Learning Practice in Urban Development

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia with VIENNA, Austria BACKGROUND INFORMATION PROJECT TITLE Überregionale Beschäftigungsinitiative Wien-Bratislava Nadregionálna iniciatíva zamestnanosti Viedeň-Bratislava (ÜBI – NIZ) (Inter-regional Initiative for Employment Vienna-Bratislava) Project nr N_AC_00007 Case study title: Hands across the Danube – making a cross-border jobs market work Beneficiary Waff Programm Management GmbH, Nordbahnstrasse 36/1/4 1020 Wien, Austria (waff – Employment Promotion Fund Vienna – city-owned fund) as project lead partner. Ústredie práce, sociálnych vecí rodiny (Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family), Špitálska 8, SK-812 67 Bratislava, Slovakia – project coordinator in Slovakia Duration of project 04/2008 – 06/2011 (39 months) Member State Austria, Wien (city and region) Slovakia, Bratislava (self-governmental region), Trnava self-governmental region Geographic size Cross-border agglomeration Vienna-Bratislava (FUA Wien + FUA Bratislava + FUA Trnava) Population: 3 422 000 MUAs population in the FUAs: 2 276 000 MUAs in the FUA: Wien, Baden, Wiener Neustadt, Bratislava, Trnava Funding Total budget planned: €1 500 000 Total budget revised: €1 300 000 ERDF contribution planned: €1 275 000 ERDF contribution revised: €1 105 000 SK national contribution planned: €75 000 (Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development) SK national contribution revised: €45 000 AT regional contribution planned: €150 000 (waff – Wiener ArbeitnehmerInnen Förderungs- fonds - Vienna Employment Promotion Fund) The reduction of the budget was caused by changes in the Slovak legal framework, not allowing the realisation of public procurement in the time foreseen. Operational Cross-border Cooperation Programme Austria-Slovakia 2007-2013 (Operational Programme Programme 'Creating the future. Programme for cross-border co-operation Austria-Slovakia 2007-2013') CCI nr: 2007CB163PO003 Number of decision: C/2007/6517 Final approval date: 2007-12-20 Managing Authority City of Vienna Department for EU Strategy and Economic Development Schlesingerplatz 2 A-1082 Wien Tel.: +43 1 4000 27061, e-mail.: [email protected] For the Cross- Border Operational Programme Slovakia-Austria 2007-2013, the City of Vienna acts as the programme's single managing authority for both Member States. The managing authority is part of the Viennese city administration which has the statute of federal state (Land) in Austria. Cohesion Policy European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) Objective: Main reason for The Inter-regional Initiative for Employment Vienna-Bratislava is an example of successful Highlighting this cross-border cooperation supporting the development and flexibilisation of an case agglomeration-wide labour market. This project appropriately and innovatively targets the new situation in the metropolitan region since Slovakia's accession to the EU's Schengen Agreement. It addresses several important challenges resulting from the transformation processes towards a knowledge-based economy. The special importance of the project is underlined by the dynamic growth of the cross-border metropolitan region with the twin 1

cities Vienna and Bratislava at its core – two capitals representing 'old' and 'new' dynamic growth regions. Key Contact person Ms Kvetoslava Blahova (SK), [email protected] Ms Marlies Steinwender (A), [email protected] Keywords/Tags Employment, cross/border agglomeration, cooperation, labour market flexiblisation, education

1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Overall objective / Strategic objective: The development of an active cross-border region which is based on a goals knowledge-driven economy and which is also attractive for social and environmental activities. It shall also help further develop the region's important role among European metropolitan regions. Priority: Creating a self-learning region and increasing regional competitiveness. Sub-priority: Fostering education and qualification; integration of labour markets. The project aimed to develop joint strategies and instruments for labour market oriented policies. It supported the transparency of the labour market, enabled the inclusion of all relevant stakeholders and used their synergies based on cooperative actions in the cross- border regions at the Austrian/Slovakian border. Description of The structure of the project activities follows the logic of the interlinked goals which are activities derived from the overall objectives. The activities started with the creation of a joint information and knowledge platform and with the establishing of a network of institutions taking part in professional education/training. They continued to develop appropriate instruments for labour market policies and their implementation, based on running pilot projects. The elimination of the barriers to the free movement of labour led to activities necessary for this 'approximation' process and focused on the harmonisation of contents and curricula as well as institutional arrangements. Project activities also comprised joint training schemes for trainers and teachers, mutual exchange, and the certification of professional training. Other vital elements were the development of a network of training/educational institutions, the creation of a cross-border Employment Pact framing the cross-border market of training/educational activities, and the support of social enterprises in Bratislava. The realisation of the project was supported by a set of activities in the fields of project management and publicity, including a communication strategy, newsletters, leaflets, posters, an internet site, a concept of corporate identity of the project as well as publicly available seminar and conference proceedings. Recipients 1. Actors in the labour market, social and economic policy-makers in the region, representatives of employer and employee unions, communal politicians, educational and training institutions 2. Employees, potential employees (incl. unemployed), persons wishing to find work abroad 3. Enterprises in the region and wishing to develop their activities in the region Mainstreaming of Although the project did not focus on gender equality issues, one of quantifiable indicators gender equality and of the project outputs was the proportion of women, which needed to reach at least 50%. non discrimination Overall, the project also targeted the creation of a non-discriminating environment for employees and employers in the cross-border metropolitan region, reflecting gender and age as well as educational, language and cultural diversity. Intended outputs Expected outputs were linked to the various activities, work packages and objectives. and results One important expected output was the development of a multi-lingual internet platform (Jobtour – http://www.jobtour.eu/), mapping the most important professions relevant for cross-border cooperation in the CENTROPE region (Vienna, Lower Austria, Burgenland, South Moravia, Western Slovakia, Western Hungary) and comparing the varying contents of the education and training. It was also expected to provide relevant information for the mutual recognition of certificates as a basis for allowing entry to the respective labour market segments. Another expected main output (which appears particularly important in terms of

