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Delivery

The Welsh Assembly Government are adopting a more strategic management approach to the delivery of the new programmes and have agreed a set of principles to guide the development and implementation of the current round of Structural Fund Programmes.

These include ensuring that programmes are aligned with relevant Government policies and strategies with more emphasis on sub-regional collaboration in the development of strategies and projects. In addition, it has been decided there should be a greater concentration of funding through fewer projects, implemented over a longer term, and which are strategically linked within ‘Strategic Frameworks’.  These frameworks have been developed by WAG with the aim of providing a clear strategic overview and guidance on the projects and delivery arrangements that may be supported

Strategic Frameworks are operational strategies for delivering on the priorities in the EU programmes. They are for planning purposes and not financial instruments.  Following agreement on their content they are being used to inform project development and approval.  Projects have been described as the ‘currency’ within the programmes, with the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) independently selecting and approving projects.  This represents a more discretionary approach to project prioritisation.

The following strategic frameworks relate to the Vale of Glamorgan, an area eligible for Competitiveness funding:

ERDF Strategic Frameworks relevant to Regional Competitiveness and Employment Programme

• Innovation, R&D and Technology (Competitiveness Priority 1);
• Enterprise (Competitiveness Priority 2);
• Business Finance (Competitiveness Priority 2);
• Climate Change (Competitiveness Priority 3);
• (Vale of Glamorgan does not qualify for Sustainable Regeneration (ERDF priority 4)

ESF Strategic Frameworks relevant to Regional Competitiveness & Employment Programme

• Increasing Employment and Tackling Economic Inactivity (Competitiveness Priority 1);
• Improving Skill Levels & Adaptability of the Workforce (Competitiveness Priority 2)

Most of the frameworks are thematic or functional rather than spatial in nature, although all frameworks include contributions from the Wales Spatial Plan Area Groups on the needs of their areas. 

Further information on strategic frameworks is available from the Welsh European Funding Office. or by contacting the Policy Officer (External Funding).

It is envisaged local authorities will engage in the delivery of the new European programmes via:

• involvement in the development and review of Frameworks;
• providing local/regional input to thematic frameworks;
• through local/regional work with Spatial European Teams on spatial framework development (and input via website);
• through local/regional work on project development;
• through project development and project sponsorship;
• by tendering for elements of project delivery via Sell2Wales