Networking for Small and

Medium Sized Cities

The Eurotowns network

• Established in 1991 (RE joins the network in 1997)

• towns and cities with populations between 50,000 and 250,000.

• There are around 20 towns and cities

• 11 Countries covered by the network

MEMBERS:

Eskilstuna, Gävle,Girona, Hasselt, Heraklion,

Jerez de la Frontera,Jyväskylä,Kavala,Leeuwarden,Manresa,

Mikkeli,Mölndal,Reggio Emilia,Sabadell,Schiedam,

Sundsvall,Ulm,Varberg,Vigo

Mission & Aims

• To develop a network of vibrant, inclusive and sustainable medium

sized European cities acting as catalysts for urban innovation,

creativity and renewal

• To establish and promote a distinctive policy agenda for Europe’s

small and medium sized cities

• To create a forum for partnership working and collaboration

• To organise a programme of activities supporting its policy agenda

• To facilitate access to funds for network activities

The needs to establish links and

connections :

• Affirm strongly that Small and Medium sized cities play

significant European economic and social impact.

• There is the need to ensure that this the voice of small and

medium sized cities is spoken and their needs are properly

reflected in the development of European legislation.

• Networking practice at this level allows for the reinforcement of

European Cohesion

Working for MSC…

Means finding ways to support cities in implementing the

European Lisbon-Gothenborg Strategy.

The networks supports the exchange of experiences, the

establishment of working groups in different thematic

areas.

Reference to Territorial Agenda / Leipzip Charter

combining competitiveness and sustainable urban

development urban Quality

Leipzip Charter

Europe’s wealth, innovation potential, creativity and talent is largely located in a range of urban areas that are increasingly well-connected to each other and with the global economy at large - by air, fast rail connections, road and advanced information technology. This leads us to important questions about the potential of urban areas to act as engines of growth. To what extent are urban areas able to play a leading role in the development of their broader regions? This of course depends on a range of economic, social, political, and even historical factors.

Activation, mobilisation and motivation are the keywords. Poverty, social exclusion, crime and loss of talent are the common consequences of a failure to break out of the negative economic cycle associated with deindustrialisation. Hence, the challenge to break out of the cycle is a very urgent one indeed.The big question is “how?”. Of course, much depends on individual situations but there are also patterns and the experiences of cities. Key is to provide leadership, a forward looking orientation and a

Why participating to the

network • networking enables representation of local government in

Europe

• provides a privileged framework for promoting innovation

and exchanging experiences at transnational level

• Provides good basis for the development of long lasting

partnerships

• Supports the partners in the identification of EU

programs and joint presentation of EU projects

• Provides a good basis for constant update and periodic

confrontation both at political and operational level.

The benefits of networking are:

• The exchange of experiences and know-how

• The sharing of offers and demands for partneship

• The sharing of information of common interest

• The representation of the concerns of Medium Sized

cities and towns within the fiels of European

Governments

How does Eutotowns work (1)

Network main bodies

– General Assembly: all partners / meets once a year (autumn) The Assembly debates and decides the overall programme of the network and the policy direction for the future, based on recommendations made by the Executive Council. The General Assembly also provides a forum for policy dabate and establishes the basis for the definition of the network’s political agenda.

– Executive council: It is the body competent to follow the work progress and ensure the implementation of all General Assembly decisions. Meets on a trimestral basis checks on the daily management of the network/ controls network priorities, checks on major relevant events/ promotes networking actions/ partnership enlargement….