sustainability) was the establishment of a network of institutions taking part in professional education/training. They serve as a platform for mutual exchange, the harmonisation of curricula and the development of a joint strategy. Based on this network, the trainers/teachers were expected to work jointly on a comparative study of contents and models of professional education on both sites of the border. This network was completed by the representatives of the most important stakeholder group which created the platform for the Employment Pact – another expected main output of the project. This document creates a framework for the partnership between different stakeholders in the cross-border region, focused on labour market flexiblisation. This element included the elaboration of joint curricula for training/education in the 10 most required professions and of a trilingual catalogue of training/educational possibilities in the region. Another expected output was the development of a 'model social enterprise' as an instrument for the integration of unemployed people and the creation of an 'Advisory, Training and (Re)-Qualification Centre' offering bilingual curricula in the 10 most requested professions in the region (including teaching/training manuals and other documentation). 2. POLITICAL AND STRATEGIC CONTEXT National and The Inter-regional Initiative for Employment Vienna-Bratislava was developed as a project regional framework in the framework of the Cross-border Cooperation Operational Programme for Austria and for implementing Slovakia. The programme is linked to the respective National Strategic Reference ERDF funded urban Frameworks for Austria and Slovakia and refers to two thematic priorities: development 1. Learning region and economic competitiveness (based on Lisbon strategy) projects 2. Accessibility and sustainable development (based on Gothenburg strategy) The Inter-regional Initiative for Employment Vienna-Bratislava refers to the first priority and is (today) closely linked to smart growth strategies under Europe 2020. The overall strategic objective of the Slovak-Austrian cross-border cooperation programme 2007-2013 reflected in the project is to build a border region with vital, knowledge- based regional economies, which is socially and environmentally attractive and plays a significant role among European metropolitan regions. Strategically, the project addresses several programme objectives aiming to improve cooperation and learning in the cross-border metropolitan region: - The promotion of rapid economic growth while pursuing a socially inclusive development path and putting emphasis on environmental quality. The project focuses on the support of inclusive labour market and competitive labour market preconditions, eliminating the barriers and discrimination resulting from the specific situation in the cross-border metropolitan region. - The full exploitation of processes and approaches leading to an advanced learning capacity of individuals, organisations, communities and regions through the transfer of know-how and experience. The project supports the development of learning and training capacities, of the synergies in the network of institutions/ organisations responsible for professional education/training and their mutual exchange of know-how; - Intensifying and enhancing the quality of cooperation between programme partners, in order to create and maintain suitable and flexible cooperation networks, structures and clusters. An Employment Pact as one of the project outputs is the backbone of established flexible cooperation networks including the bodies and institutions responsible for labour market interventions, educational/training organisations and personal networks of experts, thus being a specific form of clustering. Overall, the project's activities are also embedded in the 'Strategy for the Social and Economic Development of the Capital Bratislava' on the Slovak side as well as in the ‘Strategy Plan for Vienna’ on the Austrian side. The Viennese plan explicitly mentions the systematic support of labour market activities and the development of management instruments for the harmonisation of measures in the field of employment policy. Considering these documents, the project clearly reflects the needs of the labour markets after the elimination of administrative barriers, and of their cross-border functioning towards better labour mobility and the use of human capital in the countries and regions involved. The planning context The EU enlargement of 2004 brought new challenges for the development of Vienna and Bratislava, two capital cities only 50 km apart. The twin cities are asymmetric within their 3

respective national territories but central in the Central European CENTROPE region. Especially since Slovakia's accession to the Schengen Agreement in 2009, European integration has created a single strongly interacting metropolitan region. The asymmetry is not only geographic but economic, as the metropolitan regions concentrate the majority of economic activities and population in their respective countries. At the turn of the century, both parts of the metropolitan region Vienna-Bratislava were among the fastest-growing European regions regarding GDP, which was not the case of the peripheral regions in either country. Unemployment in Vienna reached 8.3% in 2007, in Bratislava 4%. The potential for labour mobility is 4.5% and is supported by the opening of the borders, the elimination of labour mobility restrictions on the Austrian side and the approximation of labour market preconditions in Slovakia. (WIFO, 2007). Both parts of the metropolitan region Vienna-Bratislava have a real ambition to develop their economies based on the knowledge economy with high and sustainable living standards. The development of the space has shown that historically developed or politically implemented barriers to the cross-border labour market are not relevant for market protection and that, on the contrary, they are counter-productive as they hamper and deform development and lower competitiveness. Many professions are missing from the labour market in certain parts (countries) of the cross-border region while the demand could be met by the available labour power in the other part of the region. This depends on the elimination of the remaining barriers, such as lack of information, lack of joint employment policies, involvement of different stakeholders in the development and implementation of labour market development strategies, and absence of joint training/educational activities and mutual recognition agreements. The neighbouring cores of the metropolitan region Vienna-Bratislava create outstanding preconditions for the functioning of a joint labour market, allowing the optimisation and efficient capitalisation of available human and territorial capital in the CENTROPE region. 3. IMPLEMENTATION 3.1. PROJECT Project idea DESIGN AND The project proposal builds on the successful previous cooperation between Vienna and PLANNING Bratislava in the project 'NSZ-ÜBS Vienna-Bratislava' in the years 2004-2006. The idea to continue this cooperation was formulated during a workshop (2006) and the final conference (2007) of the NSZ-ÜBS (Inter-regional Employment Strategy) project with the participation of both partners. The project proposal was developed during seven preparatory meetings and the dedicated workshop 'Perspectives of future development of supra-regional employment services' where the main goals, activities and roles of leading and coordinating partners for Austria and Slovakia were negotiated and appointed. As part of the preparatory work, an 'expression of partnership' between waff Project Management GmbH (AT) and Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (SK) was signed. Needs analysis As the needs and the content of the follow-up project had been defined as part of the final assessment of the previous project, there was no need to elaborate further special needs analyses or research. Additional analyses dealing with the situation in the labour market in the various parts of the cross-border metropolitan region and cities were already available and widely known among project partners. Risk assessment Information about specific risk assessment of the project application is not available. However, the project had to undergo standard procedures for project appraisal which included a risk assessment (financing, sustainability, partnership) and showed no significant risks for the project. These criteria are defined in the official programme documents. Thematically, potential risks are assessed in the final stage of the previous project (2004- 2006). In this final assessment some of the stakeholders underlined potential risks linked to the ambitious project goals, differing legal, institutional and economic environments in the cross-border area as well as a changing institutional framework for project implementation in Slovakia. Sustainability of actions Sustainability was an important target since the beginning of the project. The main aim of the project was to start processes and activities leading to the sustainable development of 4

