EQUAL: Working Transnationally

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EQUAL Working Transnationally

• Developing and concluding your TCA
• GB EQUAL Support Unit

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Agenda

• Why transnationality?
• Getting ready
• Finding transnational partners
• Member States / Associate Partners
• What is the TCA?
• Developing your TCA
• Eligible costs
• Financial Planning
• Concluding your TCA

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Why transnationality?

• Add value to domestic activity
• develop common European solutions to common
  European problems
• build on current good practice
• deepen understanding of nature and forms of
  discrimination, inequality and labour market
  exclusion
• keep up to date with policy developments around
  Europe
• enhance status of promoting DPs

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Why transnationality?

• Institutional benefits
• long-term (strategic)
• short-term (operational)
• Individual benefits
• new information / experiences
• new perspective on problems / issues
• self-esteem / confidence

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Getting ready

• Objectives
• what aspect of your DP should TN help to develop?
  (processes, systems, products)?
• which barriers / problems / disadvantages do you
  want to address?
• What are the expected benefits of
  transnationality?
• What is the innovation?
• Which aspects can be integral to DP activities?
• How will TN add value to planned outputs?

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Getting ready

• Materials
• summary info about DP / organisations
• DP proposal
• objectives
• translation
• build on / abstract from European questionnaire

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Getting ready

• Resources
• people
• design
• management / co-ordination
• delivery
• inter-cultural training - general / specific
• finance
• appropriate levels of funding
• eligible costs

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Searching for partners

• Research
• partners prior experience - ADAPT / EMPLOYMENT
• other transnational contacts - twinning, Leonardo
• EQUAL Common Database (ECDB)

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EQUAL Common Database

• http//europa.eu.int/comm/ employment_social/equal
  /index_en.html
• available from 15th November 2001
• up to date summary of all DPs across Europe
• extensive search facilities

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EQUAL Common Database

• Set out key characteristics
• broad approach initially, narrow down
• Advised to search within chosen theme
• but think creatively
• May learn from differences as well as
  similarities
• dont give up if you cant find your own DP
  replicated!

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Things to watch out for

• Not a panacea!
• Check national priorities
• may differ within themes
• Check how issues / problems are classified across
  themes
• Technical / specialist terminology may not be
  consistent
• Be prepared for translation work

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Next steps

• Written communication
• Exploratory meetings
• culture
• language issues

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How many partners?

• MUST have at least one from another Member State
• BUT - at least 2 DPs from other Member States
  recommended
• risk if only one
• more than three will bring additional complexity
  (although potentially greater rewards)
• quality, appropriateness and durability most
  important

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Associate Partners

• Two types
• 1. Within the Member States
• non-EQUAL/ ESF funded actors/groupings of actors
• makes it possible to work in MSs where a specific
  pillar / theme will not be addressed
• only on exceptional basis
• must show clear added value
• make sure adequate funding available
• seek guidance in advance from Support Unit

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Associate Partners

• 2. Outside the Member States
• Candidate countries / non-Member States
• PHARE, TACIS, MEDA, CARDS
• no EQUAL funding (ESF NOT eligible outside of the
  MSs)
• timing - may not be possible to join in First
  Call
• eligible costs NB only travel and communication
  costs eligible for MS DPs (not subsistence /
  in-country costs).

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Associate Partners (non-MS)

• Finding partners
• existing links
• ECDB
• Support Unit
• eg links with Czech Republic

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Associate Partners (non-MS)

• Further information
• EU Delegation
• EC web-sites
• Accession countries europa.eu.int/comm/enlargeme
  nt/index.htm
• PHARE europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/pas/phare.ht
  m
• TACIS europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/ceeca
  /tacis/index.htm
• MEDA europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/med_mi
  deast/euro_med_partnership/
• CARDS europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/see/d
  ocs/index.htm

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What is the TCA?

• Three purposes
• commitment for collaboration
• defines joint strategy / costs / allocation of
  expenditure
• basis for Action 2 approval.

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Developing your TCA

• Needs to reinforce overall DP strategy
• integral to DP, not add-on
• Participative decision making - involve widest
  range of DP members where possible (empowerment)
• May require changes to domestic work programme
• develop in conjunction with DPA

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Developing your TCA

• Objectives
• Activities -work programme / Timetable
• Organisation / decision-making arrangements
• Roles and responsibilities
• Management
• transnational co-ordinator, shared co-ordination,
  steering committee, working groups
• Communications
• meetings, study visits, exchanges, placements
• Monitoring / evaluation
• Dissemination
• Financial planning

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Eligible costs

• Costs of participation
• travel, accommodation, meals
• Communication / translation
• Information visits / placements of DP
  participants
• trainers / trainees / staff etc.
• Meetings / events / info visits / placements
• Joint activities / joint development of services
  by third parties
• Co-ordination secretariat, experts, evaluation of
  common work
• Cost sharing of third party / external actors
  should not exceed 25 of TCA budget

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Financial planning

• Transnational partners will have varied resources
• Use principle of reciprocity where possible
• equal benefits / costs born on equal basis
• Cost sharing
• where reciprocity not feasible
• pro-rata invoicing / reimbursement
• Seek advice!

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Concluding the TCA

• Use of ETCIM
• EQUAL Transnational Co-operation Internet Module
• web-based management tool
• appoint ETCIM administrator
• work in collaboration with partners
• seek agreement by Support Unit, in conjunction
  with DPA.

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Timeframe

• Essential that overall timeframe across MSs
  respected
• Initial TCA submission
• mid-March 2002
• DPA / TCA submission
• 1st April 2002
• Agreement of TCA / DPA by Support Units
• by 14th May 2002