively sparsely populated rural area ( inhabitants).
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5. 1.3 Description of the eligible area
Private and public services account for more than 70% of employment and dominate the economic structure of Ghent. The tertiary sector is concentrated in services for industry. The public services are essentially related to education and health. A few large metalwork and car assembly plants are also present in the secondary sector Agriculture and horticulture are important in Meetjesland, alongside industry, which has higher employment than the average for the rest of East Flanders. Textiles and construction are the two leading industrial activities. Public services are also an important source of jobs.
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6. 1.3 Description of the eligible area
Unemployment of 13.7% in Ghent is well above the average for Flanders; the rate rises to 15.3% in the urban area covered by Objective 2. In Meetjesland, the jobless rate is 5.9%, or only slightly higher than the average for the province as a whole A high rate of commuting by workers is characteristic of both areas.
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7. 1.4 Main regional indicators in EU and in Belgium, Source: Second report on Economic and Social Cohesion, January 2001
Economy Labour market
GDP/head Empl. rate%,1999 Unempl. rate%
Agri. Indust. Servi
EU ,0 100,0 4,5 29,2 66,0 8,4 9,4 Belgique 103,2 111,3 2,4 25,8 71,8 7,2 8,8
Bruxelles-Capital 162,3 168,8 0,2 13,4 86,4 9,2 14,0
Vlaams Gewest 104,4 115,1 2,5 28,0 69,5 5,5 5,6
Antwerpen 123,8 138,5 2,2 28,1 69,8 6,4 6,5
Limburg (B) 102,6 108,5 2,1 34,5 63,4 8,5 7,0
Oost-Vlaanderen 99,0 104,1 2,7 30,4 66,9 5,3 5,9
Vlaams-Brabant 81,4 96,1 1,5 20,7 77,8 4,0 3,9
West-Vlaanderen 103,9 116,2 3,8 27,5 68,7 3,9 4,6
Region Wallonie 83,4 87,9 2,8 24,7 72,5 9,9 13,3
Brabant-Wallon 75,5 86,8 2,0 24,0 74,1 5,8 8,8
Hainaut 77,0 79,2 2,6 27,3 70,2 11,9 16,6
Liège 94,9 98,6 2,4 23,9 73,7 10,1 12,8
Luxembourg (B) 85,3 95,0 6,8 24,7 68,5 6,1 7,3
Namur 80,4 85,7 3,0 20,3 76,7 9,2 12,6
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8. 2. Development strategy
2.1 The combined program proposes four priorities:
Development of economic initiatives and employment
Improving the livability and quality of life in the urban and rural centers
Fostering the development of tourism
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9. 2. Development strategy
2.2 Expected program impact and specific objectives:
unemployment in the Objective 2 area to diminish to the level of the city of Gent as a whole
Creation of 400 new jobs
Establishment of 60 new businesses in renovated areas and premises
10% increase of number of visitors to tourism attractions
10% increase of income in the commercial services sector
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10. 3. Priorities and measures
Priority 1 : Development of economic initiatives and employment:
Measure 1.a Reinforcing, stimulating and developing economic initiatives
Support services for commerce and crafts (job search systems, management advice, fostering networking and cooperation between companies
Enhancing local service provision for inhabitants (child care facilities, shopping delivery services), which also create jobs for the lower educated
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11. 3. Priorities and measures
1.b Reutilization of former industrial sites and development of economic infrastructure
Rehabilitation, renovation and reutilization of former industrial sites and premises
Reconstructing the public domain in relation to the changed use of the sites and premises
Development of training infrastructure
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12. 3. Priorities and measures
1.c Improving the integration in the labor market
Creation of a “werkwinkel”
Implementation of a local “labor market management system” to improve the match of demand and supply on the labor market
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13. 3. Priorities and measures
Priority 2 : Improving the livability and quality of life in the urban and rural centers
Measure 2.a Improving the quality of life:
Advice and support services for (potential) inhabitants of the area
Measure 2.b Improving the environment for living:
Reconstructing public areas, such as parks and playgrounds, and improving its accessibility for environment-friendly ways of transport
Measure 2.c Restoring the socio-cultural structure and improving service provision
Stimulating accessible socio-cultural activities via neighborhood community work, youth integration work, artistic-cultural activities
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14. 3. Priorities and measures
Priority 3 : Promoting the development of tourism:
Measure .3 a Maintaining and developing tourism sites of regional importance:
Further development and integration in tourism supply of a number of sites with particular cultural, historical or natural interest
Measure 3.b Promoting and supporting rural tourism:
Common marketing and promotion activities for rural tourism
Initiatives to maintain and reinforce the specific local attractiveness of the landscape
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15. 3. Priorities and measures
Priority 4 : Technical assistance:
Measure 4.a TA – managing costs:
Managing and monitoring expenses
Measure 4.b TA – other expenditure:
Information and communication, external evaluation, baseline surveys
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16. 4. Management and contact information
The Ministry of the Flemish Community is the Managing Authority for the Objective 2 programme and is responsible for co-ordinating all those involved in implementing the programme and organising meetings of the Monitoring Committee.
Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap Departement Economie, Werkgelegenheid, Binnenlandse Aangelegenheden en Landbouw Administratie Economie - Afdeling Europa Economie Afdelingshoofd Van Haver, André Markiesgebouw - Markiesstraat 1 B-1000 Brussel Tel.: Fax.: : Web: Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap
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17. 4. Management and contact information
European Commission:
Mr. Bernard De Cock
Administrator, Flanders, Belgium
DG Regio, Benelux, Austria
CSM1, 6/ 67, Rue Péré de Deken 23
B-1049 Bruxelles
Tel: , Fax:
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18. 5. Financial and technical information
Title : Objective 2 Programme for East Flanders Intervention type : Single Programming Document CCI No. : 2000BE162DO006 No. of decision : C(2001) Final approval date : 08-JUN-01
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19. 6. Financial breakdown
Breakdown of Finances by priority area (in millions of €)
Priority area Total EU Public aid cost cont. (EC+oth.) 1 Developing economic initiatives and employment Improving living conditions and the quality of life in urban and rural areas Promoting the development of tourism Technical assistance Total
Financial Breakdown by Funds (in millions of Euros)
EU Contribution ERDF Total : % %
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