the labour market in the cross-border metropolitan region Vienna-Bratislava. The project proposal included a strategy for sustainability based on the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders in the labour market sector in the cross-border networking structures. This should help safeguard the continuity of the activities initiated as well as critically assess the instruments developed as regards the sustainability of their implementability and effects. From this point of view the following outputs appear to be of special importance: Employment Pact, multilingual internet platform, network of institutions taking part in professional education/training, Advisory, Training and (Re)-Qualification Centre, bilingual curricula in most requested professions in the region including the teaching/training manuals. The role of EU support EU support was a very important pre-condition for the realisation of project activities. It gave a programmatic frame to cross-border cooperation and allowed the support of joint activities of project partners which would be difficult to finance from national or regional sources (as their territorial rootedness and effects exceeded the national/regional dimension). The ERDF support allowed the partners to develop joint innovative approaches and to solve problems related to the cross-border labour market and to the envisaged improvement of the region's competitiveness at international level. Other EU funds The project is co-financed by the ERDF. 3.2. MANAGEMENT, Project governance and management MONITORING AND The project management concept was based on the partnership experience between waff EVALUATION Programm Management GmbH as lead partner and the Central Office of Labour, Social SYSTEM Affairs and Family as the co-ordinating partner in Slovakia. The two institutions created the Executive Management Board, together with the regional bodies responsible for employment services (AMS – Public Employment Service Vienna, Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family in Bratislava, and the local Labour Offices in Western Slovakia – in Bratislava, Trnava, Malacky, Pezinok, Galanta, Senica and Dunajská Streda). In addition to the executive bodies, a Strategic Management Group (SMG) was created. It consisted of the Executive Management Board and representatives of all strategic partner institutions. It was the SMG members' task to fully integrate the key competences in the field of the development and management of regional employment policy. SMG meetings were held annually. The group helped supervise the project activities and critically review the project’s progress. Staff The core project management activities were covered by four full-time employees for the project duration. Steering group The role of a steering group was played by the Executive Management Board (EMB), consisting of representatives of the lead partner, the coordinating partner in SK and the seven regional bodies responsible for employment services involved in the project. The periodic meetings of the EMB took place every 1½ months, in accordance with the time table of the various activities. Monitoring The internal monitoring of the implementation progress was done: - by the Executive Management Board in regard to the outputs under the responsibility of the expert groups and in accordance with the timing of the project milestones; and - by the Strategic Management Group in regard to the project as whole and with special emphasis on the progress indicators defined in the project proposal. Based on the critical review of the project's progress, appropriate measures and changes in the project management were proposed. This allowed a flexible reaction to be made to changes in the external environment e.g. changes in national legislation (law on public procurement) and changes in the needs of stakeholders determined by changes in the labour market (lack of interest in exchanges between social enterprises). These adaptations allowed the project to fulfil its objectives and use human and financial resources efficiently, even by reducing the project budget. The external monitoring of the project’s progress was done by the national contact points 5

based on regular monitoring reports and personal participation of their representatives in selected project activities. Evaluation An ongoing evaluation of activities was an integral part of quality assurance during the entire project. Each activity was assessed based on the evaluations by target group representatives for each activity. For the feedback evaluation questionnaires were used. Composition of the partnership 3.3 GOVERNANCE: The core partners of the project were two institutions responsible for the project PARTNERSHIP, management: PARTICIPATION - waff PM GmbH as a lead partner, and AND - Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family as the co-ordinating partner in EMPOWERMENT Slovakia. The project activities were implemented with the active participation of official executive institutions responsible for the implementation of employment policy in the region, including: - AMS – Public Employment Service in Vienna - local labour offices in Western Slovakia – in Bratislava, Trnava, Malacky, Pezinok, Galanta, Senica and Dunajská Streda These bodies were supervised by the decision-making bodies in this field: - MPSVR SR – Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the SR - BSK – Bratislava Self-governmental Region - AMS – Public Employment Service Austria - BSB – Federal Social Office Vienna An important element in the governance of the project was the strategic partnership of key stakeholders in the labour market, taking part in the Strategic Management Group. Partners included: - City of Vienna (AT) - KOZ – Confederation of Trade Unions (SK) - AZZZ – Federation of Employers' Associations (SK) - waff – Vienna Employment Promotion Fund (AT) - ÖGB – Austrian Trade Union Federation (AT) - AK – Chamber of Workers and Employees (AT) - WK – Austrian Economic Chamber (AT) - IV – Federation of Austrian Industries (AT) Roles of partners The core partners of the project, waff PM GmbH as a lead partner and the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family as the co-ordinating partner in Slovakia, were responsible for the project management, including the financial management. An important role in the project’s realisation was played by the regional executive institutions responsible for the implementation of employment policy. They took an active part not only in project activities but, via the Executive Management Board, in the governance of the project. The strategic partners, representing the most important stakeholders of regional and national labour markets, and including the key competences in the field of the development and management of regional employment policy, took part in the Strategic Management Group. The SMG supervised the project activities, and monitored and critically assessed the project’s progress. Role of city authorities The city authorities of Bratislava and Vienna played a central role in the design and implementation of the project. Involvement of the public and local communities All project activities directly or indirectly addressed residents or businesses in the implementation area. Thousands of visitors to the information website, 78 graduates from the pilot training/teaching courses, 10 trained trainers/teachers for newly developed bilingual training/educational courses, and the creation of the Training and (Re)-