How does Eutotowns work (2)

– Presidency/ Segretariat: rotating every 2 years –Now

Manresa

– Vice presidency:rotating every 2 years – Now Reggio

Emilia & Jvaskyla

– EC members (2009) : Manresa (president); Reggio

Emilia Jvaskyla (vice president); Girona; Eskilstuna;

Schiedamm,

How does Eutotowns work (3)

Eurotowns policy agenda focuses on the following areas:

• Promoting LIFELONG LEARNING and the development

of education and skills

• Growing the KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY and creating

better local jobs

• Providing effective, efficient and SUSTAINABLE

TRANSPORT systems

• Ensuring that growth is SOCIALLY INCLUSIVE – all in

society benefit

• Improving the quality of the PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

How does Eutotowns work (4)

Work is organised around Task Teams

1. Carry out the work programme of the network based on the key challenges as defined by the general Assembly or the Executive Council, 2. Work in a specific area or subject through confrontation / round tables / surveys and report progress to the Executive Council3. Evaluate the possibility of accessing external sources of finance for the work

Two historical Task teams: Innovation and Mobility.

More recently two new task teams have been activated….

Task teams receive network funding in order to develop project ideas of to implement studies and reaserches, falcilitate confrontation ect…

How to join the network

• Contact with the segretariat

• expression of interests (discussed in the EC- possible

participation to the EC)

• acceptance formalised in autumn 2010 (next GA)

• Fee of participation is 3.500 €

Eurotowns European projects

Interreg Experience of the

Network

• INTERREG IIIC

– CAPTURE • first network project

• Allowed for a clearer definition of the network policy agenda

• Supported the

• INTERREG IV C

– MMOVE

– CLIQ

Eurotowns successInterreg III/IVC

European Regional Development Fund

Promotes interregional exchange to support regional policy

The network applied ( through the leadership of Brighton & Hove) to the last call of the INTERREG IIIC programme with the Capture project

During the new IV c programme two actions have been presented under the thematic components: Innovation and Environment

Eurotowns has proved to have generated two successful proposal given that:

Over 500 applications

35 applications approved

CLIQ and MMOVE

CAPTURE

• Lunched in 2004, consists of 21 towns and cities from 11 EU countries

• Part-funded through Interreg IIIC

• Duration: 3 years

• Lead Partner: Brighton & hove City Council

• The network plans to stimulate the economic development of its members

Particular focus on the knowledge economy

• Add value to local job

• Increase knowledge-based job in the region

• Promote knowledge intensity as a source for new business or service development

• Encourage participation of public, private, business through an interactive process

• Engage a variety of actor from different sectors working together to gather, process and use knowledge to add value to the local economy

Eurotowns success

Building on CAPTURE results

•Good track record

•Focus on innovation

•Stakeholder groups created

•Strong partnership extended

•Medium sized cities

•Final Research identified Quadruple Helix as key to success in innovation & knowledge in medium sized cities

CLIQ

Creating Local Innovation through the Quadruple Helix

• Aim: to optimise the benefits of globalisation and innovation to SMEs and

entrepreneurs in medium sized towns.

• Objective: to strengthen Local and Regional Authority policy and capacity

to support innovation more effectively.

CLIQ

Interreg Ivc 1st call

October 2008- September 2011

Budget: 1.9 million euro

75 /85% ERDF

Lead Partner: Jyvaskyla, Finland

Marketta Makinen

Laura Ahonen

Local and Regional Authorities

Local and regional SME’s and

Entrepreneurs

Lisbon Agenda

Global competitiveness and Innovation

LOCAL &

REGIONAL

AUTHORITIES

EDUCATION &

RESEARCH

INDUSTRY /

SMES

CIVIL

SOCIETY

QUADRUPLE

HELIX

Activities• Comparative research – common

tools to identify case studies

• Identification of good practice

• University led inter regional

research project

• Exchange of experience – study

visits, master classes, round

tables, network meetings

• Development of transferable

tools / blueprint

• Policy recommendations

CLIQ17 Partners

*City of Jyväskylä (FI)*Manresa City Council (ES)*Girona City Council (ES)*Eskilstuna Municipality (SE)*Municipality of Leeuwarden (NL)Municpality of Gävle (SE)Business and Innovation Center Lippe-Detmold (DE)*City of Ulm (DE)Beira Atlantic Park Incubator Association (PT)Centre for Technological Research Crete (GR)*Sussex Innovation Centre (UK)*Government of Catalonia (ES)Klaipeda Regional Development Agency (LT)Pau Chamber of Commerce (FR)*City of Mikkeli (FI)Chamber of Commerce of Cremona (IT)Bay of Cadiz Foundation for Economical Development (ES)

