1. How did Austrian RDA‘s prepare to enter the EU Lublin, June 2001 MANFRED KOJAN ÖAR Regional Development Consultants A-1010 Vienna / Austria

2. Background Austria accessed the EU in January 1995 Austria has a very strong federalistic structure 9 NUTS II regions inhomogeneous and diversified regional and local development structures

3. RDA‘s in Austria WIBAG Wirtschaftsservice Burgenland AG ECO-PlusTMG Upper Austrian Technology and Marketing Agency SFG Styrian Business Agency Salzburg Agency Tech-Tyrol VTTZ Vorarlberg Region KWF Carinthian Business Agency WWFF Vienna Business Agency NUTS II: 9 RDAs NUTS II-III:25 local development promotion, 40 LEADER, BIC, TEC, Business Incubators,...

4. Austrian accession process strong lead on national level BKA (Austrian Chancellery) ÖROK (Austrian Spacial Co-ordination Conference) Regional Programmes on NUTS II level developed county administration external process assistance (ÖIR, ÖAR, SIR,...) low development of RDAs one of several involved partners within the process (sectoral/regional experts)

5. How Austrian‘s regions prepare for EU accession no EU but some national money for EU-accession preparation ÖROK/ÖAR studies, analysis of how other EU countries prepared their programmes ÖROK: programming meeting for dissemination of EU- accession, Know how to RDAs and Regional Administration RDAs (and Regional Administration) adapt their subsidy system to EU conformity RDAs: learning by doing

6. The actual position of Austrian RDAs within EU-programming and programme implementation Important experts (regional Know-How) within the programming process High involvement in INTERREG programmes (programming, specific projects,...) co-ordination and administration of some of the EU-structural funds (and national funds) Development and management of own (RDA) EU projects Assistance for region to develop projects for EU co-financing

7. Interregional co-operation of Austrian RDAs The Information Net of R egional D evelopment A gencies in the C entral E uropean and D anubian A rea

8. The RDA-Net CEDA Area Austria Italy Germany Czech Republic Slovakia Hungary Slovenia Poland

9. CEDA International Conference: Networking Regions "Regional Development and Transnational Co-operation in an enlarging EU" June 18th / 19th 2001, Vienna and Sankt Pölten, Austria Major Topics of the conference: RDAs and their role for the regions Networks and Networking Transnational Co-operation Panel Discussion: EU Structural Funds and community initiatives after EU-Enlargement