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Regional cooperation in action

• Network of regional development planners
• Ghent, 22/09/2008

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Agenda

• Some Abbreviations
• South East Flanders in a nutshell
• Regional Discussion Platform RESOC/SERR
• Regional Pact
• Regional Pact SWOT-analysis
• Regional Pact vision towards the future
• Questions

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1. Some abbreviations

• RESOC Regional Economical and Social Discussion
  Committee
• SERR Socio-economic Regional Committe

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2. South East Flanders in a Nutshell
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2. South East Flanders in a Nutshell

• 21 cities and towns
• 385.00 inhabitants
• Biggest city Aalst 78.000 inhabitants
• Smallest town Horebeke 2.000 inhabitants
• High activity range / low employment range
• 121.541 jobs

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3. Regional Discussion Platform RESOC/SERR

• HISTORY
• 2005 New Decree of the Flemish Government
  foundation of the Regional Discussion Platforms
  (RESOC/SERR) all over Flanders.
• South East Flanders already 10 years of
  experience with regional analysis, policy
  development and regional pact

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3. Regional Discussion Platform RESOC/SERR

• MISSION
• To strengthen and expand overall development of
  the region and particularly the socio-economical
  aspects of it economics and labour market by
  performing consultations, research, advice and
  project development.
• Contribute actively to the development of a
  regional vision and its written application in a
  pact for the region.
• This should lead as well to several specific
  realizations in the region.

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3. Regional Discussion Platform RESOC/SERR

• STRUCTURE
• Legal Structure vzw ERSV (provincial
  organisation)
• RESOC / SERR Discussion Fora
• Daily Board
• Regional Team
• Mayors consultation
• Region Tables

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3. Regional Discussion Platform RESOC/SERR

• 2 DISCUSSION FORA
• RESOC socio-economical consultation
• Employers organisations (8 persons)
• Employees organisations (8 persons)
• Local governments (13 persons)
• Added members province, SOLvA, VDAB, POM, VLAO,
  others
• SERR labour market consultations
• Employers organisations
• Employees organisations

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3. Regional Discussion Platform RESOC/SERR

• REGIONAL TEAM
• Region-Manager
• 3 Executives / Staff-Members
• 2 Project Developers EAD ( equal labour
  participation and diversity)
• 1 Secretary / Communication Officer

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3. Regional Discussion Platform RESOC/SERR

• FINANCING
• For all Regions
• Flemish government
• Provincial government
• Particularly for South East Flanders
• All 21 cities and towns
• SOLvA
• Employers and employees organisations

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3. Regional Discussion Platform RESOC/SERR

• RANGE OF DUTIES
• To develop a regional vision and write it down in
  a Regional Pact
• To put the regional vision into effect
• Catalyst for South East Flanders
• Bringing people together
• Give advice or deliver services (on demand or
  spontaneous)
• To higher governments
• To local governments
• Knowledge Database Facts and Figures about the
  Region and Vision
• Advice and guidance to come to an HR Diversity
  plan ( for companies as well)
• Project development
• Subsidiology advice, guidance and assistance for
  local governments to get access to national and
  international subsidies and grants

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3. Regional Discussion Platform RESOC/SERR

• SURPLUS VALUE REGIONAL DISCUSSION PLATFORM
• Collective profiling of local governments in
  contact with higher governments
• To put South East Flanders on the map -gt
  network-expansion
• Impartial consultation and discussion platform
• Bridging functions between local and higher
  governments
• To respond better to European and other subsidy
  files through subsidiologist
• Long term vision for the region!

