Actions and flagship projects

Multi-level governance (MLG) is a concept that has not been clearly defined and is understood in different ways in different countries and contexts. There is a lack of definition, knowledge and mapping of the current situation. There is a need for greater knowledge about the EUSBSR at the local and regional level and about how to influence and implement the EUSBSR in general and the MLG-aspects in particular.

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  Mapping of the current MLG-situation in different priority areas in the BSR countries. In 2013, the horizontal action leaders will engage in dialogue with the priority areas coordinators and national focal points to study and analyse the situation with regard to the responsibilities for duties under different priority areas in the respective BSR countries. Lead: HALs. Deadline: end 2013.
  

MLG is about securing the integration of different administrative levels in the development and the implementation of the EUSBSR according to their responsibilities. In this HA there is also a wider commitment to ensure the involvement of civil society, business and academia in the development and implementation of the EUSBSR. Therefore it is recommended to form working groups of stakeholders at both the national and regional level, including representatives from local, regional and national authorities, civil society, business and academia. The groups will be established in the relevant priority areas.

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  Ensure the consideration of MLG including the involvement of civil society, business and academia aspects in each of the priority areas. By the end of 2013, HALs will have had a dialogue with each of the PACs to discuss the need for targets and indicators directed to all administrative levels and the involvement of civil society, business and academia in their respective priority areas and flagship projects. Furthermore the HALs, together with 2-3 ‘pilot’ PACs, will develop methods for integrating MLG and involving civil society, business and academia in their respective PAs as an example also for other PAs. Lead: HALs. Deadline: end 2013.
  

Ensure that the programme for the EUSBSR Annual Forum involves local and regional representatives and stimulates all levels to participate in the Forum. The MLG aspects should be taken into consideration in all information and communication on the EUSBSR.

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  Ensure the highlighting of the MLG aspect in the Annual Forum as well as the involvement of civil society, business and academia. HALs should be involved in the planning of the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2013 in order to secure the involvement of local and regional authorities and stimulate all types of relevant actors to participate in the Forum. The Baltic Sea NGO Network will be present at the Annual Forum. Lead: HALs. Deadline: end 2013.
  

Relevant pan-Baltic organisations, such as the UBC, CPMR, Baltic Sea Commission, BSSSC, BaltMet, CBSS, Nordic Council of Ministers and B7 should be more integrated in the development and implementation of the EUSBSR.

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  By the end of 2013, the HALs will have had a dialogue with the relevant pan-Baltic Organisations like the UBC, CPMR, Baltic Sea Commission, BSSSC, BaltMet, CBSS and B7 to discuss how their work could be more integrated with the development and implementation of the EUSBSR. Lead: HALs. Deadline: end 2013.
  

The members of the Baltic Sea NGO Network include organisations with expertise of particular relevance to the following priority areas and horizontal actions: ‘Nutri’, ‘Bio’, ‘Agri’, ‘Ship’, ‘Transport’, ‘Energy’, ‘Tourism’, ‘Culture’, ‘Health’, ‘Education’, ‘Neighbours’, ‘Sustainable development’.

In order to improve NGOs’ capacity to organise and to get financial support in their respective Member States, the HALs will update its survey on the prerequisites for NGOs to organise and to get financial support in respective Member States. This survey will be used for benchmarking. The HALs will, in cooperation with the CBSS and academics, carry out a survey of traditions of civil society involvement in the Baltic Sea countries. This survey will help to identify examples of best practice. It will also help increase the involvement of different actors in MLG, and help to align and make more efficient the various sources of funding of civil society in the BSR, such as that from the EU, the Nordic Council of Ministers and national resources.

National platforms of the Baltic Sea NGO Network will provide service such as information, education, meetings with and communication to potential beneficiaries or people interested in the implementation of the EUSBSR.

In 2014-2020 programming period the CLLD groups will be formed mostly on the basis of current Local Action Groups as financed from the rural development programmes (but open in the future for funding from other Structural Funds programmes).

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  Rural Development Networks establishing a platform to discuss aspects of local development strategies relevant to the EUSBSR and co-ordinate joint activities of the CLLD Groups. Lead: Nordic-Baltic Rural Development Network. Deadline: 2016.