Qualification Centre and a network of the professional education/training institutions in the region are the outputs showing the direct and sustainable involvement of the whole range of publics in the project activities and their follow-up. Political support The self-government bodies at the local and regional level were directly involved in the project’s realisation. As the development of the labour market is one of their main priorities, their intensive political support framed all project activities and was expressed by direct participation of their representatives in selected project activities. 4. INNOVATIVE ELEMENTS AND NOVEL APPROACHES New approaches in the project governance (partnership) 4.1 INNOVATION The composition of the project is based on experience from the previous cooperation between project partners and represents their joint know-how. The innovative approaches

relate to: 4.2. KEY - project management based on the concentration of executive tasks and the broad IMPLEMENTATION involvement of the participating institutions in the project activities; CHALLENGES AND PROBLEM-SOLVING - the outputs of the project in the form of innovative instruments of joint labour market PRACTICES development, such as:  a multilingual internet platform (Jobtour) including relevant information for the mutual recognition of certificates allowing entry to a given labour market segment  a network of the institutions delivering professional education/training  an Employment Pact framing the partnership between different stakeholders in cross-border cooperation, and focusing on labour market flexiblisation  a Training and (Re)-Qualification Centre offering bi-lingual curricula in the 10 most requested professions in the region, including the teaching/training manuals and other documentation In the comparison with the previous project, the stakeholders assessed the ‘materialised’ character of the project outputs in the form of actions, materials, networks and institutionalised structures very positively. New approaches in dissemination No new approaches were developed to communicate or disseminate the project results, but the project used the whole range of available instruments, starting with project-based events (conferences and workshops), a public presentation via the internet, trade fairs, trainers’/teachers’ manuals etc. New approaches in results exploitation The core element of the innovative approaches in the project regarding the exploitation of the project results was the creation of the Strategic Management Group. This group was important as a source of valuable experience and knowledge which was re-valorised in the project, but in the same time as the core element in the transfer of project outputs towards labour market practice. The other core element of innovative approaches increasing the efficiency of the exploitation of the project results was the synergy with the other projects implemented in the project target area e.g. EURES-T and Jobtour. This allowed the project activities to be focused on complementary fields, thus benefiting from synergies. This was supported by the involvement of the project partners in the parallel running projects. Main challenges and problem solving The main challenge for the project was to activate the broad range of stakeholders info active participation and to create a sustainable communication platform for mutual exchange between them across the border. Although the project represented an important step forward, some of the stakeholders were critical of the quality of communication that was achieved, and its sustainability given political changes following elections in SK. The project addressed this problem and tried to develop parallel networks of professionals and independent subjects from the private and public sectors (advisers, mediators, entrepreneurs, NGOs) active in the field of labour market development to protect the continuity of mutual cross-border communication. In addition, the project strengthened trust and interpersonal relations among the partner institutions which is the basis for easier communication in the future. Another major obstacle was the load of administrative work related to the reporting, 7

documenting, accounting and other activities in accordance with the EU programme requirements – and in addition with the changing requirements of national law and institutional arrangements in SK. This was the reason for a modification of the project: one of the planned activities could not be realised due the lack of time for the processes required by the updated law on public procurement in SK. Many activities were realised only thanks to the big efforts of responsible project managers and the flexibility of the project partners and stakeholders. 4.3. THEMATIC Cooperation and networking FOCUS The project contributed to building a cross-border border region with vital, knowledge- based regional economies, which are socially and environmentally attractive and play a significant role among European metropolitan regions. Its outputs are contributing to the development and flexiblisation of a joint labour market, reflecting a new level of cooperation in this dynamically growing cross-border metropolitan region. The project's activities fostered mutual learning and institutional co-operation. One of the main challenges resulting from the project for the institutions involved was the development of joint employment strategies at the regional level. These needed to be combined with the implementation of innovative instruments based on the mutual learning process and the transfer of know-how between those institutions and between project activities and institutional routines. The specific situation of the cross-border region called for a shift from government to governance methods, based on co-operation-based networking. The efficiency of the labour market interventions is directly linked to mutual harmonisation and to interactions of different stakeholders in the cooperation networks. The project activities, including different interlinked levels of learning and networking (inter-institutional, inter-personal, self-learning), are crucial for an innovation-based development of the Vienna-Bratislava metropolitan region. 5. FUNDING Total project expenditure: €1 289 815 ERDF contribution: €1 105 000 National public co-financing (SK): €43 472 Regional public co-financing (AT): €150 000 Annual expenditure total 2010: €827 923 Annual expenditure total 2011: €397 869 Private sector leverage N/A 6. PROJECT ASSESSMENT 6.1. FINANCIAL The project was created as a follow-up project which put it on a solid basis of sustainable SUSTAINABILITY cooperation from the beginning. Throughout its implementation, it also interacted strongly with other projects focusing on labour market management, financed from national and EU sources. These interactions played a role in safeguarding the sustainability of the actions from the beginning. The outputs of the project (such as the multilingual internet platform, the network of institutions in professional education/training, the Advisory, Training and (Re)-Qualification Centre, and the bilingual curricula in the most requested professions in the region including teaching/training manuals) are oriented towards long-term effects and activities after the project period. The financing of their sustainable use and development are protected via the direct involvement of the responsible national and regional bodies and stakeholders in the definition of project goals (demand definition), project management and the implementation of the outputs. The 'institutional sustainability' beyond the project period is ensured by the Employment Pact which frames the partnership between the relevant stakeholders. This Pact, in the form of a multilateral agreement, creates a suitable platform for further activities in the field.

