Plans for Administrative Reinforcement (PRA) journal article The Italian Instrument to enhance the Administrative Capacity of Public Administrations in Development Policies Giorgio Centurelli European Structural and Investment Funds Journal, Volume 5 (2017), Issue 4, Page 309 - 311 New innovative instruments intended to help address concerns about administrative capacity have been introduced in 2014-20 in the Italian public administrations involved in managing ESI Fund programmes. The Plans for Administrative Reinforcement (PRA) are operational strategies which set clear timelines for improvements in administrative processes, and are monitored closely and have been given high political priority. The strategies involve taking steps to improve the availability of human resources, training and introduce the simplification of procedures. After a successful evaluation of the first phase, the PRAs have now entered a second phase which is being widened to include administrative responsibilities outside ESI Funds. The success of the PRAs has also been highlighted by the European Commission as being important in the discussions about administrative capacity taking place in regard to the post-2020 period.
Positioning EU Macro-regions – When Sectoral Policies Meet Cohesion Policy journal article Franziska Sielker, Jörg Mirtl European Structural and Investment Funds Journal, Volume 5 (2017), Issue 3, Page 223 - 234 Ten years of macro-regional cooperation and the contemporary post-2020 discussions are the impetus for the authors to question the role and position of macro-regions, and to examine the potential and challenges for their future. In order to position macro-regions in the context of Cohesion policy and sectoral policies we explore the current state of play of macro-regional strategies (MRS) by analysing their implementation processes through a case study analysis, and an analysis of existing studies on the approach and added-value of MRS. This two-fold approach includes an institutional mapping of Priority Area 1a “Waterway Mobilities” of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, as well as conclusions drawn from studies conducted by the Interact programme. The assessment of challenges and potentials positions MRS within the institutional landscape of EU Cohesion policy and sectoral policies, especially with regard to its territorial dimension. The article outlines different options for the future of MRS, which are primarily seen as tools to increase coherence between sectoral policies and regional policies and also among the different layers of the latter.
The Audit Authority’s Role within the Single Audit Concept as Governance Principle in the EU’s Cohesion Policy Marcel Bode
