Regional Policy
As a focal point for society development, regional policy relates to a range of policy fields determining the well-being of citizens (e.g. energy, transport, environment, labour market, education, research and development, enterprise support, social infrastructure). Regional policy is implemented at multiple levels, at urban neighbourhoods and villages, municipalities, regions and Member States and at European level. Hence, implementation varies considerably in regard to various aspects:
- Top-down vs. Bottom-up
- Strategic vs. Ad-hoc approaches
- Degree of formalisation
- Relevance of administrative borders
- Type of stakeholders involved, relevance of public-private partnerships
- Degree of citizens’ involvement
strategy & governance consulting analyses and evaluates the practical approach, provides input and facilitates strategy development and implementation at the different levels.
Implementation of EU Policies
EU law and policies determine national regulation and policy making to a high degree. EU funding, particularly by the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) provides an added value to the Member States and its regions. But it also poses specific challenges in managing the system of multi-level governance from the EU Commission, the national and regional bodies down to the beneficiaries of EU support at local level, i.e.:
- The strategic framework set out by the EU is to be adopted, incorporating specific national or regional requirements
- Administrative burdens and costs emerging from overlapping administrative systems pose specific challenges to minimise bureaucracy
- The partnership principle has to be respected throughout the policy cycle
- Accountability follows specific European rules
- Concepts of evaluation have to be tailored to the programme-specific context
strategy & governance consulting is specialized in European Structural Policies (ERDF, ESF, EAFRD, EMFF) and supports programming (analysis, conceptualisation, ex-ante evaluation, process facilitation) and developing of implementation procedures. We evaluate programmes and projects and provide advice in project development.
Enterprise Support and Innovation
Competitiveness particularly of small and medium-sized enterprises depends highly on their ability to adapt to market conditions and to fully utilise the potentials of technical and social innovations. It requires sound equity, access to information and technology, exchange and cooperation with partners and competitors and well-qualified staff. Public funds support enterprises with a range of measures and instruments, i.e.:
- Facilitation of technology transfer
- Venture capital
- Investment aids
- Consultancy programmes
- Research and development
- Vocational and educational training, further training of employees
- Entrepreneurship programmes
strategy & governance consulting analyses and evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of such projects and programmes and provides recommendations on how to design and organize such measures. We advise enterprises, research institutions and universities in project development and implementation.