| 1 | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY |
|
The
transnational cooperation was an obligatory part of the Community Initiative
Programme EQUAL and a number of the participating organisations would
not have included it in their projects on their own. However, the evaluation
has proved that the participating bodies in absolute majority have gradually
begun to perceive it as a component part of the programme and often,
in spite of the initial disbelief and low expectations, they evaluate
it as a very valuable and unexpectedly rewarding
part. In a wide scale of particular results and outputs it is possible
to find a common denominator: it is widening of the views, or in general
“the experience“, widening of the context of thinking, perception,
attitudes, behaviour, solutions etc.
The most significant
factors influencing efficiency and success of the transnational cooperation
seem to be, according to the evaluation, compliance, as the case
may be sharing the project objectives among partners, selection
of a partner and partially the innovation rate of a
particular project. Above all, thanks to this fact the preparatory
and the initial stages of the project, which consequently have the
principal impact on the whole implementation, seem to be as essential
for the success of the transnational partnership. In this respect, also
the cooperation with the managing authority and the quality of its support
is mentioned as the key factors, too.
In the course of the
whole evaluation it also showed up that the Community Initiative Programme
EQUAL had impacted in a specific context in the Czech Republic and it
had interfered with it quite significantly. Without the framework understanding
of this context it is neither possible to interpret the results nor
to understand the findings. The following aspects of more general
framework of the programme effects have shown up as the most substantial:
The comparison among
the Czech Republic and the other EU countries included in the evaluation
is interesting, above all because it has not been possible to trace
any considerable difference in the respondents’ reactions to the same
questions and themes; however, it is possible to trace the differences
in comparable extent of cases, namely the substantial ones. The individual
partial differences may be followed best in the results of the questionnaire
investigation; however, it may be stated in general that the differences
resulting from “maturity” and “immaturity” are concerned –
namely both in good and bad meaning. Maturity and self-confidence of
the senior EU Member States bring, on the one hand, well-established
procedures, beaten tracks, proved methods, rich experience with partnership,
well-established work culture that is not based on personal relations,
open communication with partners, namely including authorities and institutions,
etc. However, it may bring at the same time certain routinism, lack
of interest in the gist of the matter and endeavour to maintain the
status quo, excessively established character and commonplace conterminous
to becoming stale. Compared to that, the “immaturity” of the newer
Member States carries round immaturity and instability of the environment,
which almost is not ready to absorb the aid of similar extent, clientelism
or servility towards authorities and at the same time unprofessionality
of officials, unproven procedures, incomparable conditions, lack of
data, unreflected own tradition, etc. on the one hand, but on the other
hand it may be a source of unexpected innovation, unusual interest in
the matter and resolve to do something for it, great drive, willingness
to learn and absorb new things, endeavour to show oneself in front of
the others, innovative approaches and the like.
The transnational cooperation
creates a new dimension of the programme contributions; it exceeds the
individual level of learning and search for innovations where not only
an individual learns but the whole organisation and when the innovations
are not searched for in a geographically limited area. In addition to
that, the European dimension has brought the projects the knowledge
that the problems are not, as a rule, limited to particular institutions
or geographical territories, that they are common under certain conditions
and mainly that they are jointly understood and solved at the European
level. Through this practical level, the cognition of the appurtenance
to the EU and understanding of the essence of the European convergence
occur then.
All of it – the better
an the worse – clashed in various extent and various proportions within
the framework of the transnational cooperation within the framework
of the evaluated projects, and it is possible to state with certainty
that it was very inspiring and that the international partnership within
the CIP EQUAL framework was appreciated as high in the Czech Republic
as in the other participating European countries.
|