Sharing INTERREG experiences
Sharing INTERREG experiences
Responsibilities and Tasks:
Since introduction of the EU Neighbourhood concept into the BSR INTERREG III B Programme and its cross-border cooperation Priorities, the Joint Secretariat has additional tasks related to providing assistance to Programme beneficiaries from Russia and Belarus. The first calls for joint ERDF / Tacis projects were launched during 2005. Altogether 61 joint cooperation project has been selected - 28 under trans-national priorities, 27 in Priority North and 6 in Priority South. Furthermore the preparation of the 2007-2013 Baltic Sea Region Programme is under way. As the 2007-2013 Programme will be financed from the ERDF and ENPI funds, the programme implementation framework needs to be established respecting legal provisions of both EU financial instruments.
Responsibilities and tasks of the External Policy Expert (Expert) shall include but not be limited to:
- coordinating the implementation of the Tacis Technical Assistance (TA) contracts between the EC Delegations, and the Managing Authority of the programme (Investitionsbank Schleswig-Holstein). In this regard expert will closely cooperate with the Russian and Belarusian Project Managers, financed from Tacis TA, who will be responsible for information and consultation activities in their respective countries;
- contributing to the preparations of the 2007-2013 BSR programme implementation framework (set-up of legal, administrative and financial procedures) with regards to use of ENPI funds; in this respect expert shall analyse the legal framework for implementation of EU external policy instruments and the draft Programme Document endorsed by the Joint Programming Committee and develop proposals for solutions to be applied in BSR Programme, discuss these with the Managing Authority and JS colleagues and, if appropriate, relevant counterparts in the European Commission;
- facilitating cooperation with the main implementation authorities of the EU Tacis programme at the EC Delegations in Moscow (responsible for Russian partners), and in Kiev/Minsk (responsible for Belarusian partners) as well as with the authorities responsible for Tacis programme in Russia and Belarus (the National Coordination Units);
- the Expert may furthermore be required to assist the Joint Secretariat in advising EU / Norwegian applicants on how to include Russian/Belarusian partners in joint projects, assessment of project applications and monitoring of project implementation.
The holder of this position will work in close cooperation with colleagues at both offices of the JS - Riga and Rostock, and support them regarding Tacis / NP / ENPI issues. The job will involve considerable amount of travelling in the overall Baltic Sea Region including participating in meetings of the programme's Steering, Monitoring and Programming Committees, as well as travel between the offices of the Joint Secretariat. It will also require contribution to international public events, conferences and workshops, as agreed with the Programme Director.
Required Profile:
- Higher University degree or equivalent;
- Good knowledge of EU regional policy Objective 3, EU Structural Funds and their implementation mechanisms; previous experience of working with INTERREG will be considered strong advantage;
- Good knowledge of EU policy towards Russia and Belarus, European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument;
- fluent in English and Russian;
- A minimum of 7 years of general professional experience;
- Experience with the EU pre-accession and external aid (Tacis, NP, ENPI) instruments and application of rules for implementation of EU external aid programmes (PRAG);
- Experience of working with national, local/regional authorities, as well as civil society organisations;
- Working experience of international project development and management; experience of programme development and management will be considered strong advantage;
- Expert must be familiar with the Baltic Sea Region cooperation history and policies;
- Very good organisational, administrative and communication skills including internet, e-mail and PC office applications;
- Strong interpersonal negotiation and communication skills, problem and conflict-solving oriented;
- Ability to take initiative;
- Good team worker.
Personal characteristics such as flexibility, ability to work in multi-cultural environment and a cooperative working approach, as well as quick understanding and good analytical skills are required for this position. Ability to propose solutions to trans-national issues arising from administrative, legal or cultural differences is also a crucial factor.
Conditions of Employment:
The employer will be State Regional Development Agency of Latvia. The employment contract shall be concluded under the Labour Law of the Republic of Latvia.
