1. Territorial Cooperation and Territorial Cohesion Results of the consultation on the consultation Input to TCUM seminar September | Brussels

2. The challenges are clear – Is Territorial Cohesion part of the solution?
Globalisation, climate change, energy supply,
demographic change
Individual solutions will be ineffective: We need a
European adjustment to these challenges
Our thinking, our inspirations and our solutions cannot
afford to be limited by administrative boundaries
Cooperation should be at the heart of policy
development to face these challenges
Clearly other challenges could be mentioned but these are frequeently cited at the moment.

3. 1. Territorial Cooperation is essential to harmonious territorial development
For removing the barrier effect of borders (physical,
administrative, economic, cultural and mental barriers)
For providing a development framework beyond the
national level (macro-regions)
For ensuring the flow of new ideas throughout Europe
With better links needed between different
implementation levels and with European and national
sectoral initiatives
Concentration, connection, cooperation and limitation
i.e. ETC INTERREG A, B and C

4. 2. Balancing diversity & the need for focus
Flexibility is needed in programming but focus is needed
during implementation
Accept that every programme area is different but that
all should be expected to show progress on the main
challenges from their different starting points
Enthusiasm for the strategy approach:
Provides link to national policy and instruments
Creates a counter-balance to ’shopping list’ approach
- Promotes objective / result based projects
Need to clearly identify in the regualtions the challenges that can be most effectively addressed by this instrument and require that programmes remain close to these challenges during the programming process.

5. Promoting Territorial Cohesion means many different things
Degrees of cooperation. 1 = least developed (but necessary first
steps of) cooperation
6. Implementation - Joint implementation of a project, efficient
project management, fulfilment of requirements by each partner
5. Decision - Binding commitment of partners, partnership
agreements
4. Strategy / Planning - Defining joint objectives and developing
a concrete project
3. Coordination / Representation - Creating a joint partnership
structure, first allocation of functions and roles
2. Information - Developing (targeted) exchange of information,
building basic cooperation structures and trust, shaping a project idea
1. Meeting - Getting to know partners, learning about motivation,
interests, needs, skills, expectations, cultural and structural aspects

6. 3. Making better use of good practice and experience
Territorial Cooperation offers a holistic (cross-sectoral)
approach to specific challenges. Territorial Cooperation
could be the laboratory, playground, classroom and
testing ground for our future mainstream policies
But good practice sometimes poorly understood,
extracted and recorded. Project approval should not be
the end point of programme delivery
Better need to understand what is achieved and how it
is achieved. What is a good result?
Potential of centres of excellence as a tool for capturing
and conserving thematic good practice?

7. 4. The role of the INTERACT support programme?
Cooperation is a specialist field – with a corresponding
need for training, management support and trust
building
Programmes should focus on content - not
management and administrative procedures
Someone should provide a Europe-wide perspective of
programme performance (KEEP)
Territorial Cooperation (and sectoral programmes) need
an effective mechanism for sharing results – the final
step in knowledge exchange

8. Closing comments
Territorial Cohesion is a gradual process. Our role is
to consider sensible next steps rather than expect to
make it happen tomorrow
We can focus existing instruments better, improve
application of e.g. Partnership Principle, strengthen the
link to national funding and sectoral initiatives – and
more
But significant change to structures will almost certainly
impact simplification and N+2/3
There are mant ways this policy could be delivered but the wishes expressed in the consultation exercise could also generally be achieved through adjustment to the existing instruments. Certainly, more radical approaches are possible but remember that they do not come without a price.

9. Thank you very much for your attention.
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