Regionförbundet Östsam

International Strategy

The Regional Council in the East Sweden Region is a regional body with political representation from the members – the region’s thirteen municipalities and Östergötland County Council. The mission is to work pro-actively for the development of the East Sweden Region and to pursue issues that are important for the development of the region. The aim is to create a functional region with economic growth and competitiveness.

The main tasks of the Regional Council are:

Regional development policy
Municipal coordination
Government assignments, such as preparing a Regional Development Programme and a County Public Transport Plan
International relations

The East Sweden Region International Strategy was adopted by the Regional Assembly on 29 April 2010 (§5) and applies to the activities of the Regional Council. Implementation of the strategy is set out in the Regional Council’s long term plan.

Background
East Sweden Region’s international activities are an integral part of the Regional Council’s work. The aim is to share experience with regions in Europe and other parts of the world. Such interaction promotes new ideas and insights that add knowledge and inspiration. This, in turn, helps the Regional Council to strengthen and further develop its work.

The strategy is based on results from a survey carried out on international work in the region (1) and on subsequent work carried out by the East Sweden Region International Committee during 2007-2010.

Prerequisites
East Sweden Region’s international activities should contribute to the realisation of the vision and objectives set out in the regional development programme ”East Sweden Region in 2020”.

The programme includes the following three objectives for regional development: Long-term sustainable growth and development; A region in balance; and Good living conditions for people in the region. Development strategies for how to achieve the objectives and special action plans for each area of activity are included in the programme. According to the vision:
”East Sweden Region in 2020 is an internationally oriented knowledge region with highly developed collaborative frameworks for utilizing the opportunities of internationalisation and managing its threats. East Sweden Region works to develop its knowledge of, and its contacts with, the world beyond.”

Mission
The purpose of the East Sweden Region International Strategy is to have a common platform for international collaboration. The strategy sets out guidelines for such collaboration and offers guidance on issues relating to the Regional Council’s international commitments.

Aim
The aim of East Sweden Region’s international collaboration is as follows:

Create good conditions for development in the region by:

contribute to increased international contacts that benefit regional development
strengthening the region’s position nationally and internationally
giving special priority to the Baltic Sea Collaboration
using opportunities for advocacy on prioritised regional issues
helping to profile East Sweden Region as an attractive cooperation region
creating arenas for local and regional collaboration on international issues
communicating EU related information to people in the region

Develop own activities by:

being a leading regional player in international development work
integrating international perspectives in the Regional Council’s day-to-day activities
monitoring East Sweden Region’s prioritised areas and influencing issues internationally
developing activities through regular participation in international project collaborations
developing competence among politicians and officials, within their respective areas of responsibility, on matters about the EU and international cooperation
marketing East Sweden Region as a competent player in international project collaborations
stimulating increased international cooperation and providing international contacts to members
contributing support and expertise in the development of new international projects
offering opportunities for shared experience and collaboration via East Sweden Region’s cooperation projects and membership in international organisations and networks

Implementation
East Sweden Region’s international activities can be divided into three areas; advocacy, development of activities, and support to members.

Advocacy
International collaboration enables East Sweden Region to carry out active advocacy. This includes submitting comments and position papers, making presentations at conferences, etc., where representatives from the region bring out prioritised issues and good examples. East Sweden Region’s membership in international networks and cooperation organisations offers specific opportunities for working and acting from a wider political platform together with other regions in Europe and other parts of the world. Collaboration enables East Sweden Region to act on, and influence, political decisions and policy documents in international contexts. East Sweden Region should be an active region in the Baltic Sea Collaboration.

Active advocacy also brings good opportunities for marketing and positioning the region and the Regional Council. East Sweden Region should be an offensive player and exploit any opportunities for marketing the region and the organisation, as well as using any opportunities of influence offered through different channels.

Communicating EU-related information to people in the region is an important part of the work to increase general knowledge about the EU in the region. EU-information is disseminated through the County Library in Östergötland in collaboration with municipal libraries, but also through newsletters from the East Sweden EU office and via conferences and seminars organised by East Sweden Region.

Development of activities
An important basis for East Sweden Region’s international activities is to help generate and procure new knowledge through an active exchange of experience with other regions in Europe and other parts of the world. Running or participating in international cooperation projects based on priority issues, increases the opportunities for implementing East Sweden Region’s planned developments, thereby increasing the effects of East Sweden Region’s own initiatives.

The Regional Development Programme (RDP) together with associated action programmes governs the choice of collaboration projects.

The following project criteria should also be considered:

long-term
added value
innovative
regional benefit

East Sweden Region’s membership in international networks and organisations plays an important part in the development of activities. Participation in net-works and cooperation organisations offers good opportunities for establishing contacts and learning about new methods, tools and ways of working. This, in turn, strengthens and improves regional development work.

Support for members
As a members’ organisation, East Sweden Region should support members in their international activities. This includes contributing information on possible funding, expert advice on project development, arranging information seminars, and generally supporting members in the realisation of their international strategies. To further support members in the project development phase, East Sweden Region international experts shall exploit arenas used within the Regional Council’s different areas of activity to discuss opportunities for international collaboration. Members shall also be offered the possibility of participating in East Sweden Region’s international cooperation projects and other international commitments.

Principles for membership in organisations, and cooperation agreements with other regions
Membership and selection of cooperation partners shall be guided by the following principles:

There must be a clear link to East Sweden Region priority issues
Cooperation must demonstrate added value, mutual benefit and have clearly formulated objectives
One official and one politician within the East Sweden Region shall be assigned responsibility for each membership or cooperation agreement
Cooperation shall be based on collaboration with other players in the region or in other parts of Sweden
Membership and cooperation agreements shall be evaluated continuously in order to follow-up added value and results

Division of responsibility
East Sweden Region’s Executive Board has the ultimate responsibility for the Regional Council’s international activities, e.g. regarding issues of membership in international organisations/networks, project funding, etc. The Chairman of the Board is the political spokesperson for the area of international collaboration.

Experts at the East Sweden Region secretariat assist the Executive Board in matters on international collaboration. The region also has support from the East Sweden EU Office in Brussels (2), and special expertise on Baltic Sea issues from the Baltic Network.

Follow-up
East Sweden Region’s international activities shall be based on the intentions in the Regional Development Programme. A long-term approach and regular follow-up is an important part of the work. Work should be characterised by:

clear assignments and mandate for East Sweden Region representatives
continuous reporting
continuous follow-up of assignments, working methods and goal fulfilment

1. East Sweden Region’s survey on international work in the region, date 2005-12-01, RF 30-2005-173.
2. www.eastsweden.org