• 1.1

What are European projects

An opportunity and a resource

Our area increasingly perceives the need and opportunity to benefit from what are called “European funds” or “European projects.” They are rightly considered important resources for financing projects, activities and infrastructure at the national, regional and local levels.

European funds have in fact been a very important source of funding for Third Sector actors, institutions and businesses active in all areas for many decades. European funds gain additional relevance and visibility with the need to recover from the lingering economic and social damage produced by the Covid pandemic19.

A "vague" and "distant" reality? 1

At the same time, some of the actors in the area perceive European funds as a reality far removed from their daily actions and little known in its concrete implications. In many cases, this perception arises not so much from a lack of available information on the subject as from the need for tools to understand the actual points of contact with one’s business and to translate them into practice.

A weak propensity to translate their ideas into European projects results in billions of euros of unused European funds and missed opportunities for organizations, for territories, for recovery and, more generally, for the development of our country every year.

The purpose of this Guide

This first reflection clarifies the purposes of this Guide.

From a strategic point of view, it aims to increase the European planning capacities of local actors, and with them their ability to seize important development opportunities; at a time when the good use of European funds conditions (among other things) the post-Covid19 recovery of our country.

Operationally, this Guide is intended to provide simple and immediately usable directions for:

  • Understand the operation and general structure of European projects;
  • Understand its real practical significance for one’s business;
  • Know the main types and how they are implemented;
  • Know the sources from which to find information, updates, and insights;
  • know the main tricks useful for successfully carrying out the activity of preparing and presenting a project.

How to read the Guide

Over the years, the Europlanning Guide has become a unique “binder” of information and insights on europlanning issues. Proposes, as main headings:

  • This first orientation chapter, which defines the raison d’être, main categories and ways to approach European funds and projects;
  • A second chapter that provides a summary map of available funds and programs, with main characteristics, financial allocations and thematic (or territories) of reference;
  • A third chapter introduces the conceptual tools useful for approaching, in practice, the activity of europlanning 2 ;
  • A series of even more concrete supporting sections, which present:
  • Three chapters (one for each of the main “families” of European funds: Community Programs, ROPs/NOPs and Territorial Cooperation) devoted to a detailed presentation of each individual European program. Each tab contains all program information and all useful links to access more details, documents, information, and insights about the program.

The Guide can therefore be read:

  • As a comprehensive textbook and interactive self-education tool, following the order proposed above or taking up the teaching contents in random order;
  • As a reference tool, choosing programs, guides or questions/answers of interest for selective reading and quick access to related sources and insights;
  • As an update tool, focusing on periodic news and the latest news regularly published in the form of posts (and grouped into a monthly newsletter);
  • Like a “wiki” library, in which to get lost in the variety of links and insights offered (internal and external to the Guide), following the thread of one’s curiosity and interests;
  • As an entry point to our community on social networks(Facebook | Linkedin), a large family of people, experts and organizations engaged in the world of europlanning.

Thinking in European terms

As we will see in the next chapters, European funds and projects are not just a “resource” available to actors in our area. European projects, declined in different ways, are first and foremost a tool:

  • to realize, at the strategic level, the objectives and priorities of theEuropean Union, in terms of welfare and equality, economic and social growth and territorial integration;
  • to provide, at the operational level, a concrete and feasible response to the real needs of European citizens, collectively understood.

This definition has a very important practical scope. In fact, “thinking in European terms” is the best way to approach European projects and benefit from them.

As will be explained in the different sections of this Guide, many of the operational arrangements required for participation in European projects are but a consequence of this principle.