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4. Regional Pact

• WHAT?
• A long term vision (5y) for the region on
  socio-economical issues
• Procedure
• Preparation during discussion fora, mayors
  consultations, Region Tables,
• Approval by the various town councils, provincial
  council and members of RESOC/SERR
• Consultation with the Flemish Government on
  priorities for the region
• Annual plan of action realization vision

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4. Regional Pact

• CONTENT
• Situation of the Region
• The region in a nutshell
• Analysis of the facts and figures
• SWOT-Analysis for the region
• Vision-text on focus issues
• Plan of action for the first year(s)

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5. Regional Pact SWOT-Analysis

• STENGTHS
• High activity range
• High average income per inhabitant
• Distinguished medical centres
• High number of workers
• Two basins Schelde and Dender
• Qualitative combination of living and working
• Tourism facilities
• Typical open landscapes and cities with high
  historical and cultural value

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5. Regional Pact SWOT-Analysis

• OPPORTUNITIES
• Nearby urban networks
• Nearby university campusses
• Network of harbours
• Countryside development and urban development can
  be entitled to European funds
• Region directed and integrated approach are on
  the rise

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5. Regional Pact SWOT-Analysis

• WEAKNESSES
• Juvenile unemployment
• Lots of semi- and unskilled job-seekers
• Low employment range
• No supply of industrial areas ready for building
• Lots of old, comfortless houses
• High commuting range
• Defective mobility infrastructure
• No real economical specializations
• Little innovative technology

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5. Regional Pact SWOT-Analysis

• THREATS
• Post industrial era (35 employment derives from
  industry / Flanders 24)
• Globalization
• Growing flow of goods
• Ageing
• More taskdistribution to local governments
• Depletion of ground water reserves in industrial
  areas

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6. Regional Pact vision towards the future
Sustainability

• SIX CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS
• Focus on core challenges
• One intercommunal regional collaboration for
  South East Flanders
• Expansion of working area of SOLvA to whole South
  East Flanders
• Implementation of actions of the Regional Pact
• Development of services to the local governments
• Development of various discussion fora and
  consultation groups
• Improving communication flow to local governments
• Neighbour talks with the province of Hainaut

Inter-municipal cooperation
Innovation
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6. Regional Pact vision towards the future

• 8 FOCUS ISSUS
• Mobility
• Innovation
• Open areas and quality of living
• Entrepreneurship
• Employment
• Social Profit Sector
• Sustainable energy and water
• Urban renewal and relation city/countryside

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6. Regional Pact vision towards the future

• FOCUS 1 Mobility
• 2 prioritary road files N60 and N42
• Transshipment terminal on the Dender river
• Transshipment terminal on the Schelde river
• Railwaynetwork around Brussels
• Railwaynetwork around Ghent

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6. Regional Pact vision towards the future

• FOCUS 2 Innovation
• Textile Incubation Center (Ronse)
• Clustering innovative companies in the medical
  sector
• Encourage companies to focus on innovation
• Encourage the cities and the countryside to focus
  on innovation

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6. Regional Pact vision towards the future

• FOCUS 3 Open areas and quality of living
• Preservation of open areas
• Quality improvement of the existing houses in
  vision of long and independent living
• Diminish the backlog of social houses

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6. Regional Pact vision towards the future

• FOCUS 4 Entrepreneurship
• Regional economical-space-balance
• Development of a regional iron supply of the
  industrial areas
• Consistent service for companies

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6. Regional Pact vision towards the future

• FOCUS 5 Employment
• Link with social economy
• Intercommunal approach
• Consultation of the local employment agencies
• Alignment of the education to the economical
  situation in the region

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6. Regional Pact vision towards the future

• FOCUS 6 Social Profit Sector
• Investigate the consequences of ageing in the
  region
• Development of the region towards a Healthcare
  Region
• Development of a regional childcare policy

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6. Regional Pact vision towards the future

• FOCUS 7 Sustainable energy and water
• Development of sustainable ground water
  management
• Development of sustainable flooding policy in
  the river areas
• Development of a vision on the use of wind energy
  in the region

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6. Regional Pact vision towards the future

• FOCUS 8 Urban renewal and relation city -
  countryside
• Making use of European Funds Leader, EFRO,
  Interreg,
• Removal of industrial archaeology
• Promotion of city and town centers as living
  areas

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7. Questions and Remarks

• MORE INFORMATION
• Wouter Danckaert
• Staff Member Subsidiologist
• RESOC/SERR
• Keizersplein 42
• 9300 Aalst
• Belgium
• 32 (0)53 60 77 08
• 32 (0)498 27 14 73
• wdanckaert_at_streekoverlegzov.be
• www.streekoverlegzov.be