Annex 4, Case Study Västerbotten
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RISE Regional Integrated Strategies in Europe Targeted Analysis 2013/2/11 ANNEX 4: Case Study Västerbotten 15/7/2012 ESPON 2013 1 This report presents the final results of a Targeted Analysis conducted within the framework of the ESPON 2013 Programme, partly financed by the European Regional Development Fund. The partnership behind the ESPON Programme consists of the EU Commission and the Member States of the EU27, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Each partner is represented in the ESPON Monitoring Committee. This report does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the members of the Monitoring Committee. Information on the ESPON Programme and projects can be found on www.espon.eu The web site provides the possibility to download and examine the most recent documents produced by finalised and ongoing ESPON projects. This basic report exists only in an electronic version. © ESPON & University of Birmingham, 2012 Printing, reproduction or quotation is authorised provided the source is acknowledged and a copy is forwarded to the ESPON Coordination Unit in Luxembourg. ESPON 2013 2 RISE CASE STUDY REPORT – Västerbotten SWEDEN Lars Larsson & Robert Sörensson ESPON 2013 3 Table of contents BACKGROUND ANALYSIS ...................................................................................... 6 Planning for regional growth in Sweden .............................................................. 7 Strategies for regional development in Västerbotten ...................................... 10 Funding and financing .......................................................................................... 13 STRATEGY ANALYSIS ........................................................................................... 15 Regional policy context ........................................................................................ 15 Initiation of the regional development policy process ...................................... 17 Regional development achievements ................................................................ 19 Key policy instruments used ................................................................................ 20 Visioning ................................................................................................................. 20 Positioning .............................................................................................................. 21 Focus and shared strategic interests ................................................................. 22 Horizontal and vertical integration ...................................................................... 24 Strategy analysis – a concluding comment ....................................................... 24 REGIONAL OUTLOOK ............................................................................................ 25 Regional stakeholders and external networking .............................................. 25 Preparations for EU programming ...................................................................... 27 Conclusions in relation to RISE intentions ............................................................ 29 Policy integration ................................................................................................... 29 Policy transfer and learning ................................................................................. 31 Meta-governance and new forms of governance ............................................. 34 Collaborative Planning ......................................................................................... 36 References ................................................................................................................. 38 Interviewees ............................................................................................................... 39 ESPON 2013 4 GLOSSARY CAB County Administrative Board CC County Council DP Detailed Plan ERDF European Regional Development Fund ESF European Social Fund MLG Multi-Level Governance NSPA Northern Sparsely Populated Areas RUP Regional Development Program RUS Regional Development Strategy RTP Regional Growth Program SFS Swedish Code of Statues TEN Trans European Network ESPON 2013 5 Within the ESPON funded project Regional Integrated Strategies in Europe: Identifying and exchanging best practice in their development four case studies for comparison are produced. The four regions are Birmingham/West Midlands in the United Kingdom, Region Sealand in Denmark, the Randstad Region in the Netherlands and finally Västerbotten in Sweden. In this case study the case of Västerbotten is presented and analysed. The overall aim of the project and also this case study is to understand and analyse how actors involved in developing the region can achieve higher levels of efficiency through increased integration of ambitions, resources and efforts. Initially a description of the politico-administrative system for regional development in Sweden and more specifically in Västerbotten is presented. This section relies mainly on written sources (laws, regulations and policy documents) and interviews with officials responsible for or involved in policy implementation. Once this picture is presented it is somewhat contrasted by the perceptions, attitudes and experiences that emanates from a number of interviewees representing organisations in a couple of collaborative arrangements related to policy implementation. Finally, a regional outlook is provided with the ambition to position Västerbotten and its regional development actors in larger contexts, where strategic alliances and networks are the main focus. This section is based on a mix of the data sources mentioned above. BACKGROUND ANALYSIS Sweden’s political system is organized on three levels; the parliament at the national level, the County Council (CC; landsting) at regional level, and the municipalities at the local level. State administration is mainly organized on these three levels too, the state at national level, County Administrative Boards (CAB; Länsstyrelse) at the regional level (county; län1) and local level with branches of various state agencies, such as social security, public employment services etc. Especially in the administrative organization there are numerous examples of state functions that follow other spatial logics. However, this three tier system has long been the basic organizing principle, but it has been changing during the last fifteen-twenty years. Of greatest importance is Sweden becoming a member of the European Union (EU) in 1995 which added a fourth tier to the political and administrative organization, the supranational level. Added to this is the changing character of the internal regional organization in Sweden, which was gaining momentum at roughly the same time. Pilot regions of Skåne and Västra Götaland were set up during the 1990’s. They were and are self-governed by elected bodies and they combine functions previously assigned to County Councils and CABs, such as responsibilities for infrastructure planning, regional development, health care and culture. They are now permanent institutions 1 There is also a historical region named Västerbotten, a landskap as opposed to län (county). They do not cover the same territory. Any mentioning of Västerbotten in this report refers to the County Västerbotten, which is the main state regional organization, established first in 1634 and in Northern Sweden in 1810 (http://www.ne.se/lang/lan). ESPON 2013 6 (Lidström et al 2009). From 2003 it is possible to establish municipal co- operative councils at the regional level. They are formed by municipalities and County Councils and they can assume responsibilities for among other things regional development. The governing bodies are usually indirectly elected, appointed by each member organization respectively (SFS 2002:34). In Västerbotten such a body is setup since 2008, Region Västerbotten (more on this later), who is responsible for regional planning and development. These, and other, changes all result in a more diverse societal organization at the regional level than used to be the case in a more “mono-structural” Sweden. As for the formal planning in Sweden, the municipalities have a very strong position since they have a physical planning monopoly. They have the right and the obligation to decide what to do with land and water resources within their territorial borders. Of general importance are comprehensive plans that should present a general view of the use of the entire territory. Of legally binding and specific importance are the detailed plans (DPs) appointing functions to certain zones (housing, industry, recreation etc.). They are mainly used in urban areas. The most important limitation to the municipal planning monopoly is when reserves are appointed for certain functions of national interest. Military functions, infrastructure along main planned routes, recreational, nature and culture reserves are examples of functions that the state can opt for. However, any reservation needs to be negotiated with relevant municipalities (Gradén 2011). The regional level is in relation to physical planning fairly weak. CABs have counselling functions with regards to health, safety, national reserves, environmental quality, as well as provide inventories and data on regional level. They are also responsible for processing and handling of appeals related to municipal planning, e.g. a DP http://lansstyrelsen.se/lst/sv/amnen/Samhallsplanering/. Any agent in the Swedish