The Regional Programming Documents
The Regional Programming Document for the Development of Tourism
The 2007-2013 Regional Programming Document for the Development of Tourism in the North-East Region was elaborated parting from the need to reconsider the development potential of the sector because of the support given to sustainable development and to the increase of attractiveness and competitiveness of Northern Transylvania in the European context.
The elaboration of the Regional Programming Document for the Development of Tourism for the period 2007-2013 is based on four important principles:
* Visibility and working in partnership
* Strategic orientation for the period 2007-2013
* Bottom to top approach based on the local development needs
* Coherence with other regional and local planning documents and with the national ones.
The settlement of objectives, intervention fields and priorities for the period 2007-2013 for the North-West Region started from the opening of the actual stage in tourism, of the main products and services offered, from the analysis of employment in tourism, of the contribution of the sector to the regional economy and, finally, from the SWOT analysis made for the existent tourism types. The analyses were made by the staff of the North-West Regional Development Agency, in collaboration with the working groups on tourism, within the Regional Planning Committee and the County Planning Committees, based on statistic information received from the Regional Statistics Office, or from external sources. Representatives of the county and local councils got involved, and so did companies, representatives of the National Tourism Authority, NGOs, representatives of the Natural Parks, of the universities etc. The Development Strategy for Tourism in the North-West Region is integrated in the regional development strategy for the period 2007-2013, having the following general objective: “Increase of the competitiveness of the tourism sector by modernizing and developing the tourism infrastructure and services, including the investments in the creation of new tourist attractions”.
The specific objectives are the following:
1. Preservation of the natural, historical and cultural patrimony in the region, rehabilitation of the areas with a touristic potential
2. Modernization and development of the tourism infrastructures
3. Support for the business environment and improvement of the tourism services and of the supporting facilities supplied and development of the promotion of tourism
4. Promotion of touristic brands of the region
5. Development of niche tourism
The estimated financial resources that can contribute to the implementation of the strategy come on one side from EU Structural Funds (especially ERDF) directed through the Regional Operational Programme and through the National Plan for Rural Development, and on the other side from the state budget, from county and local budgets, but also from private sources.
The regional sectoral programming document “Human Resources Development in the North-West Region, 2007-2013” (HRD NW)
The elaboration of this document is integrated in the measures of the regional programme “Partnership for development 2007-2013”. The objectives followed along the whole process are:
- increase of the awareness and involvement of the regional partners in the programming exercise, up to the sub-county and local level
- contribution to the national programming, reflection of needs, problems, specific regional priorities in the national documents
- increase of the administrative and management capacities of regional, county and local authorities
The document contains the Profile of the region from the perspective of Human Resources Development (main chapters: Demography, Education, Labour market, life-long learning, Health, Social inclusion), the SWOT analysis and the Human resources development strategy in the region for the period 2007-2013, in close correlation with the national and European stipulations.
The document was elaborated with the support of the Sectoral county working groups, coordinated by an expert in each county. Several meetings and workshops took place mainly for the completion of the strategy, and also a large public debate regarding the document, in Baia Mare in October 2005.
The regional sectoral programming document “Human Resources Development in the North-West Region, 2007-2013” is going to be approved in the meeting of the Regional Development Council, together with the Sectoral programming document for the increase of economic competitiveness of the North-West Region 2007-2013.
Regional Action Plan for Employment, North-West Region, 2006-2008 (RAPfE NW)
RAPfE NW was elaborated during the first labour market planning exercise at a regional level. The process was initiated through a technical assistance project granted to the Ministry of Labour, Social Solidarity and Family, PHARE RO 2003-005 – 551.05.01.04.01.01 – Support for the MLSSF for elaborating and implementing the policies of occupation and preparation for the EDIS. The project was coordinated by the Implementation Unit of the Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development in the North-West Region (IU SOP HRD NW) in collaboration with the North-West RDA, which holds the presidency of the Regional Consortium for HRD.
RAPfE contains the regional Profile regarding the Demography, Education, Economy, but especially the Labour Market and Life-long learning, the SWOT analysis and the Action Plan, strategic measure with records containing actions and priorities for reaching the settled objectives. The general objective of the RAPfE NW is “the increase of investments in human capital of the North-West Region, for ensuring a well-trained workforce with a high level of qualification, well-adapted to a flexible and inclusive labour market, sustained by efficient partnerships”.
The members of the permanent working group involved in the elaboration of RAPfE were representatives of the IU SOP HRD NW, the North-West RDA, the RU SOP HRD (Regional Unit for Education) CEA (County Employment Agency), the CEI (County Education Inspectorate), the Regional Office for the Romany communities, the Regional Coordinator Professional and Technical Education Development Center.
RAPfE was debated upon by the HRD Regional Consortium summoned by the North-West RDA, and approved in the RDB meeting by Decision no. 223/23.06.2006, together with a list of projects for the increase on employment in the region, eligible on SOP HRD 2007-2013.
