PHASE 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

and national actors, who can contribute by providing resources or facilitating practices.

PHASE 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Insights from the case-study Suggested actions

MAIN ACTORS Self-assessment questions

The 19 projects included in the strategy were managed by different public or private bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the projects and the economic resources allocated. Among them: Mountain Union of Municipalities, individual municipalities, the Local Health Authority, the Local Action Group, leader of the temporary joint venture, the National Park of the Emilian Apennines.  If the key actors involved in the process have proven to be collaborative and have resources and skills, they can be responsible for the implementation of the projects and the economic resources allocated.  Is it possible to make key actors involved in the design process responsible for the implementation of the planned projects?

After the approval of the strategy, a Framework Programme Agreement was signed by the focal person of the project area, by the regional government, by the national Ministries involved and by the Territorial Cohesion Agency, representing the binding agreement to provide the financial resources for the implementation of the strategy. It was necessary to ensure that the local administrations involved, such as the Mountain Union of Municipalities and each municipality, had the administrative resources to make the strategy operational. The success of the elaboration process required a great effort from the administrative structure, which has proved difficult to bear particularly for small municipalities.  Find local, national or international funds for each line of action chosen and sign binding agreements among all accountable institutions.  Provide institutional bodies with technical and administrative resources to follow up the implementation of the strategy.  Ensure that the institutional bodies involved are able to cope with the effort required to implement the strategy.  What kind of financial resources can be leveraged to fund the implementation of the strategy?  Do the actors have the necessary resources and skills to be responsible for project implementation?  Do public administrations have the resources and technical and administrative competences to deal with the implementation of the strategy?

The strategy includes 19 projects for the five thematic areas of intervention. - The “health” area envisages 6 projects dealing with the clinical area, prevention, territorial assistance, wellbeing in general. Among others, the project  Ensure synergies among thematic areas are exploited during the implementation of each project.  Establish an implementation order that leads to widespread immediate effects and involve  Have any priority projects been established in case the available resources are initially insufficient to implement the whole strategy?  Have contingency plans been developed for the planned initiatives?

MAIN RESOURCES

MAIN ACTIONS

"Community nurse" foresees the appointment of professionals tasked with connecting citizens (especially elderly people living in less accessible areas) with health and social services; - The “mobility” area includes 2 projects with the aim of improving mobility from, to and within the inner areas in order to make all places and services more accessible.

The focus has been on the integration of different types of public transport services, with the aim not only of improving the local public transport service but also of organising alternative transport services in low-demand areas with the support of new technologies; - The “agri-food” area includes 2 projects: the value chain project for Mountain Parmigiano Reggiano, the most important project of the Strategy from an economic point of view; the start-up project for agrifood enterprises, which aims at supporting the creation and consolidation of new enterprises, in particular in the agri-food sector; - The “sustainable tourism” area includes 3 projects and hinges on the attractiveness of the National Park and the Biosphere Reserve of the UNESCO MAB programme. The aim is to make the area a destination for international tourism that looks to the rural space, the quality of food, the beauty and accessibility of landscape, and the hospitality; - The “education” area includes 6 projects ranging from qualification and innovation in teaching, to improving the relationship between schools and the labour market, to the innovation and upgrading of school buildings and adult education. The strategy envisaged an order of implementation that would lead to immediate effects on the area and the continuous involvement of stakeholders, in order to keep them actively committed to the strategy.

stakeholders in order to keep them actively committed in the strategy. In particular, it is suggested to start with projects deploying the stronger multiplier effects within the local economy and society.  Once projects have been officially established, obstacles may arise and slow down their start and implementation. It is important to have a contingency plan for the planned activities.