The first Session of the Partnership Council and thematic working groups of Primorsko-Goranska County was held
Primorsko-Goranska County Development Strategy (PGC DS) is a planning document of regional development policy which determines the strategic objectives and priorities of a sustainable socio-economic development of a regional self-government unit. It is
a key development document of the County, whose structure and content is required to coordinate local, regional and national, as well as EU, development objectives, needs and financial aspects. It will ensure the link between the local and regional development needs and the development priorities at the central level; it will also provide additional incentive for the development of the areas lagging behind the national average and the areas along the border; and, finally, it will prepare projects for funding from various sources, with special emphasis on the European Union funds.
The preparation of the PGC DS will carry on the continuous process of strategic planning in PGC. In September 2013, at the County Assembly, PGC adopted the new Spatial Plan of Primorsko-Goranska County (PGC SP). The PGC SP is a strategic document, designed for a long-term period (app. 20 years), which defines the basic direction for spatial development of towns and municipalities in PGC. It is elaborated on the basis of the Strategy and Physical Planning Programme of the Republic of Croatia and on the programming aspects of the regional self-government. The PGC DS, which is elaborated for a shorter period, namely 6 years, represents an opportunity and an obligation for a more detailed elaboration of the guidelines of the new PGC SP.
The preparation of the PGC DS 2015-2020 started at the end of 2013. Preparation coordinator for the PGC DS is the Department for Regional Development, Infrastructure and Project Management. The preparer is PI Institute for Physical Planning of PGC. For the purposes of the PGC DS special bodies for its preparation have been established. A Working Team and a smaller Operational Working Team have been appointed. PI Institute for Physical Planning of PGC is in charge of the Operational Working Team whose task is to prepare all working materials and take operational charge of the overall process of preparation. All administrative departments of PGC, institutions owned by the County as well as local self-government units (LSGU) are involved in the preparation of the PGC DS. A Partnership Council, leaders, coordinators and members of thematic working groups for the preparation of the PGC DS have been appointed. The PGC DS is prepared and implemented taking into account the principle of partnership. The partnership is active in all stages of the preparation and implementation of the PGC DS. The Partnership Council, tasked with the monitoring of the preparation of the PGC DS, is comprised of selected representatives of key stakeholders (such as, for example, representatives of: LSGU, the County, University of Rijeka, Port Authority, Croatian Chamber of Economy, Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts, State Administration, Croatian Employment Service, Croatian Employers' Association, CBRD, unions, various associations…) and has a total of 29 members. They are a group of key stakeholders which determines the recommendations and proposals for the decision makers. Working Groups for the preparation of the PGC DS are made up of experts and stakeholders who play an active part in the preparation of analytical bases, formulation of issues, identification of objectives and priorities, and elaboration of measures. This is the most comprehensive group of stakeholders with the total of 58 members, and they are organized in thematic working groups for different development issues, with the total of 5 thematic working groups on: Economy, tourism, rural development and competitiveness; Social affairs; Infrastructure; Physical planning and environment protection; Civilian sector and states of emergency.
PGC DS is elaborated pursuant to the Ordinance on mandatory content, preparation methodology and evaluation of county development strategies. In line with the methodology, the first stage covers the Status Analysis preparation which is used as a basis for defining strategic determinants of future development (vision, strategic objectives, priorities, measures). In the end, the Strategy implementation is defined, containing: financial and institutional framework, monitoring of the DS implementation and reporting, action plan and communication strategy. So far, a working version of the County Status Analysis and SWOT Analysis have been done. Next on the agenda is active work of thematic working groups and the elaboration of the strategic framework for future development of the County.
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The Director of the PI Institute for Physical Planning of PGC, Prof. Mladen Črnjar PhD, presented the methodology of Strategy preparation and the dynamics planned for its realization. He pointed out that the preparation of the Strategy starts with the preliminary insight into the existing situation in our region. However, Prof. Črnjar also underlined that this work is being undertaken without two fundamental national documents – the Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia and the new law on regional development. In addition, he emphasised that knowledge and education are crucial factors in regional development, and that, according to EU projections, by the year 2020 forty percent of people in Europe will have a degree in higher education.
The importance of cooperation between higher education institutions in the preparation of Development Strategy was highlighted by Prof. Pero Lučin PhD, the Rector of the University of Rijeka, who pointed out that the University must not remain outside this process. Rector Lučin is of the opinion that our region, Primorsko-Goranska County, Istria and Friuli-Venezia, have the biggest prospects for development in the Western Balkans. Furthermore, he pointed out the importance of the so-called smart specialization, as it is crucial for strategic development, and it is divided into the public sector, private sector and knowledge centres or, more specifically, the production of knowledge through research. He stated that the University of Rijeka is today ranked as 450th university in Europe and 1,145th in the world, which he feels is a solid position if we consider the fact that there are 20,000 university centres today in the world, and our ranking puts us within top 5 percent of the most successful.
The Partnership Council session was attended by the Assistant Minister of Economy Mr Vedran Kružić who said that the Innovation Strategy 2014 – 2020 was a prerequisite for obtaining funds from the EU and that we could utilize it to obtain around 500 million euro from the EU. He pointed out investment in human resources as one of the most important priorities, stressed the importance of stimulating exports, creating industrial strategy as an export concept and stated that the driving industries in Croatia should be pharmaceutical, metal processing and wood industry.
Presentation from the Session (CRO)
Radio Rijeka, Development Strategy of Primorsko-Goranska County in preparation (CRO)