Regional Action Plan for the Development of Professional and Technical Education in the North-West Region 2006-2013 (RAPfED NW)
Within the TVET Regional Consortium (the sectoral consulting structure), in 2003 the first Regional Action Plan for the Professional and Technical Education (RAPfED) was elaborated in the North-West Region for 2003-2010, having as main objective the correlation of the educational offer in the region with the need of social and economic development, for the increase of the employment opportunities for professional and technical education graduates (TVET) and of their contribution to the growth of productivity and competitiveness of the region, to the socio-economic development in general.
In 2005, the planning activities on a regional level were concentrated on the following programming period, in the context of the approaching integration of Romania in the European Union. Thus, the Regional Action Plan for the Professional and Technical Education in the North-West Region 2005-2013 was elaborated and subsequently approved by RDB Decision no. 205/10/18/2005. The document was subordinated to the Regional Development Plan 2007-2013 and to the Regional Sectoral Programming Document for the Development of Human Resources 2007-2013, and correlated to the Regional Action Plan for Employment in the North-West Region 2006-2008. The Regional Consortium (initially TVET, but reorganized at the beginning of 2006 as a Regional Consortium for Human Resources Development, in the context of the RAPfE) is responsible for annually updating the Regional Action Plan for the Professional and Technical Education. In 2006, the document elaborated the previous year was revised by updating a number of 14 statistical indicators from Demographics, Education, Economy and Labour Market, and the Priority records included in the Action Plan were elaborated. Based on the RAPfE, the Local Action Plans for Education (LAPE) are elaborated every year, at a county level, under the coordination of the LCDSP (Local Committees for the Development of the Social Partnership). Finally, the Educational Units Administration Councils elaborate, based on the recommendation from the RAPfE and the LAPE, the School Action Plan (SAP), an instrument of institutional development regarding the improvement of the quality in the TVET. The document contains the vision of the Regional Council regarding the development of the TVET, the demographical profile of the region, the socio-economic profile, data regarding the evolution of the labour market, the system’s educational offer, and the strategy of improvement of the offer of the TVET product quality for 2005-2013, through specific actions and priorities, whose fulfillment will be monitored by the Regional Consortium.
The updated and revised document was debated upon by the HRD Regional Consortium on July 28 2006, and it was approved in the meeting of the Regional Development Board on October 24 2006.
Regional Programming Document for Environmental Protection in the North-West Region 2007-2013
The Regional Programming Document for Environmental Protection in the North-West Region 2007-2013 was elaborated taking into account the following general principles:
- the mission of sustainable development as a growth path, together with the careful usage of the common natural resources, so that the regenerable resources can be preserved, while the non-regenerable resources are used taking into account the needs of future generations.
- The sustainable use of natural resources, a key objective for Romania, which can be reached only by integrating the environmental protection and preservation of nature in the sectoral policies.
- The importance of integrating environmental protection in fields that regard the use of land, rural development, sustainable use of waters, waste management and environmental safety, and also the regional development of human dwellings and territory planning. The workgroup involved in the strategic planning process was composed by representatives of the North-West RDA, of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency (REPA) Cluj, of the county councils, of the Environmental Guard, of the Hydrographic Basins Somes-Tisa, Crisuri, Mures, together with the Forest Office Cluj, the Ecologic Club Transilvania, the Mounting Club Apuseni.
The main conclusions of the Regional Strategy for Environmental Protection in the North-West Region 2007-2013
In order to support the sustainable development of the region, it is necessary to make significant investments in the environmental infrastructure, especially in the sectors water, waste and air quality. Also, investments must be made in the development of efficient environmental management systems (especially in the sectors water and waste), in order to improve the quality of services for the population and to create a competitive business environment. Viable management systems are also necessary for the protection and/or capitalization of natural resources.
Regional Programming Document for the Growth of Economic Competitiveness in the North-West Region
The Regional Programming Document for the Growth of Economic Competitiveness was elaborated by a regional working group composed by the representatives of several co-interested institutions: county councils, town halls, prefects’ offices, universities, research centers, companies, tourism agencies, NGOs, industrial sites, patronal associations.
The document presents an analysis of the dynamic of relevant regional economic indicators, as compared to the national average and to other European regions, the evolution of labour market, the analysis of infrastructure as a basis for the growth of economic competitiveness. It includes a regional picture of the activity of the Research&Development&Innovation sector: number of units, personnel involved, sector expenses, information regarding the business infrastructure and the information society. Part of the regional economic profile is dedicated to tourism, as a sector with a well-defined potential competitive role.
The present state of regional tourism is analyzed, together with its contribution to the regional economy, the touristic market, the tourist attractions, touristic products and services, promotion of the regional touristic potential, development options.
The elaboration of the document is in progress, and it is going to be finalized with a specific Strategy for the growth of competitiveness of the regional economy in the North-West and even with a portfolio of priority projects for the implementation of the strategy.