Sonia Enilova ARDI 17072009

							“eGovernment good practices transfer between regional
authorities: experiences and challenges of Interreg IVC
                Capitalisation projects”

                 PIKE Project Workshop

Adapting good practice to new contexts in
   the Southeast Region in Bulgaria

                      Sonya Enilova
       Agency for Regional Development and Innovations

                Brussels, 24th September 2009
BULGARIA on the map of EUROPE
REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA
   Southeast Region
          BURGAS MUNICIPALITY
•   TERRITORY – 512 324 DECARES

   230 000 INHABITANTS

   TWO UNIVERSITIES AND
FOUR COLLEGES WITH MORE THAN
6 000 BULGARIAN AND FOREIGN STUDENTS
TRAINED ANNUALLY;

• WELL DEVELOPED TRANSPORT
 INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSEUROPEAN
CORRIDORS;

• THE BIGGEST BLACK SEA PORT
IN THE COUNTRY;


•   INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – 2 000 000 PASSENGERS PER YEAR;
BURGAS MUNICIPALITY – ECONOMIC POTENTIAL
 ACCORDING TO ITS ECONOMIC POTENTIAL BURGAS MUNICIPALITY IS
SECOND AMONG THE BULGARIAN MUNICIPALITIES;
 4,16 % UNEMPLOYMENT DURING THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2009 – ONE OF
THE LOWEST IN THE COUNTRY IN THE SITUATION OF CRISIS;
 GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT PER CAPITA – 40% HIGHER THAN THE
AVERAGE FOR THE COUNTRY.

 “LUKOIL NEFTOHIM” PETROL REFINERY – ONE OF THE BIGGEST
COMPANIES ON THE BALKANS;

 DUTY FREE ZONE OF BURGAS - ESTABLISHED IN 1989;

 408 COMPANIES WITH FOREIGN CAPITAL ON THE TERRITORY OF THE
MUNICIPALITY;

 THE FOREIGN INVESTMENTS GREW UP TO 65% FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS.
LUKOIL NEFTOHIM BURGAS
Agency for Regional Development and Innovations
                  (ARDI)

• ARDI is a NGO in public benefit

• Established in 2004

• Developed RIS in SERP in Bulgaria - SERBUL
project – 6th Framework Programme (01 June 2005
– 31 March 2008)

• At present – implementing PIKE & NEEBOR
projects - INTERREG IVC
       PIKE Project „Promotion of innovation
          and knowledge economy”
• Lead Partner is ERNACT EEIG (Ireland)
• Project duration - May 2008 – June 2010
• Project budget - €1.66 mln.
• Main results:


 GP handbook with detailed description of 4 good practices of the
partner regions
 9 action plans, which show exactly how the GP will be transferred
in each region

Study visits, conferences, meetings, work with media and local
workshops in each region.
Bulgaria SE role in the PIKE project
Experience of Bulgaria SE as an adopting/transferee partner

           Assessment of networking activities
• PIKE has the aim to promote and multiply 4 GP from the 3 EU regions by the
network of the project partners. These GPs can be funded by projects in
Operational Programmes.
• Network activities – exchange of experience, share common issues
• Burgas municipality is the final beneficiary that will implement the GP in
Bulgaria SE

GP chosen to be transferred in Bulgaria SE

 "Wireless City" project includes wireless broadband connections in Derry City
     Council (e.g. System for electronic processing of documents and
     management systems), University of Ulster (SMART classrooms, Wireless
     Technology Demonstration Centre for Businesses) and local tourist
      initiatives (digitised cultural and heritage content, virtual tour).
Adopting the Good practice (perspective)
- GP Handbooks and Newsletters – distributed among local and
regional authorities, universities, NGOs, partners
-Study visit – Derry, April 2009
• Approach – representatives from Burgas Municipality and Burgas
Technical University took part in the study visit in Derry
• Elements of the study visit that worked and what didn’t work –
        Derry City Council (e.g. System for electronic processing of documents and
management systems) can be transferred as a whole, University of Ulster (SMART
classrooms, Wireless Technology Demonstration Centre for Businesses) has to be
implemented by Burgas University using other source of funding and local tourist
initiatives (digitised cultural and heritage content, virtual tour) can be implemented
in Nessebar municipality (in UNESCO List of World Cultural Heritage).

- GP Transfer roadmap (local context vis-à-vis the one in Derry)
- Action Plan – in the process of preparation
-Challenges & opportunities of the adoption process
     Lack of communication infrastructure; possibility to create infrastructure
     using EU funds;
     First step – only in local and regional administration areas (OPRD
     funding); second step – in universities and their campuses (using other
     funding opportunities)
   Adopting the Good practice (perspective)

       • Local workshops in June 2008 and May 2009 (participants
       from municipality, university, raising awareness on the
       project and the GP, discussion on transfer of GP)
       • Meetings with the different bodies responsible for ROP
       (MRDPW)
       • Challenges associated with the mainstreaming of the GP
                           OPRD (2007 – 2013) has a Measure on ICT. It’ll be open in
2010. Burgas municipality is preparing an Application form for the Call.
                           At present Burgas municipality funds the wireless city public
areas using its own budget.
                           The overall project will be implemented after the approval of
the application form by the Management Authority of OPRD.




•Networking activities
    - meetings with the partners, workshop, conference, etc.
 Adopting the Good practice (perspective)



Overall assessment of Bulgaria SE
participation in the PIKE project
      - Benefits to Bulgaria SE and ARDI


• Implementation of RIS in SER
• Burgas - Wireless City Pilot project – disseminated
as a GP in all 264 municipalities in Bulgaria
           For additional information and
           contacts:




      Republic of Bulgaria
         Burgas 8000

AGENCY FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND
         INNOVATIONS

       52, Lermontov, Street
    tel./fax: +359 56 841966
      E-mail: ardi@mail.bg


       www.ardi-serp.org