Timothy Moss and Heidi
Fichter
Promoting Sustainable Development in EU Structural Fund
Programmes: Lessons from Regional Case Studies
Abstract
This paper summarises the main results from a study into methods of imple-menting sustainable development principles in EU Structural programmes. It demon-strates how 12 pilot regions translated the concept of sustainable development into practical applications which are compatible with structural funding procedures, rele-vant to the needs of specific programme areas and acceptable to programme part-nerships. The selected regions – from France, Germany, the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands – vary considerably in terms of their size and structural characteristics. These differences had an important bearing on the paths they chose to integrate sus-tainable development principles into their Structural Funds programmes and man-agement
practices.
Gerard Mullally
Shakespeare, the Structural Funds and Sustainable
Development: Reflections on the Irish Experience
Abstract
The regional level of governance in the Republic of Ireland is among the most weakly institutionalised in the European Union when compared with other member states. Nevertheless, under the sway of EU Regional Policy two new regional scales of governance were established in the 1990s. This paper examines the recent evolution of regional governance in Ireland with particular emphasis on the role being conferred upon Irish regional authorities to advance the implementation of sustainable development. It outlines and evaluates the impact of Structural and Cohesion Funds on sustainable development in Ireland. The paper argues that, in spite of mixed results, there is a simultaneous layering process occurring because of European transfers, programmes and initiatives whereby multiple ‘regions’ are coming into being linked to a concept of regional sustainable development.
Keith Clement
Structural Fund Programmes and Instruments for Sustainable
Regional Development: a Review of Nordic Effectiveness
Abstract
The environmental reputation of the Nordic countries makes them an interesting example to study concerning their efforts to incorporate sustainable development perspectives. In practice, Denmark, Finland and Sweden have achieved different rates of progress and effectiveness with regard to formulating sustainable development as a national initiative. They also have differentiated experience of attempts to conceptualise sustainable regional development, and this is illustrated through six project examples with an associated diversity of approaches. Regarding the contribution of the Structural Funds to this momentum, the examination of eleven operational Objective 1 and Objective 2 programmes indicates that environmental factors have been well integrated, but sustainable development has not been accommodated. Rather than the Funds acting as a catalyst for national versions of sustainable regional development, most Nordic Structural Funds partnerships would benefit from studying the innovative methods used in parallel regional economic initiatives.
Ruggero
Schleicher-Tappeser and Filippo Strati
Structural Funds and Sustainable Development - the SQM
Approach
Abstract
The question of how to achieve greater levels of sustainable development is intrinsically linked with the discussion concerning new forms of governance. Structural funds have become most influential in promoting sustainable development and appropriate forms of governance across the European Union. They have been very important in introducing new innovative forms of coordination in many countries and have encouraged the mobilisation of new political actors. Structural Funds can be considered as a most interesting laboratory for the development of new governance patterns, which are urgently needed for coping with accelerated change and increasing complexity. Multi-level governance in the spirit of subsidiarity will not be possible without flexible objective-oriented management approaches instead of the rigid attribution of competences. This requires new conceptual approaches, procedures, and instruments. “SQM – Sustainable Quality Management” is a coherent system for the conception, support, monitoring and evaluation of sustainable development processes. A series of pilot projects in the last five years have shown its potential and utility. The SQM system includes concepts, methods and operational tools that have proved to be applicable and comprehensible in different European cultures. Internet-based SQM software tools support every step in the policy cycle. Sustainable Development is conceived as an overarching principle that governs the management of processes and covers all policy principles postulated by the EU. In the use of a common framework over the whole policy cycle and the coherent implementation of basic principles there is the promise of achieving better orientation towards sustainable development and considerable efficiency gains.
