Polonia - Ukraine Transcarpathia - a new opening
The project "Polonia - Ukraine Transcarpathia - new opening" implemented in the period from August 2007 to June 2008, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the Neighborhood Program Poland - Belarus - Ukraine INTERREG III A / Tacis CBC 2004-2006.
Purpose of the project
The aim of the project is to enable long-term Polish-Ukrainian cooperation within the structures of the Interregional Union Carpathian Euroregion and to include new actors in the aforementioned cooperation. The prerequisite for maintaining the sustainability of activity in the Polish-Ukrainian borderland in the Subcarpathian zone is the precise definition of their fields. This is to be achieved by the creation and implementation of the Polish-Ukrainian Strategy for Co-operation of Euroregional Associations 2007-2015. This strategy is an instrument for the implementation of two overarching documents: the Joint Polish-Ukrainian Strategy for Cross-Border Cooperation (Lubelskie, Podkarpackie, Wołyńskie, Lviv 2005-2015) and the Development Strategy for the Podkarpackie Voivodeship for 2007-2013. The strength of this document will therefore lie in its strict complementarity with other, already implemented, strategic and planning documents. Moreover, what is important, it is to be slightly modified and adopted by all other entities belonging to the Interregional Association of the Carpathian Euroregion.
As part of the project, it is planned to create an appropriate strategic document, accompanying sectoral materials, define the principles of monitoring and evaluation of the strategy, which is to guarantee its actual implementation and assigning it (prioritizing) activity in the field of Polish-Ukrainian cooperation, which is carried out by individual members of the Euroregion. The project also promotes the project (conferences, publications, website) and its main product - the Strategy itself. After its preparation, it will be adopted by the Euroregional structures in Poland and Ukraine and by all members for use and implementation. Promotion of the strategy and the principles of its implementation will be strengthened by a series of six training courses (five in Poland and one in Ukraine), concerning, inter alia, the possibility of financing joint Polish-Ukrainian undertakings in 2007-2013 as well as legal and organizational aspects of Polish-Ukrainian cooperation.
The linking element of the project will be the Observatory of Cross-Border Cooperation (OWT), created within the framework of the Association of the Carpathian Euroregion Poland, as an efficient instrument responsible for: collecting, developing and sharing comprehensive information in four areas: experience and current state of cooperation, database of entities participating and interested in cooperation, methodology of cooperation and sources of its financing. After the completion of the project, OWT will be responsible for the implementation and dissemination of the strategy developed under the project and for measurement research as part of the monitoring process.
Project impact
- Enabling long-term Polish-Ukrainian cooperation within the structures of the Interregional Union Carpathian Euroregion
- Inclusion of new actors in Polish-Ukrainian cooperation within the structures of the Interregional Union Carpathian Euroregion
- Facilitating the application and implementation of projects with a strong cross-border effect, in particular those financed from EU funds
- Activation of the Interregional Union of the Carpathian Euroregion in 2007-2013
- Professionalization of the staff of Polish and Ukrainian institutions involved in CBC-type cooperation.
Target groups
The project's impact area covers the entire territory of the Polish and Ukrainian part of the Carpathian Euroregion: in total it is 74 586 km2, inhabited on both sides of the border by 8 557 760 people. It is almost half of the territory of the entire Euroregion and almost 60% of its population. The population of the Euroregion is an indirect target group - all potential project stakeholders are direct - institutions and organizations interested in implementing the strategy, acting for the public good in the above-mentioned area and towards the Carpathian community: government and local administration on both sides of the border, non-governmental organizations, cultural institutions, organizations economic, research and development units as well as universities and universities, institutions responsible for environmental protection. It is estimated that after 1 year, the strategy will be implemented in the territories under their control by 50 local government units on the Polish side and regional and district administrations on the Ukrainian side. The target group of the project are also institutions delegating their employees or cooperating persons to trainings organized under the project.
Actors working for local and supra-local communities will be institutional members of both parts of the Euroregion. It is expected that about 35 entities, both from Poland and Ukraine, will join the implementation of the strategy.
Project partners
- Association of the Carpathian Euroregion Poland - Applicant
- European Center for Cross-Border Initiatives in Lublin - National Partner
- Ukrainian Office of the Carpathian Euroregion in Uzhgorod - Foreign Partner
As part of the project, 6 training sessions were conducted :
- February 29, 2008 - Stalowa Wola
- April 16, 2008 - Sanok
- April 17, 2008 - Krosno
- April 17, 2008 - Jarosław
- April 18, 2008 - Rzeszów
- May 28, 2008 - Lviv
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