Continuity The project was a follow- up project based on a project in the previous funding phase

Mainstreaming The project does not come from an URBACT local action plan or similar. 6.2. TRANSFERABILITY Transferability The project know-how has been a powerful inspiration for new project proposals in cross- border cooperation (e.g. the BAUM project). The project can be an example of a successful multi-actor oriented project in a differentiated economic, institutional and legal environment. Its composition as well as its orientation towards the development and flexiblisation of a joint labour market can be suitable transferable model for other cross- border agglomerations. 6.3 ISSUES AND An initial major challenge for the project was to activate a broad range of stakeholders into PROBLEMS active participation and to create a sustainable communication platform for mutual exchange across the border. Although the project represented an important step forward, some of the stakeholders were critical of the quality and sustainability of the communication that was achieved, especially in the Slovak context during the election period. The project addressed this problem and tried to develop parallel networks of professionals and independent subjects from the private and public sphere (advisers, mediators, entrepreneurs, NGOs) active in the field of labour market development to protect the continuity of mutual cross-border communication. In addition, the project strengthened trust and interpersonal relations among the partner institutions, which is now the basis for easier communication in the future. The second important challenge in the implementation phase of the project was the load of administrative work related to the reporting, documenting, accounting and other activities in accordance with the EU programme requirements – and in addition with the changing requirements of national Slovak law and new institutional arrangements. This was the reason for a project modification: one of the planned activities could not be realised owing to the lack of time for the new processes required by the updated law on public procurement in SK. Many of the activities were realised only thanks to the immense effort of the responsible project managers and the flexibility of the project partners and stakeholders. 6.4 PROJECT The outputs of the project create a system of instruments supporting co-operation and OUTPUTS & networking in the Bratislava-Vienna cross-border metropolitan region. In accordance with RESULTS the proposal, the project’s main achievement was the development and flexiblisation of the cross-border labour market by lowering formal, organisational, informational and language barriers to the free movement of labour. This was achieved by developing a system of interlinked instruments  a multilingual internet platform (Jobtour) mapping the most important professions relevant for cross-border cooperation in the CENTROPE region and comparing the contents of the education/training and other relevant information for the mutual recognition of certificates;  a network of institutions active in professional education/training, which serves as a platform for mutual exchange, the development of harmonised curricula and a joint strategy for professional preparation to meet the current and future needs of the labour market;  a comparative study of the contents and models of professional education on both sides of the border;  a trilingual catalogue of the training/educational possibilities in the region;  a network of institutions responsible for professional education/training in the region;  model training/education courses in the 10 most required professions (78 graduates). The functioning of this newly developed and implemented system of instruments is framed by the Employment Pact, which defines the partnership between the stakeholders in cross-border cooperation focused on the labour market. It is institutionalised by the creation of an Advisory, Training and (Re)-Qualification Centre offering bilingual courses. In quantitative terms, the following results have been achieved: - New curricula for the 10 most required professions - 78 graduates on the qualification courses - 5 elaborated market analyses - 1 equipped specialised classroom

- 480 handbooks distributed - 4 elaborated manuals for pilot education activities - 2 expert groups established - 1 agreement about joint Employment Pact - 8 workshops and 2 conferences with 640 participants 7. CONCLUSIONS: KEY SUCCESS FACTORS AND LESSONS LEARNED

The 'Inter-regional Initiative for Employment Vienna – Bratislava' is a multi-stakeholder oriented project. It aimed to develop and implement innovative approaches in managing labour market activities across borders, combining a concentration of executive tasks with a broad involvement of the participating institutions. The core factor of success was the creation of a three-level hierarchy of involved persons:  core project partners in charge of coordinating executive tasks  project participants involved in the realisation of project activities  strategic partners framing the project as the representatives of core stakeholder groups As the appropriate approach to steering the process of project implementation with the participation of horizontally as well as vertically differentiated subjects, this was important for successful multi-stakeholder involvement. The basis of this three-layer system was the Strategic Management Group involving the representatives of all main stakeholders, key players and decision-makers in the field of labour market development policy as the source of valuable experience and knowledge. This was 're-valorised' in the project, but at the same time it was the core element in the transfer of project outputs towards labour market practice and project sustainability. The second core element of the project success lay in increasing the efficiency of the exploitation of the project results by creating synergies with other projects implemented in the target area. This allowed project activities to be focused on complementary fields, producing synergy benefits. The third success factor was the concept of the project, which included the development of a system of interlinked instruments aiming at system solutions of the problems of unbalanced labour markets. These have been caused by the demand derived from dynamic growth, and approximation and integration processes in the metropolitan region as a multicultural and multilingual environment attracting international investors. The Inter-regional Initiative for Employment Vienna – Bratislava can serve as a viable source for the transfer of experience, as it is a model project showing the possibilities of building up cooperation structures across different levels of governmental and involving the whole range of stakeholders in project activities – without lowering the performance and efficiency of project management. One of the main challenges for the project and inspirations for other projects was to way of activating the broad range of stakeholders into active participation and creating a sustainable communication platform to support mutual exchange between them across the border. The project had to face the problem of the quality of cross-border communication among stakeholders, including the official responsible bodies, and the problem of its sustainability given political changes following elections. The project had the idea of overcoming this problem by developing parallel networks of professionals and independent subjects from the private and public spheres (advisers, mediators, entrepreneurs, NGOs) active in the field of labour market development, thus protecting the continuity of mutual cross-border communication.

8. FURTHER INFORMATION Bibliography WIFO (2007) Labour Market Monitoring II – Changes in the labour market in the EU enlargement processes, Report Slovak National Strategic Reference Framework for the period of 2007-2013 (NSRF) The Strategy of the Social and Economic Development of the Capital Bratislava, Bratislava Magistrate 2010 Strategy Plan for Vienna, City of Vienna 2001 Contact PhDr. Kvetoslava Blahová Odbor právnych činností sekcie služieb zamestnanosti 10

Ústredie práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny Špitálska 8 SK-812 67 Bratislava Tel.: +421 2 20455858 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.upsvar.sk Project website: http://www.uebi-wien-bratislava.eu/ www.upsvar.sk Jobtour: http://www.jobtour.eu/ Name of expert who Maros FINKA did the case study

AEIDL has been contracted by the European Commission in 2012 in order to provide examples of learning practice in urban development supported by the European Regional Development Fund during the 2007-2013 programming period (contract reference 2011.CE.16.0.AT.035). The views expressed by AEIDL remain informal and should not under any circumstance be regarded as the official position of the European Commission.

