Acronym: ESPARRU 17
FEDER reference: 961129002
II. Reference period Beginning: 1/6/97 End : 30/9/97
III. Partners
3.1) Modifications.
- No modifications
3.2) Consolidation of partners
- Holding a course on the New Employment Sites at the Basque Summer University (3, 4, & 5th of September in Donostia-San Sebastián), in which 14 speakers took part and which was attended by 115 people.
- Holding meetings with financial institutions in order to analyse the viability of new financial instruments (service-cheques and proximity savings and their application in Gipuzkoa).
- Holding coordination meetings with representatives from the Regional Council of Gipuzkoa connected with the subjects to be dealt with: Social Welfare, Environment and Transport.
3.3) Composition of the technical team (of the project) and of the Steering Committee.
- Coordination Committee, made up of the technicians in charge of the project from the Regional Council of Gipuzkoa and the technical consultants.
- Technical Committee: made up of representatives from the institutions that are promoting the project: Regional Council of Gipuzkoa, EUDEL- Association of Basque Town Councils and GARAPEN- Regional Development Agencies.
- Steering Committee: made up of the Councillor and Director of Economics and Tourism on the Regional Council of Gipuzkoa and six mayors from Gipuzkoa on behalf of the associations EUDEL & GARAPEN.
No modifications have occurred.
IV. Actions that have been carried out
4.1) Launching transfer projects or actions.
- Preparation of a Synthesis-report on the viability of the 17 areas of New Employment Sites in Gipuzkoa. The aim of this report is to summarize the main aspects dealt with in the various viability plans and is organized in the following sections: introduction; criteria used to establish the viability of the areas; areas chosen and factors that explain these choices.
- Drawing up (phase 1) two studies concerning: Potential for development and employment in Gipuzkoa in the New Employment Sites and viability of service-cheques; and the design of a model for proximity savings in Gipuzkoa with regard to the New Employment Sites.
- Meetings to analyse and establish the needs of the pilot projects for the areas that have been selected with their promotors. Before this, a record of the training and financial needs of each one of the projects was prepared, with the members of the Technical Commission taking part (two analysis groups).
- The agenda of each one of the meetings, (24 projects were studied), was as follows: introduction, profile of the promotor, current status of the project, other aspects of interest, needs regarding its development, prospects and impact on local development.
4.2) Meetings, seminars, steering committees,....
- Holding the second meeting of the Governing board (June 19th) with a significant turnout of representatives from the economic and social institutions in the Province. Subjects presented: the relevance of employment as a basic aim of economic policy and the development of new activities and sectors in the field of the Community policy of New Employment sites and a general presentation of the activities that have been carried out in the Esparru programme.
- Holding the first meeting of the Technical Commission.
- Holding of weekly meetings of the Coordinating committee
4.3) Dissemination, communication and information activities to do with the project
- Opening a web page for the project, with the following structure: General information, characteristics and presentation of the Esparru programme, statistics, forum, general documentation about the project and the work that has been carried out, and news. The address is http://www.gipuzkoa.net/esparru.
- Preparation of Information Bulletin Nº 3 (8 pages) with widespread distribution (1200 copies mailed).
4.4) Consolidation activities through the creation of structures, agencies, companies or through mobilization.
The aforementioned activities
4.5) Other actions
None.
V. Assessment
5.1) Overall status of the project
- Broadly speaking, the planned deadlines and aims for this phase have been met.
5.2) Difficulties that have been discovered and outstanding problems
- As difficulties that have been discovered we can mention those concerning the assessment of the pilot projects and their launching, the characteristics and viability of the new financial instruments related to the project and the composition of the support groups.
5.3) Actions, tasks and initiatives envisaged for the next 4 months
- Selection and definition of aid for the pilot projects in the selected areas. Their launching and monitoring.
- Setting up the sectorial support groups and the new financial instruments.
- Holding meetings for the Governing Board, Steering Committee and Technical Commission.
- Completion of the studies regarding "Economic effects of the new employment sites" and "Proximity savings".
- Preparation of Information Bulletin nº 4 and dissemination of innovations in the programme through the Web Page.
VI. Free overall comments by the Project Manager.
In the period that includes this third progress report (June 97 - September 97) we have basically focused on two aspects:
- design and organization of accompanying measures for the development of the pilot projects.
- contrasting and assessment of the various experiences and models of new financial instruments for the development of new employment sites.
In this respect the main milestones in the activities that have been put into practice are:
A systematization validated with real projects, in the decision-making process on what projects should be promoted (definition of the spheres of activities- degree of viability, interrelationship between spheres and projects, characterization and typology of projects -service, market and promoter).
Establishing the scope of the measures to accompany and support the pilot projects:
Launching two tasks regarding new financial instruments to support the creation of business supply and solvent demand in the area of the new employment sites: service cheques and proximity savings.
This has meant:
On another level of achievement we need to emphasize our commitment to getting all of society involved: economic and social agents from the reflection process and commitment to the creation of jobs in accordance with the philosophy of the new employment sites, which has resulted in two complementary activities:
a) putting on a course ( sponsored by the Summer university- European Courses) with the participation, as speakers, of European experts and representatives from all walks of life in Gipuzkoa and people and institutions who were interested in the project - creation of jobs and local development- which on the one hand has allowed us to publicize the concept of the new employment sites, and on the other, to compare the progress that ESPARRU has made and demarcate the tasks that are still to be carried out.
b) setting up a specific WEB page of our own about the project in order to provide a constant framework for communication and spreading news among the agents involved in the project and that, if need be, may serve as a reference and contact point to other bodies that are interested.
As a global assessment we must emphasize two aspects:
1) compliance with the established work chronogram (with relevant adaptions)
2) the greater involvement (with regard to diversity) of agents, both in the envisaged decision-making and participatory bodies, and in independant activities (coverage in the media, requests for information and about getting involved).
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