The Trans-national Forum on Communication Best Practices of Structural Fund Projects: Formez Guide-lines have been distributed

On April 10th and 11th in Thessaloniki, the Managing Authority of the Regional Operational Programme for Central Macedonia organized the trans-national forum on communication best practices of the development programmes co-financed by the Structural Funds. The first day was dedicated to the examination of the content and beneficiaries of communication programmes. After a brief opening address by the Managing Authority of the Regional Operational Programme for Central Macedonia, Ms Barbara Piotrowska, Director for Information and Publicity from the Direction General Regional Policies of the European Commission, took the floor and outlined the European Union communication policies with particular reference to the key initiatives promoted by the Direction General "Communication", the Plan D (Democracy, Dialogue, Debate), the European Transparency Initiative, the White Paper on a European Communication Policy, and the most recent initiative “Communicating Europe in partnership” which on the basis of previous initiatives, submitted an agreement with other European institutions and voluntary management partnerships with the member States with regard to the definition of communication priorities. The Greek Managing Authority followed with a speech on the communication initiatives which have been implemented to advertise the Operational Programme in the Macedonia region. The second series of interventions studied in depth the collaboration methods between the public and private sectors for the realization of information and publicity actions of the Structural Funds. During this session, the communication campaigns promoted by the private sector were presented. In the afternoon section, international examples of best practices were outlined by France, Austria, Spain and Greece. On April 11th, the visit to the museum and archaeological site of Vergina in the resort of Hmathia - central Macedonia, was carried out which is considered a best practice in the use of the Structural Funds. In the scope of the Forum, Formez was invited to provide the guide-lines realized under the Administrative Twinning with Bulgaria on “Strengthening the Capacity of the Ministry for Public Administration and its Administrative Reforms for the Management of the Operational Programme on Administrative Capacity” and the Ministry of Work and Social Policies under the project aimed at assisting the Managing Authority in the management of the Operational Programme “Development of Human Resources”.