Bratislava, Slovakia with Wien, Austria Hands across the Danube – making a cross-border jobs market work The Vienna-Bratislava Interregional Initiative for Employment is a cross-border cooperation project to support the development of more flexible labour markets to reflect the new situation in the cross-border metropolitan region since the creation of the Schengen zone. It addresses the challenges resulting from the transformation towards a knowledge-based economy in the unique and dynamic bipolar metropolitan region around the twin cities of Vienna and Bratislava as representatives of dynamic “old” and transitional “new” EU capital cities. Hands across the Danube – making a cross-border jobs market work The Vienna-Bratislava Interregional Initiative for Employment (ÜBI-NIZ) is a multi-stakeholder project that is developing innovative approaches to project management. These are based on the concentration of executive tasks and a broad involvement of the participating institutions, enterprises and persons in the project activities as well as creative outputs in the form of innovative instruments for joint labour market development. The core element of its success was the creation of a hierarchical three-level system. ÜBI-NIZ is a model project showing how to build cooperation structures across different levels of governmental, and involve the whole range of stakeholders in the project activities, without lowering the project management efficiency or performance. Project participants are layered into:  core project partners – who coordinate executive tasks  project participants – who carry out project activities  strategic partners – who represent core stakeholder groups This seems to be the appropriate approach to steer project implementation when horizontally as well as vertically differentiated subjects are taking part. This three-layer system was based on the Strategic Management Group, which involved representatives of the main stakeholders in labour market policy. They supplied valuable experience and knowledge which the project revalorised, and at the same time used as the core element in the transfer of project outputs into labour market practice, so ensuring that the project’s effects were sustained. The second factor increasing the efficiency of the exploitation of the project results was synergy with the other projects under way in the same area, which allowed efforts to be deployed in a complementary way. The third success factor was the concept behind the project, which was to create systemic solutions to the problems of unbalanced labour markets, by developing a system of interlinked and synergetic instruments. The challenge was to respond to changes in labour demand caused by rapid economic growth, the convergence of conditions on either side of the border, and the integration processes that are under way in the metropolitan region which is a multicultural and multilingual environment that is attractive to international investors. One of the main challenges for the project was to build a communication platform which would activate a broad range of stakeholders. The project needed to facilitate high-quality cross-border communication among stakeholders, including the responsible official bodies, and also to guarantee its continuity despite any political changes following elections. The project had the idea of overcoming this problem by developing parallel networks of professionals and independent persons from both private and public spheres (advisers, mediators, entrepreneurs, NGOs) active in the field of labour market development.

Vienna-Bratislava cross-border metropolitan region From the periphery to the centre EU enlargement brought new challenges for the development of both Bratislava and Vienna. The twin cities, which lie just 50 km from each other, have long been on the periphery of their respective political blocks. They are peripheral as regards their national territories but central to the Centrope Central European region, and their functional urban areas (FUAs) have overlapped since Slovakia joined the Schengen area. This asymmetry is not only geographical but also economic, as their metropolitan regions have attracted the majority of the economic activities and population of their countries. At the turn of the century, both parts of the Vienna- Bratislava metropolitan region led Europe as regards GDP growth, which was not the case of peripheral regions in either country. In 2007, unemployment reached 8.3% in Vienna, and 4% in Bratislava. The potential for labour mobility is as high as 4.5% of the workforce, and is supported by the open borders within the Schengen area, along with the elimination of labour mobility restrictions on the Austrian side and the approximation of labour market preconditions in Slovakia (WIFO, 2007). Both parts of the region have a real ambition to develop their economic bases within the knowledge-based economy to achieve high and sustainable living standards. This is a challenge not only for the economy, but for the labour market as well. New knowledge-based businesses create a demand for well-educated and well-trained workers, working both directly in the creative industries, and also indirectly in providing new high-quality services for businesses and inhabitants. The Vienna-Bratislava region, one of the most attractive development regions in Europe, is home to 6.5 billion people (2.276 billion in the metropolitan urban areas). Its GDP is growing at 5.2% a year, and it has a well-developed higher education system with 25 public universities and art academies, 10 universities of applied sciences with over 250 000 students, and several hundred non-university research institutions. Along with this go numerous technology-oriented and research-focused enterprises, an ICT cluster made up of more than 5 000 companies which employ some 350 000 specialists and 36 000 researchers, and a major high-tech automotive cluster (Finka, M. 2010). This situation determines the development of the labour market. In addition, the way the economy has developed in this area shows that historical or political barriers in the cross-border labour market are irrelevant to market protection – in fact they are counter-productive as they hamper and deform development and reduce competitiveness. Many professions are missing from the labour market in certain parts of the cross-border region and the unsatisfied demand could be met by the labour power available elsewhere in the region. However there are barriers such as lack of information, lack of joint employment policies, stakeholder involvement in labour market strategies, and absence of joint training and educational activities and mutual recognition agreements, and these need to be eliminated. The metropolitan region of Vienna-Bratislava is an outstanding starting-point for a joint labour market allowing the optimisation and efficient use of available human capital and territorial capital in the Centrope region – which takes in parts of the Czech Republic and Hungary as well as Austria and Slovakia – as it develops a competitive knowledge- based economy.

Fostering joint growth and competitiveness The changes in the Vienna-Bratislava cross-border metropolitan region and its core cities are a challenge for labour market development policies on both sites of the border and show the need for closer coordination and cooperation. This led to the idea to launch a project which would be the framework for joint initiatives and actions to develop an open regional labour market. The Interregional Initiative for Employment Vienna – Bratislava (ÜBI – NIZ) project focuses on cross-border cooperation to develop a flexible labour market that reflects the new situation since the creation of the Schengen area. It addresses the challenges resulting from the transformation towards a knowledge-based economy in this unique and dynamically growing bipolar metropolitan region, whose twin capital cities Vienna and Bratislava represent dynamic “old” and transitional “new” EU capitals. The initiative aims to make an important contribution to achieving the goals defined in the programming document of Slovakia’s National Strategic Reference Framework for 2007-2013, which defines the sustainable development of a competitive knowledge-based society as the main strategic goal. The strategic plans for both Bratislava and Vienna give systematic support to labour market development and to the development of instruments to harmonise the employment measures that are foreseen.

