1. Welcome to Objective 2 programme West-Flanders Belgium
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2. 1. Introduction
The European Commission has decided to contribute actively to the development of West Flanders by part-financing the Objective 2 programme for the period.
Structural Funds assistance will amount to € 33 million out of a total budget of €117.9 million.
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3. 1.2 The map og the eligible area
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4. 1.3 Description of the eligible area
The programme concerns the Kustgebied-Westhoek region located in West Flanders and covering the entire Belgian coast and the rural inland. The region has inhabitants (out of a total population of 1.1 million in West Flanders). The coastal area has a high population density and a relatively high proportion of elderly persons. The more scarcely populated inland is essentially agricultural The economy of both areas is dominated by commercial and public services, which provide 84% of employment (compared to 56% for all of West Flanders). Jobs are concentrated in two towns in the region, Bruges and Ostende. As in the rest of Flanders, the industrial fabric is made up of mostly small to medium-sized businesses.
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5. 1.3 Description of the eligible area
Unemployment in West Flanders is below the average for Belgium and Flanders. But in the areas concerned, the jobless rate is well above the Flemish average (8.2 % for the coastal zone and 7.5% for Westhoek) and in certain coastal towns (Blankenberge, Oostende, De Panne) it even exceeds 10% The most important economic sectors for the coastal zone are fisheries and tourism; for Westhoek, agriculture, horticulture and tourism are key sectors. Many jobs have been lost in fisheries in the last 10 years. The number of farms and horticultural holdings is on the decline and their operators are ageing. As for tourism, the coastal area suffers primarily from shrinking demand for short stays and deteriorating infrastructure. In Westhoek, on the other hand, tourist services are generally of better quality.
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6. 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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7. 2. Development strategy
The point of departure for both sub-programs is the objective to promote development through reinforcement and diversification of the industrial and services sectors, based on endogenous growth opportunities in the area, with specific attention to SMEs as the locally predominant type of enterprise. In this context, it builds upon specific measures for locally important activities (fishery, tourism) and on general measures to attract new economic activities. Framework conditions for such a program are economic viability, provision of essential social services, environmental friendliness and equal chances.
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8. 2. Development strategy Four priorities:
Further development of tourism
Strengthening the economic framework conditions
Improvement of the livability of the area and of sustainable development
Training, education and the labor market
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9. 2. Development strategy
Expected program impact and specific objectives:
Labor market participation in general: increase to at least the West-Flanders average (66.1%)
Labor market participation of women: increase to at least the West-Flanders average (55.1%)
Long-term unemployment: decrease to West-Flanders average (i.e. 55% of total unemployment)
Average pre-tax income: 2% decrease of the difference with the Flemish average
GDP per capita: no increase of the current difference with the Flemish average
Migratory balance of the area: increase of inward migration
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10. 3. Priorities, measures and descriptions
Priority 1 : Support for the development of tourism:
Measure 1.1: Improvement of the basic coastal tourism product:
Renovation and maintenance of the coastal tourism sites (beaches, dunes) and improving their accessibility
Reinforcing the attractiveness of the area, including its urban and architectural heritage
Exploitation of tourism opportunities related to the maritime heritage and the fishery sector
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11. 3. Priorities, measures and descriptions
Priority 1 : Support for the development of tourism:
Measure 1.2 Improvement of the tourism infrastructure:
Reinforcement of “soft” recreational links between seaside resorts (a.o. cycle tracks)
Development and extension of tourism and leisure services for specific target groups (families with children, bicycle tourism, leisure-shopping, etc.)
