What do “the people” think of us?Feedback and awareness study of the Estonia – Latvia

Cross-border Cooperation Programme

Rasma RozenbergaInformation manager of the Estonia – Latvia Programme, www.estlat.eu INFORM network meeting in Brussels, June 15-16, 2010

Main idea...

• Assess awareness about the Programme– In context of ETC and EU programmes in general– See the info sources people use(!) Problem to statistically track potential applicants

• Obtain useful feedback– Interest in cross-border cooperation– Interest in participation in our Programme– Obstacles

General associations

General associations with field-specific cooperation

Regarding general EU contribution

Awareness (I)

Awareness (II)

Source of information

Sector differences: awareness

Sector and country differences: readiness to search for info

Country differences in readiness to search for info

Sector and country differences: general cooperation interest

Country differences in general cooperation interest

1 - No interest2 - We would be interested to attend joint events and meet with such organizations/ maintain contacts or cooperate as far as it does not require any special effort from us3 - We would be ready to invest some effort to search for such organizations and establish contact (using joint events or visits to the other country, giving calls etc.), initiate some ideas and take part in joint projects4 - We would be ready to invest greater effort and use all available tools to find such organizations (also through calls or visits of the local municipalities or other intermediaries in Estonia/ Latvia), actively attend and initiate joint events to maintain the contact, propose ideas and initiate joint projects

General cross-border cooperation interests

Statistically significant correlations prove that interest in cooperation with any country is linked to interest in cooperation with any other country

Cooperation interest not so geographically, historically or culturally determined as it migh seem

Cooperation obstacles for Estonians and Latvians

Obstacles for participation in Estonia – Latvia Programme

Obstacles for participation in EU programmes in general

Obstacles for Estonia – Latvia Programme: sector & viewing

partners as competitors

Grouping of obstacles

If they don’t come to us, where do they go?

Alternative programmes in Estonia

Gambling tax fund

Cultural Capital Fund

Other specific (Emajõe Fund,

Olympic Committee, Heritage Board)

Environment investment

centre

EAS

PRIA

Open Estonian foundation

Local governments/ their agencies

Relevant ministry programme

Other national / local support programmes preferred in Estonia

What can we use this all and how?

For communication

• Continuous information work, especially:– for private sector– through intermediaries and “trusted actors” – in Estonia

• Joint efforts with other ETC programmes – info materials– seminars together

• Practical workshops based on obstacle groups• Partner search help as much as we can provide:

– contact forums– online idea sharing space– Intermediary contacts

On Programme level

• Considering of the actual cooperation interest and obstacles during strategic planning in this and the next programming periods– Programme area– Private sector– Programme conditions reg. financing– Priority areas– Split coordinating bodies for different programmes

Summary

“... give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change things that should be changed and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other”

(Reinhold Niebuhr, The Serenity Prayer, 1937)

Complete report of the feedback study done by the Estonia – Latvia Programme is available at www.estlat.eu/news/programme-news/survey