Page 142 - Proceeding 2015

FAMP CONSTANTIN Daniela-Luminita, GOSCHIN Zizi and ILEANU Bogdan
CCASP THE ECONOMIC REGENERATION OF LAGGING REGIONS. AN INQUIRY INTO THE REGIONAL
OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME CONTRIBUTION, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE ENTERPRISE
SUPPORT IN THE NORTH-EAST REGION OF ROMANIA

Regional policies are perceived as long-term policies, whereas sectoral ones are viewed as more focused,

confined to some punctual objectives. There is not a clear opinion among interviewees about whether
sectoral or regional policies have the most significant impact: some respondents rank first the regional
policies, others – the sectoral ones. The emphasis is rather on the complementarity between sectoral and

regional policies, with the former being supported by the latter. However, there is a significant concern
about increasing in urban-rural disparities: the interviewees acknowledge the coherent approach of the
ERDF based interventions and those financed by other sources but there are still problems in terms of

complementarity. A stronger correlation is needed especially between ERDF, EARDF and Cohesion Fund
supported programmes. ESF should also be included in this, as well as the support received from the

World Bank. The impact of the horizontal policies is considered too, especially when it comes to the free
movement of persons: labour migration has created important sources of revenues for family members
who remain in the region and even for local development (e.g. small businesses) via remittances.

Suceava still remains a lagging behind county and, according to some of the interviewees, one of the
reasons for this situation is the poor prioritisation of specific territorial needs in regional strategies. A
pessimistic opinion is that the only decision to produce real impact has been the national decision related

to the ROP to include of Suceava municipality among the urban development poles. Most interview PROCEEDINGS OF THE 11 TH ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ”Strategic Management for Local Communities” 30 th – 31 st October 2015 Bucharest
responses indicate infrastructure improvement and development, tourism promotion and human resource
development as the most important directions from the perspective of attracted funds and results of

projects implemented. Interviewees also mentioned the lack of foresight and strategic vision for the
hierarchy and correlation of local needs. Related to this is the issue of project approval being based on
strictly financial considerations, accompanied by the ’uninspired’ restrictions regarding the allocation of

specific funds to various projects, e.g. implementing projects for water supply network without sewage
system for the used water because the funds for sewage projects had been over; water network without

hydrant points for fire situations; the creation of a green area on the commune’s pasture, etc..

The development strategies of the North-East region and Suceava county, respectively, (see, for
example, Economic and Social Development Strategy of Suceava County, 2011-2020) are built around

the Cohesion Policy objectives, aiming to take full advantage of the funding opportunities they provide.
Cohesion policy is perceived to have important support in overcoming the effects of the financial crisis,
creating jobs for the youth and increasing the competitiveness of SMEs. Hence, competitiveness and

social well-being are almost equally emphasized in the county. Yet, in some cases, taking into account
that the North-East region is the poorest in Romania and one of the poorest in the whole EU, there is
some specific focus on addressing social issues (e.g. through food aid for the poor).

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