The employment period will begin as soon as Technical Assistance contracts are signed with the EC Delegations in Moscow and Kiev (expected latest during April 2007) and end on 30.09.2008. Employment is foreseen on a full-time basis (40 hours a week). Extension of the contract is possible but will depend on the availability of Tacis TA or ENPI TA funds and decisions of the Programme Monitoring Committee.
The position is financed from the Tacis Technical Assistance Contracts' budget. The monthly salary is set from 850 to 1.000 LVL (ca 1.400 EUR) after taxes depending on experience and qualification. Health insurance shall be provided by the employer for the duration of the contract.
The employee will report to Head of JS Riga and the JS Programme Director as the overall staff and task manager.
Application Procedure:
Applications should be written in English and include a brief personal presentation, a description of experience in relevant fields, an interpretation of the tasks mentioned above, and a CV. If relevant, copies of examination certificates and other documents (only those proving the skills and competences related to the assignment) can be included.
Applications should be marked "External Policy Expert" and be sent via e-mail to ieva.kalnina@bsrinterreg3a.net by midnight of Sunday, 18 March 2007.
If wished by applicant, paper copies can be sent to:
BSR Interreg III B Joint Secretariat Riga
State Regional Development Agency
Elizabetes 19, Riga LV 1010, Latvia
Deadline for application is 18 March 2007.
Selection:
Each applicant will be notified on the receipt of application. Selected successful candidates will be invited to JS Riga for interviews. The interviews will take place on 2-3 April 2007.
Further Information and Contacts:
For further information please contact Ieva Kalnina in JS Riga, tel: +371-7357368, e-mail: ieva.kalnina@bsrinterreg3a.net.
Background:
The EU INTERREG III B Neighbourhood Programme in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) 2000-2006 is supporting transnational co-operation projects involving partners from eleven states around the Baltic Sea including Norway, and regions from Belarus and Northwest-Russia. Since 2004, the programme includes two INTERREG IIIA cross-border priorities in the Baltic countries: North (Estonia / Latvia / Russia) and South (Latvia / Lithuania / Belarus). Implementation of the 2000-2006 Programme is carried out until end 2008. More details are available at: www.bsrinterreg.net and www.bsrinterreg3a.net.
2007-2013 Baltic Sea Region trans-national cooperation Programme is currently being prepared by the participating countries. Programme shall have four thematic cooperation priorities. Programme will be financed from the ERDF, the Norwegian national budget and the ENPI and will have a total budget of ca 300 million EUR. Latest programme draft is available at www.bsrinerreg.net.
The eight participating EU Member States (Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) and Norway designated Investitionsbank Schleswig-Holstein (IB) as Managing and Paying Authority to the programme. The IB is also acting as host to the trans-national Joint Secretariat located in Rostock (Germany) and Riga (Latvia).
The JS acts as day to day contact point for programme implementation. The Joint Secretariat's tasks include managing programme implementation and finances, in particular project selection and monitoring, but also assisting the participating countries on project generation and programme development, including facilitating co-operation with Russian and Belarusian project partners. The JS further supports the Managing and Paying Authority in meeting their tasks. The secretariat's team is international. The working language of the JS is English.
JS Riga is hosted by the State Regional Development Agency of Latvia and is mainly responsible for the implementation of the INTERREG IIIA Priorities in the Baltic countries, Russia and Belarus, as well as for coordination of the NP and ENPI related tasks.
In order to ensure quality support to Russian and Belarusian beneficiaries Tacis Technical Assistance funds have been made available to the JS via TA contracts concluded between the EC Delegations in Moscow and Kiev and Programme's Managing Authority. TA contracts foresee employment of additional staff in the JS to assist JS with implementation of its tasks but with particular emphasis on providing support to Russian and Belarusian beneficiaries and integration of ENPI provisions into the 2007-2013 BSR Programme implementation framework.
Detailed job description is available here: http://www.bsrinterreg3a.net/index.php?sec=news&news_id=214&num=37
Contact details:
Mrs Signe Raikstina
INTERREG Riga office
Programme Assistant
t: +371 735 73 68
info@bsrinterreg3a.net
