The partnership principle has for a long time been one of the four key principles for managing the European Structural Funds. Partner involvement can be beneficial in enhancing collective ownership and engagement of the Europe 2020 Strategy for growth and jobs, as well as for EU policies more generally.
The partnership principle helps to share knowledge, expertise and different standpoints in the programming phase and also ensures a more transparent process. It can also contribute to a better coordination between different levels of government during the implementation phase.
The overall scope of this study is to assess the implementation of the partnership principle in the programming phase of programmes financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF) in all 28 Member States. This also includes assessing multi-fund programmes co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF).
Nordregio will together with the lead partner SWECO be responsible for developing the methodological framework of the study, performing the overall analysis and quality control of national reports and drafting of final conclusions. Nordregio will also provide national expertise on Denmark.