The ÜBI-NIZ project was launched in 2007 as part of the ERDF Slovakia-Austria cross-border 2007- 2013 operational programme. It is a cross-border cooperation programme under the objective of European Territorial Cooperation (ETC). It fits under Thematic Priority 1 – learning region and economic competitiveness based on Lisbon strategy – with the sub-priority education and qualification, integration of labour markets. This is fully compatible with Theme 1a: Europe 2020 smart growth, as the main project objective was to contribute to the development of an active cross-border region based on a knowledge-based economy, which is attractive for social and environmental activities and plays an important role among European metropolitan regions. The project aims to develop joint labour market strategies and policy instruments, support a transparent labour market, include all relevant stakeholders and use synergies based on cross-border actions. From project to sustainable action The ÜBI-NIZ project proposal built on successful previous cooperation during the 2004-2006 Vienna-Bratislava Interregional Employment Strategy (NSZ-ÜBS) project. The idea of continuing this cooperation was developed during the NSZ-ÜBS project and worked up at seven preparatory meetings and the Perspectives of future development of supra-regional employment services workshop, where the main goals, activities and partnership roles in Austria and Slovakia were negotiated. As

3 part of the preparatory work a partnership memorandum was signed between Austria’s waff Programm Management GmbH, a part of the Vienna Employment Promotion Fund (Wiener ArbeitnehmerInnen Förderungsfonds), and Slovakia’s Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (Ústredie pPráce, sSociálnych vVecí a rRodiny). Gaining EU support was a very important precondition for the project, as it would have been difficult to finance cross-border activities from purely national or regional sources. The ERDF support allowed the partners to jointly develop innovative approaches and to solve problems of cross-border labour market optimisation and improvement of international competitiveness. Sustainability was an important target from the beginning, as the main aim of the project was to start processes and activities which would lead to the sustainable development of the region’s labour market. Thus, the project proposal included a sustainability strategy based involving the whole range of labour market stakeholders in cross-border networking structures. This enabled them to safeguard continuity and to critically assess the implementability of the instruments that were developed and the sustainability of their effects. Project management at three levels In the context of sustainability, the design of the partnership arrangement was of special importance to the project. This concept was based on the experience of the two core partners, waff Programm Management GmbH as lead partner and the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family as the co-ordinating partner in Slovakia. This experience shows that 20 years after the Velvet Revolution, cooperation across the Austro-Slovakian border is still affected by the problems of different hierarchical governmental structures in both countries, and the connected communication problems, especially in areas requiring supra-local approaches, such as labour market development. The ÜBI-NIZ project is a model project showing the possibilities of building cooperation structures across different levels of government and involving the whole range of stakeholders in the project activities without lowering project management efficiency or performance. The layering of participants to the core partners in charge of coordinating executive tasks, participants carrying out project activities, and strategic partners representing core stakeholder groups seems to be the appropriate approach to steering the process of project implementation with the participation of horizontally as well as vertically differentiated people. The project activities managed by the two core partners were implemented with the active participation of official executive institutions responsible for the implementation of the employment policy in their respective regions. These comprised the Public Employment Service (AMS) in Vienna and local labour offices in Western Slovakia (Bratislava, Trnava, Malacky, Pezinok, Galanta, Senica and Dunajská Streda). These were supervised by the relevant decision-making bodies: the Slovakian Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (MPSVR), the Bratislava Self-Governing Region (BSK), The Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) and the Federal Social Office (BSB) in Vienna. The self-governing bodies at the local and regional level were directly involved in carrying out the project. As the development of labour market is one of their main priorities, their firm political support was a condition for all project activities and was expressed by the direct participation of their official representatives in selected project activities.

Governance was an important element of the project’s sustainability. The core partners, together with the regional executive bodies responsible for employment, created the Executive Management Board. Individual activities were led by expert groups responsible to this board, which carried out internal progress monitoring according to the milestones that had been established. In addition to the Executive Management Board, a Strategic Management Group (SMG) was created consisting of the Executive Management Board plus representatives of all strategic partner institutions. This institutionalised a strategic partnership with the key stakeholders in the labour market: City of Vienna, KOZ – Slovakian Confederation of Trade Unions, AZZZ – Slovakian Federation of Employers' Associations, waff – Vienna Employment Promotion Fund, ÖGB – Austrian Trade Union Federation, AK – Austrian Chamber of Workers and Employees, WK – Austrian Economic Chambers, IV – Federation of Austrian Industries. The SMG members held the key competences in the development and management of regional employment policy. The creation of the Strategic Management Group involving the representatives of the main stakeholders and decision-makers in labour market development policy was also the core element of the project’s innovative approach to the exploitation of the project results. This group was important not only as the source of valuable experience and knowledge which was revalorised, but was at the same time the core element in the transfer of project outputs into labour market practice. The Strategic Management Group monitored the progress of the project as a whole, with an emphasis on the progress indicators defined in the project proposal. Progress was monitored externally by the national contact points based on regular reports and the participation of their representatives in selected project activities. Their critical review of project progress allowed them to propose appropriate measures and changes in the project management. This enabled the project to react flexibly to the changing external environment, such as changes in national legislation (law on public procurement) and changes in the needs of stakeholders caused by changes in the labour market (lack of interest in exchanges between social economy enterprises). These adaptations allowed the project objectives to be fulfilled, and efficient use of human and financial resources to be made, even given a reduction of the project budget from a planned €1.5 billion to €1.3 billion. This was made up of €1.105bn from the ERDF, €0.045bn from the Slovakian national budget and €0.15bn from the Vienna Employment Promotion Fund. In parallel with the monitoring, evaluation was an integral part of quality assurance throughout the project. Each activity was evaluated through questionnaire surveys of target group representatives. Continuous evaluation focused not only on the quality of outputs but on efficiency as well. An important innovative element, which increased the efficiency of the exploitation of the project results, was synergy with other projects under way in the area, such as EURES-T and JOBTOUR. This allowed the projects to concentrate their activities in complementary fields and to benefit from synergies. This was supported by the involvement of the project partners in the parallel projects. Workers on the move The structure of the project activities follows the logical structure of the project’s interlinked goals. These are derived from the overall objectives, starting with the creation of a joint information and knowledge platform, and continuing via the

