Service Centre for Podpolanie Microregion is a non-profit organisation, which provides free, transparent and effective coordination of financial assistance from EU and SR funds for municipalities and cities of Podpolanie. The Service Centre provides assistance, information service, and preparation and implementation of projects for rural development at local and regional level.
Ambassador Trine Skymoen delivering her speech“We should not underestimate the importance of micro-regions. You all know that smaller municipalities would only get a chance to prepare successful investment projects if you co-ordinate your efforts with similar, small municipalities”, said in her opening speech Ambassador Skymoen.
The opening of the Service Centre is the result of long-term ambition of the association Friends of the Earth-CEPA, all municipalities of microregion Podpolanie and lots of partners – West Wales European Centre, Self-governing region of Banska Bystrica, the Civil Association Podpoľanie, Education Center for non-profit organizations and Centre for community work from Czech Republic.
Municipalities in Slovakia do not use available EU funds in efficient way and there are many reasons for that. In rural and less developed regions, municipalities lack coordinated approach in the preparation of projects – different municipalities prepare identical projects, thus competing for limited funding.
Lack of coordination in project preparation results in funding preparation of proposals, which do not fit into community development strategies. Preparation of project proposals and necessary documentation are often very expensive, especially if provided by commercial companies. Small municipalities with limited budgets do not have the resources available to fund project preparation. And in addition, civil servants do not have sufficient capacity to assist in preparation of projects.
Participants of the opening ceremonyThe Service Centre will build on the experience of similar centers abroad, to allow this Podpolanie region receive as much available EU funding as possible. “Abroad, we saw regions that were lagging behind once, that are now much more developed and sustained by building on available resources from the EU. This is what we want to see happening in our region”, said Jozef Vybošťok, the Chairman of the Coordinating Association of municipalities of Podpolanie region, who is also the mayor of Klokoč.
The Service Centre is build on the model of similar organisation from Wales (West Wales European Centre) and will provide much needed professional services for municipalities, thus substituting for the lack of capacities in government service. “We believe, that the new model will improve the access of rural regions to public resources”, said Juraj Zamkovský, program director of the Friends of the Earth-CEPA, who brought the idea of Service Centre to Podpolanie.
The Centre is funded by a grant from Norway through the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and the state budget of SR. “For the first time in Slovakia, a microregion receives such significant assistance”, said Director of Service Centre for Podpolanie Microregion, Jana Kunická.