Formez Shares its Experiences on Communication of the Interventions Co-financed by the Structural Funds

Formez experts participated in an international sharing of experiences between Bulgaria, Italy and Spain on the implementation of communication campaigns on the interventions co-financed by Structural Funds which was organized under the Twinning project “Improvement of the Coordination, Management and Implementation Mechanisms of EU Structural Instruments”.
Riccardo Honorati Bianchi, Resident Twinning Adviser  on behalf of the Department for Development and Economic Cohesion (DPS) of the Ministry of Economic Development, opened the seminar works. Following, an address by Raphael Goulet, Head of Unit Communication, Information and Relations with Third Countries of the Direction General for Regional Policy outlined the EU communication policy with regard to the cohesion policy and the proposals of simplification of Regulation 1828/2006. Subsequently, Milena Pehlivanova from the Bulgarian Ministry of Finance submitted the results deriving from the evaluation carried out throughout the first two years of activity under the National Strategic Framework.
The address by Nicola Masi from the DPS described the experiences of Italy's Structural Fund communication network and emphasized that communication must become an objective to be shared by the various administrations. From this point, the need for greater coordination of communication activities and for improved liaisons with the media system emerged which is one of the critical factors during the previous programming period.
Angeles Gayoso from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Finance outlined how the Structural Fund communications and system work in Spain with particular reference to monitoring and assessment of Communication Plans. Anna Claudia Abis and Claudia Salvi from Formez respectively described the networking experiences provided by Italy’s National Operational Programmes communication plans and the “EuroPA” projects of the Department of Public Administration which were managed by Formez between 1998 and 2006. Anna Maria Linsalata spoke about the Emilia Romagna Region experiences through the involvement of the European Commission network “Europe Direct”.
Eugenio Iorio from the Puglia Region presented the regional system of Structural Fund communication which is characterized by high-level coordination of the various funds. Anselmo Caporossi from Studiare Sviluppo reported examples of the communication campaigns which were implemented under the co-financing of the European Social Fund aiming at disadvantaged groups. The concluding address held by Francisco Morrillo outlined a few examples of the communication campaigns carried out in the Spanish region of Andalusia.