Improvement of European cooperation of higher territorial units to streamline territorial self-government

This project is funded by the European Social Fund. Find all the information about operational program on www.reformuj.sk.

This project is funded by the European Social Fund.

Recipient: Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association, n.o., Staromestská 6/D, 811 03 Bratislava

Project: Improvement of European cooperation of higher territorial units to streamline territorial self-government

Place of implementation: Prešov Self-Governing Region, Trnava Self-Governing Region

Amount of non-repayable funding: 298 898,88 EUR Find all the information about operational program on www.reformuj.sk.

https://europa.eu/european-union/index_sk

Aim of the project

The main aim of the project is to streamline the functioning of higher territorial units in the European Union and thus increase the preconditions of the Slovak Republic itself to enforce their interests in the EU. Regions as such can participate in decision-making processes in the EU, where they can represent the interests of their citizens and thus strenghten the position of Slovakia as a whole. However, Slovak higher territorial units are making only limited use of their possibilities, partly because of their own capacity limits, e.g. for processing the necessary strategies for their functioning in the EU. It is this aspect that is covered by this project.

The main objective of the project can be achieved through following partial objectives:

Identification and analysis of European activities of the chosen two higher territorial units, Trnava Self-Governing Region (TTSK) and Prešov Self-Governing Region (PSK), through the audit of their bilateral, regional and multilateral activities and mapping of their possibilities;
Comparison of the European activities of the chosen higher territorial units (Czech Republic, Poland)
Identification of weaknesses in the European agenda of TTSK and PSK and preparation of detailed European agenda development strategy for TTSK and PKS; preparation of the framework project plan to streamline European activities of all higher territorial units in the Slovak Republic

Individual project activities are focused mainly on the analysis and preparation of the strategy. In the first phase of the project, we will conduct a detailed audit in TTSK and PSK since their formation in 2001 up until 2019; we will map their possibilities through analysis of primary and secondary resources, as well as on the basis of the study trip to Brussels.

In the second phase of the project, we will focus on comparative analysis of the chosen two higher territory units with chosen Czech and Polish regional territorial unit (county, duchy).

The third phase of the project includes activities focused on finalisation of the analysis and preparation of the detailed strategy and project plan, or more precisely activities, which will be focused on the subsequent introduction of the strategy in relevant higher territory units and of the plan in Bratislava and Brussels.