In the course of the seven years in which INTERREG IVC ran, it generated a wealth of inspiration for regions all over Europe. So although the programme itself has come to an end, its legacy is still very much alive!
Projects to learn from
Good practices were charted and added to an online Good Practices database, which is open to all regions, regardless of whether or not they participated in an INTERREG IVC project. In addition to a short description of the challenges project partners faced and the solutions they found, it also contains contact details for further information. This makes it easy for regions to reach out to each other and share knowledge and experiences.
Theme-based inspiration
In addition to the Good Practices project database, INTERREG IVC also resulted in a Capitalisation Library, through which the programme intended to build on and exploit the knowledge gathered from all its projects (theme-oriented approach).
All regions can now download detailed reports, policy papers and tailored recommendations from this online library. It provides required reading for all those interested in policy improvement and interregional cooperation.
Expanding the scope
Building on these solid platforms, Interreg Europe intends to broaden the scope of interregional cooperation even further by offering regions a range of opportunities for sharing knowledge. As in INTERREG IVC, regions can choose to become a partner in an interregional cooperation project and actively participate in policy improvement. In addition, Interreg Europe offers the possibility of signing up for online policy learning platforms, which are geared at supporting local and regional governments with the planning and implementation of more effective policies.
Projects and platforms focus on four main themes: Research & Innovation; SME competitiveness; Environment & resource efficiency and Low-carbon economy. Lessons learned during INTERREG IVC will be incorporated in Interreg Europe, to further improve the programme. Also, the INTERREG IVC Programme Secretariat and Managing Authority will also support the new interregional cooperation programme, thus making optimal use of their seven years of experience.
For more information on calls for proposals and opportunities to cooperation under Interreg Europe, visit www.interregeurope.eu
www.esf6cia.eu
Click on the map to see the institutions involved in the project.
Lead partner
Project partnerExtending working lives
Europe is an ageing continent, with an ageing workforce. This demographic development poses a range of economic challenges. How can we ensure that valuable skills are not lost as large numbers of workers retire? And how can we finance healthcare and retirement for older workers in a sustainable way?
ESF6 CIA capitalised on innovative approaches to demographic change developed during previous European-funded programmes. The exchange and transfer of existing good practices helped its 11 partners to prepare for adapting policies to the rapidly changing circumstances.
Diversity in aims and sectors
The good practices transferred were diverse. Some focused on creating awareness among employers and employees, encouraging them to think outside the box about hiring older staff and retirement. In one of the sub-projects, cooperation between the University of L’Aquila and the regional labour service resulted in training and seminars for companies.
Other sub-projects stimulated employers to find or create suitable positions for older workers (sometimes with subsidy from local government) or helped employers and employees to create a better work/life balance and keep older workers on board.
Lasting impact
Results were achieved over a great number of sectors, from tourism in Spain to the metal industry in Austria and transport sector in the United Kingdom, to name just a few.
In some cases the project had even more – and lasting – impact. In Bulgaria, for instance, two good practices opened new opportunities for financing projects in lifelong learning and in training for people pre-retirement age. This was achieved thanks to policy changes made by the Bulgarian government, which created two new grant schemes.
In this way, the funds invested by INTERREG IVC achieved great leverage; for ESF6 CIA every euro invested in the project attracted 55 from other mainstream European funds.
“In the beginning, the [Bulgarian] European Social Fund ‘Development’ programme was designed only to tackle unemployment after mass redundancies in enterprises. The foreseen budget was EUR 75 million. Thanks to ESF6 CIA, we were able to redesign the programme and include preferential treatment to people aged 50+. It helped a lot, as it gave us a good idea how people in these target groups could be included in trainings.”
Vasil Asenov – State expert, Bulgarian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (project partner)