5 development of appropriate instruments of labour market policy. Their implementation was based on running pilot projects to eliminate barriers to the free movement of labour, based on an approximation process covering the contents, institutional arrangements, joint training of trainers/teachers and certification of professional qualifications. This led to the development of a network of training and educational institutions, the signing of a cross-border employment pact to shape the cross-border market for training and education, and giving support to social economy enterprises in Bratislava. This logic, following the interlinks in the content and time dependences, allowed very efficient project management and ensured that the goals of the project were achieved. All project activities directly or indirectly addressed the stakeholders in the regional labour market: residents, workers, public labour market institutions, education and training institutions, NGOs and businesses. The main recipients can be divided into three groups: 1. Actors in the labour market, social and economic decision-makers, employer and employee unions, local politicians, educational and training institutions 2. Employees, potential employees (including unemployed people), and people seeking work abroad 3. Enterprises active in the region and/or wishing to develop their activities in the region Thousands of visitors to the website, 78 graduates of the pilot training courses, 10 trained trainers/teachers for the newly developed bilingual training/educational courses, the creation of the Training and (Re)-Qualification Centre and the regional network of professional education and training institutions are the outputs showing the direct and sustainable involvement of the whole range of publics in the project activities and their follow-up. All the outputs of the project, which directly address the labour market stakeholders, create a system of instruments to support smart growth in the cross-border metropolitan region. They reflect the challenges resulting from the processes of transformation towards a knowledge-based economy and EU integration. The multilingual job-guide internet platform broadens the range of possibilities workers have to migrate. It maps the professions that are most important for cross-border cooperation in the Centrope region and compares the contents of education and training and other information relevant for the mutual recognition of qualifications needed to enter a given job. The establishment of a network of professional education and training institutions created a platform for mutual exchange, the harmonisation of curricula and the development of a joint strategy for professional development which will meet the current and future needs of the labour market, harmonise offer and demand in the cross-border labour market, and mobilise human capital which is unevenly distributed across the region. Based on this network the trainers/teachers jointly prepared a comparative study of the contents and models of professional education on each side of the border, to support the mutual recognition of professional qualifications. The network of stakeholders was the platform for an Employment Pact, which focused on making the labour market more flexible, and drew up joint curricula in the 10 professions most in demand and a trilingual catalogue of training/educational possibilities in the region. The Training and (Re)-Qualification Centre that has been

6 set up offers bilingual curricula in the 10 most popular professions in the region, which use the training manuals and other documentation tested in the model training courses. The realisation of the project was supported by a set of project management and publicity tools such as a communication strategy, newsletters, leaflets, posters, a website, a corporate identity for the project, and seminar and conference proceedings. Problems and challenges The interviews and questionnaires undertaken show that the main challenge the project faced was to activate a broad range of stakeholders and to create a sustainable communication platform for mutual exchange between them across borders. Although the project made an important step forward, some of the stakeholders criticised the quality of communication that was achieved, and its sustainability given the political changes following the Slovak elections. The project addressed this problem and tried to develop parallel networks of professionals and independent people from the private and public spheres (advisers, mediators, entrepreneurs, NGOs) active in labour market development, to ensure the continuity of mutual cross-border communication. In addition the project strengthened trust and interpersonal relations among the partner institutions, which is the basis for easier communication in the future. The main obstacle to project realisation was the administrative workload related to reporting, documenting and accounting for the activities in accordance with the programme requirements. A second problem was the changing requirements of national law and institutional arrangements in Slovakia. This was the reason for the change made to the project, when one of the planned activities could not be realised owing to the lack of time for the processes required by the updated Slovak public procurement law. Many of activities were realised only thanks to the big efforts made by the project managers and the flexibility of the project partners and stakeholders. Success factors and transferability The main success factor of the project was the method of project management based on a concentration of executive tasks combined with the broad involvement of the stakeholders in the project activities, as well as creative outputs in the form of innovative instruments of joint labour market development. The core element of the success was the creation of a hierarchical three-level system involving the people concerned. The second success factor relates to the synergy that was achieved with the other projects implemented in the project target area. Concentration of the project’s activity in fields that complemented those projects produced synergy benefits. The third success factor was the design of the project, including the development of a system of interlinked instruments with the goal of finding systemic solutions to the problems resulting from imbalances in particular labour markets. These challenges in labour demand resulted from fast growth, and the approximation and integration processes that occurred in the metropolitan region, which is a multicultural and multilingual environment attracting international investors. The project is an example of a successful multi-actor project in differentiated economic, institutional and legal environment. Conclusions

ÜBI-NIZ is a successful cross-border cooperation project supporting the process of EU labour market integration and reflecting two changes: a new situation in the metropolitan region across intra-Schengen borders and the challenges resulting from the transformation towards a knowledge-based economy. During the design phase, no risks were identified connected with the implementation of the project. However at the time of the final evaluation, some stakeholders mentioned risks connected with the very ambitious project goals, differing legal, institutional and economic environments that affected project implementation and a changing institutional framework in the new EU member states. The completion of the project has shown that difficulties in project realisation can be overcome, and the efficiency of public investment can be increased, through hard work by project managers, and by trust, enthusiasm and flexibility among the project partners and stakeholders. There is a need to develop a way to reduce the workload connected with administrating cross- border projects cofinanced by the European Union and to create more space for joint projects.

Bibliography Finka, M. (2010) STU in the Metropolitan Region Vienna-Bratislava, Tijan Jin: Tijan Jin University WIFO (2007) Labour Market Monitoring II – Changes in the labour market in the EU enlargement processes, Report Programming document to the National Strategic Reference Framework for the period of 2007-2013 – NSRF, Bratislava: Government of the Slovak Republic The Strategy of the Social and Economic Development of the Capital Bratislava, Bratislava Magistrate 2010 Strategy Plan for Vienna, Vienna: City of Vienna 2001