CLIQ

Exchange on:

Business support

Product development processes

Collaboration

Knowledge transfer

Entrepreneurship

Internationalisation

Partnership

Civil society engagement

Research and development

Supply chains

CLIQ

Productstargeted specifically at medium sized cities

• Benchmarking Methodology

• Blueprint

• Toolkit

• Top Tips for innovation,

• Study on the Quadruple Helix

• Interregional Research Report

with case studies of good

practice.

MMOVEInterreg IVC 1st call

Budget: 1.9 million euro

75/85% ERDF

January 2009-December 2011

11 partners

LP: Reggio Emilia, Italy

Nubia tagliaferro

Serena Foracchia

Paolo Gandolfi

Alessandro Meggiato

MMOVE

Mobility Management oVer Europe

Aim

To improve the effectiveness of sustainable mobility policies implemented by local authorities in small

and medium sized cities in Europe and improve awareness amongst regional level policy makers of

the importance of supporting these sustainable mobility policies within regional development

frameworks.

MMOVE

Mobility Management oVer Europe

Objectives

• To identify and exchange good practices from across Europe in sustainable mobility policies for small and

medium sized towns

• To assess the transferability of best practices in order to identify their critical success factors.

• To provide a common methodology for collecting and comparing existing mobility management know how

and policies.

• To improve awareness of innovative mobility management methods that have low investment and large

impact in terms of changing citizens’ mobility patterns.

• To provide European small and medium and medium sized municipalities with a tool to advocate for their

mobility management needs with regional governments (providing policy recommendations).

• To provide a tool that will support policy-makers in their mobility management planning across Europe.

MMOVE

Activities

• Identification of Good Practice

• Study Visits

• Feasibility studies to transfer GP

• Network meetings

• Regional Stakeholder meetings

• Online mobility toolbox

• communication & awareness raising

• traffic management and control

• public & collective transport

MMOVE

Products

targeted specifically at medium sized cities

• Collection of good practices

• Study visit reports

• Feasibility studies on transferability of

policies

• On-line Mobility Management Toolbox

• Toolbox Manual

• Project website

• Communication & dissemination

materials

• Media coverage

MMOVE

11 Partners

• *Reggio Emilia (IT) – Lead Partner

• Regione Marche (IT)

• *Ulm (DE)

• *Girona (ES)

• *Varberg (SE)

• *Molndal (SE)

• *Kavala (GR)

• Volos (GR)

• *Brighton & Hove (UK)

• Brasov (RO)

• Razlog (BU)

Eurotowns next steps (main

activities)• Going beyond Interregional projects

• Going Beyond European projects

• Presenting position papers to the EC on the situation of

S/M sized cities ( URBACT programme / Territorial

agenda)

• Organising relevant international events on small and

medium sized city policy making

Eurotowns beyond Interregional

projects• Network members are also involved in URBACT projects

( Reggio Emilia & Jvaskyla are on the Creative Clusers

project)

• The network is analysing and supporting links between

members to define new project within other framework

Programmes ( such as the LLL programme)

• Existing new task teams could eventually generate

presentations of new EU initiatives

Eurotowns beyond European

projects35• The network has a meaning which goes beyond the

simple definition of project proposals

• It is a means to exchange opinion and guarantee confrontation

• Intended to be an organization supporting the partners in finding response and replies to their queries (I.e. through relevant international conferences the newtoek supports the cities in their strategic orientation and policy definitions)

• It acts as a stakeholder speaking the voice and the situation of small and medium sized realities in Europe.

If you need more information please contact:

Ms Marianna Roscelli

Reggio nel Mondo

reggio.mondo06@municipio.re.it

+ 39 0522 541739

Reggio Emilia – Italy

or visit the Eurotowns website:

www.eurotowns.org