What makes a good reform project at local and regional level? We discuss how to develop solid institutional reform projects that build the quality and resilience of public administration. We explain how to get your Technical Support Instrument (TSI) project selected. We show how to define problems, have a systemic approach, build partnerships, involve stakeholders, achieve impact and leverage results. We share good practice examples and give hands-on design guidance in an interactive session.
Coordinator's website
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- Territorial | Local and regional | EU/ European | Climate and environment | Sustainable | Governance and Public administration | Cohesion | Civil protection and risk prevention | Industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs (enterprise/ startup/ business) | Jobs and Employment
- Code: 10Side24886
- Residence Palace, Wetstraat 155, Brussels, Belgium
Moderator
Practical information
- When
-
Thu 10/10/2024, 09:00 - 12:30 CET
- Where
- Residence Palace, Wetstraat 155, Brussels, Belgium
- Type of partnership
- EURegionsWeek close to you
- Format
- Side
- Theme
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Competitiveness and convergence: two sides of the same coin
- Language
- English
- Website
-
https://reform-support.ec.europa.eu/events-0/building-strong-local-and-regional-capacity-eu-technical-support_en
Document
reform_sessions_ewrc24
Reporting
Session summary
Three and a half-hours in-person conference showcasing TSI projects and collaboration. Audience included national and local level authorities, but also expert and international organisations. The programme featured opening, key-note speech from Eurocities Secretary General, two TSI projects presented by the beneficiaries and providers, in addition to a collaborative exercise on TSI support for local and regional levels.
Key takeaways from the speakers emphasised the importance of supporting cities in driving innovation and transformation. According to Eurocities, cities are engines of innovation, but mayors and officials are calling for more political, financial, and capacity-building support to address pressing issues such as climate change.
The speaker from Estonia, who presented TSI 2022, Strengthening Regional Specialisation and Competitiveness, highlighted the value of tailormade approaches to TSI, such as experimentation through piloting. Effective coordination, both horizontally and vertically, was highlighted as crucial for success.
The speaker from the TSI 2024, Sustainability in Local Public Finances project, representing Barcelona, Bordeaux, Amsterdam, and Hamburg, suggested that forming cross-European partnerships is a way for cities to address common challenges and improve TSI projects. They noted that umbrella organisations like Eurocities can facilitate partnership building, enabling cities to share best practices and work together.
Following the presentations, a collaborative session was held to discuss four themes: addressing reform needs, accessing support, co-operation for reforms, and building knowledge and expertise. The session identified several challenges, including difficulty engaging with the Commission and accessing TSI support due to complex process, poor visibility of EU activities at the local level, and a shortage of qualified staff.
To address these challenges, participants proposed several solutions. These include establishing a centralised structure for easier access to EU and TSI resources, streamlining processes to reduce burdens, and improving communication and between European institutions and local actors. Additionally, fostering internal expertise through collaboration with academia, mobilising regional EU offices to enhance collaboration, and improving the TSI dashboard to make best practices more accessible were suggested.