Maintaining a wide spectrum of commercial accommodations of good quality (campings, bungalows, hotels)
Qualitative development of special events in seaside resorts
Implementation of projects with a leverage function for tourism in the Westhoek (Vredespark, Ecomuseum, natural or cultural heritage sites)
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12. 3. Priorities, measures and descriptions
Priority 1 : Support for the development of tourism:
Measure 1.3 Improvement of communication and publicity and management information systems:
Improvement of publicity for new tourism target groups
Development of a common management information system for the tourism sector
Creation of a center for the coordination and promotion of tourism in the Westhoek
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13. 3. Priorities, measures and descriptions
Priority 2 : Strengthening the economic framework conditions :
Measure 2.1 Improvement of the physical conditions for businesses and the social economy:
Renovation and reutilization of business sites and premises, ports and railway sites
Modernization of multi-modal transport facilities
Extension of the ICT infrastructure and application of new technology
Projects related to water management and durable energy supply
Creation of “werkwinkels” in rural areas
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14. 3. Priorities, measures and descriptions
2.2 Supporting and accompanying the business environment and innovation:
improvement and extension of the support structure for SME with particular attention for environmental measures and energy efficiency
Reinforcing the links of SME to the main seaports in the area
Social economy projects to create employment opportunities for vulnerable groups
Actions to maintain and improve the level of services in rural areas
Actions to promote innovation by businesses (product innovation and technological development)
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15. 3. Priorities, measures and descriptions
2.3 Improving the training infrastructure:
Improvement and extension of training centers, with specific attention for area-specific training needs
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16. 3. Priorities, measures and descriptions
Priority 3 : Promoting cross-sector sustainable development and improving the livability of the area:
Measure 3.1 Cross-sector sustainable development:
Integrated durable management of the coastal area
Communication and participation projects directed towards inhabitants, tourist, etc. for sustainable coastal area management
Creation of an observatory for coastal area management
Survey of the needs for services in the coastal area
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17. 3. Priorities, measures and descriptions
3.2 Improving the quality of the environment and nature in the coastal area:Prevention and
containment of pollution
Maintenance and improvement of the quality of the natural heritage
Environmental management projects related to the durable production and rational consumption of energy and water
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18. 3. Priorities, measures and descriptions
3.3 Improving the livability of the urban coastal areas:
Creation of green zones, containment of negative consequences of mass tourism
Improving the public areas in the cities, in particular in disadvantaged districts
Promoting durable transport modes (collective and public transport, better links between different types of transport)
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19. 3. Priorities, measures and descriptions
3.4 Upgrading the livability of the rural area (Westhoek):
Village renovation
Actions to improve access to the housing market for vulnerable groups
Actions to improve the presence and accessibility of facilities and services in less populated areas
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20. 3. Priorities, measures and descriptions
3.5 Multifunctional use of the rural area:
Upgrading the rural area in order to develop new, small scale commercial activities, for example related to local products, rural tourism, cultural sites
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21. 3. Priorities, measures and descriptions
Priority 4 : Training and the labor market:
Measure 4.1 Organization of general and company-specific training and improving the demand-supply match on the labor market:
Training actions, with specific attention for local sectors with good opportunities (distribution and transport, tourism) and for training in the use of ICT
Training actions focused on remedying existing labor market bottlenecks
Surveys of the local labor market needs
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22. 3. Priorities, measures and descriptions
Priority 5 : Technical Assistance :
Measure 5.1 TA – managing costs:
Managing and monitoring expenses
Measure 5.2 TA – other expenditure:
Information and communication, evaluation, baseline surveys
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23. 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 The Monitoring Committee is comprised of all the ministers of the Flemish Government and representatives of the government departments concerned, the province and the social partners The provincial government will be responsible for programme management, with local economic and social partners closely involved.
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24. 4. Management and contact information
Provincie West-Vlaanderen - Euregio West- Vlaanderen/Nord-Pas-de-Calais Dienst Externe Relaties, Europese Programma's en Gebiedswerking Programmacoördinator Bill, Stefaan Provinciehuis Boeverbos - Koning Leopold III-laan B-8200 Sint-Andries Tel.: Fax.: : Web: Provincie West-Vlaanderen
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25. 4. Management and contact information
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 West Vlaanderen - Doelstelling 2 programma
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26. 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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27. 5. Financial and technical information
Title : Objective 2 Programme for West Flanders Intervention type : Single Programming Document CCI No. : 2000BE162DO004 No. of decision : C(2001) Final approval date : 31-MAY-01
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28. 6. Financial breakdown
Breakdown of Finances by priority area (in millions of €)
Priority area Total EU Public aid cost cont. (EC+oth.)
1 Development of tourism Reinforcement of basic economic conditions Promotion of sustainable cross-sectoral development and improved quality of life Training and the labour market Technical assistance Total
Financial Breakdown by Funds (in millions of €)
EU Contribution ERDF ESF Total : % 92.38% 7.62%
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