Sweden Emilia Romagna Network

www.sern.euwww.facebook.com/sern2.0www.twitter.com/sern2_0

Sep

temb

er 2012

A BILATERAL NETWORK

CREATED IN JANUARY 2005

5 PRIORITY AREAS with two driving themes:

a. SUSTAINABLE LOCAL / REGIONAL GROWTH

b. SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL INCLUSION

53 MEMBERS

45 Local/regional authorities

8 Non public actors27 Swedish members

26 Italian members

WHAT IS SERN?

Network focusing on North-South cooperation

Multi-level Network (Regions, Counties, Provinces, Municipalities)

Participation of non-public actors

SERN FEATURES

SERN is the result of a long-term process of cooperation and exchange between Italian and Swedish actors.

In March 2003 a Town Twinning Conference in Bertinoro (Pilot project of Town Twinning Programme).

Active European Citizenship Conference in June 2004 in Luleå (launching formally the constitutive process)

Formal creation of the Network in January 2005

SERN – THE PROCESS

OBJECTIVE OF SERN

To create long-term transnational links among Members in a “Bottom-up Perspective” through:

Exchange of best practicesDevelopment of EU projectsExchange of knowledge, personnel and information

HOW SERN OPERATES

STRUCTURE

General Assembly

Executive Board(22 political representatives)

Chairperson of the Executive Board

SECRETARIAT

PROJECT GROUPS

Members

More than 40 project co-funded by the European Union

SERN is the network that in Italy and Sweden has promoted since 2005 the largest number of EFC funded projects in the context of Action 1

(particularly measure 1.2 but also 1.1 and 2.2).

Since 2008 Focus on capacity building actions among the municipalities (training aimed at improving skills and quality management in EU projects)

Partnerships established with organizations in 12 EU countries

ACTIVITIES 2005-2012

Violence against women (2005-2006)

Network on Support to parenthood (2008-2010)

Local and regional Policies towards disabled people (2008)

Quality of the elderly care services (2008-2010)

Current and future skills in the health and social welfare sector (2010-2012)

Network on family support in elderly care (2010-2012)

Network on the role of volunteering in local welfare and integration (2012-2014)

PROJECT GROUPS WELFARE

Paths of integration in education contexts and follow up (2006-2007;

2008-2009) Promotion of local food through exchanges among restaurant schools

(2007) Pre-school staff exchange programme (2008-2010) Culture and leisure polices project (2008) Quality of the pre-school services (2008-2009) LLP Partnerships Seminars on outdoor education at pre-school level (2009) PYST Project - Partnership for youth sport trainers (2009-2011) Organic food in local schools: Identifying problems and developing

solutions through the exchange of best practices (2010-2012) Comenius Regio - Growing Up Together(2010-2012) CREANET - Network on creativity in pre-school education (2010-2013) Flow4You project (youth policies)

PROJECT GROUPS EDUCATION

ENVIRONMENT Energy efficiency network 3X20 Network Go green now!

ENTREPRENEURSHIP Innovation in local development Innovative policies and actions for the seniors in Europe Personell Exchange among coooperatives

TOURISM Local sustainable tourism and development

OTHER PROJECT GROUPS

As a result of the work done in its first years of activities the network:

It was actively involved in consultation meetings organised by DG EAC in early 2007 aimed at preparing the Measure 1.2 of the EFC programme

It was identified by the European Commission (DG EAC) at European level as one of the organisations to show case in the field of thematic networking among twinned cities (DG EAC Publication on NTTs in 2007).

Two SERN projects selected by the Commission as EFC best practices of the programme

SERN AND THE EU

RESULTS 2005-2011TOTAL OF 52 APPROVED PROJECTS BY EU

TOTAL GRANT 3,5 MILION EUROS

SERN SECRETARIATViale Aldo Moro 44, Bologna (Italy)

General information, info@sern.euNicola Catellani, nicola.catellani@sern.eu

CONTACTS