Development programmes

1. Purpose and aim of the programme

The Programme is linked to the principles of the revised Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs, which calls among other things for the development of an information and knowledge-based society and further investment in human capital. To address these principles, the Programme seeks to strengthen the Czech Republic’s central and local public administration while increasing the quality and availability of public services.

2. Expected impact of the investment

The Operational Programme aims to reduce the country’s administrative burden by 25%, and support the creation of four national registers. A key goal is to increase the proportion of people who use the internet to communicate with government and local authorities from 3% to 35% by the end of 2015. In addition, support will be provided to develop a national integrated rescue system. Funding will also be made available to renovate about 20 000 flats in deprived areas.

3. Priorities

The Operational Programme is structured around the following priorities:

Priority 1a: Modernising public administration – Convergence Objective [approximately 19.6% of total budget]

Priority 1b: Modernising public administration – Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective [approximately 1.5% of total budget]

Priority 2: ICT for territorial public administration – Convergence Objective [approximately 10.8% of total budget]

The primary goal of priorities 1a, 1b and 2 is to create a more efficient public administration system for the Czech Republic. This includes modernising public services at local and national level through greater use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). These activities will also contribute to the general development of the information society in the Czech Republic.

Priority 3: Improving the quality and accessibility of public services – Convergence Objective [approximately 34.4% of total budget

This priority aims to improve the quality and availability of public services in the following areas: social services, public health, employment and security, and risk prevention. These services are of great benefit to Czech citizens, and their efficient delivery depends on good quality public administration at state, regional and municipal levels.

Priority 4: National support for tourism – Convergence Objective [approximately 3.8% of total budget]

Priority 5: National support for tourism – Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective [approximately 0.3% of total budget]

Priorities 4 and 5 focus on developing public services for tourism at national level. The key aim is to reinforce management and marketing as a way of supporting the development of better national products and programmes. Creating standardisation systems and support for the marketing and development of national information and reservation systems will be high on the agenda.

Priority 6: National support for territorial development – Convergence Objective [approximately 26.6% of total budget]

The Programme will be used to support cultural services and national cultural centres. Funds will also be made available for the renovation of monuments that are important to the Czech Republic’s cultural heritage. Deprived housing estates will receive help as part of the programme’s integrated urban development remit. In addition, several pilot projects will be developed to support the socially excluded Roma community. Sustainable development will be a key theme as documentation is drafted to address planning and territorial policy issues.

Priorities 7 and 8: Technical assistance – Convergence and Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objectives [approximately 2.9% of total budget]

Technical assistance will be provided to help implement the programme. Financial support is available to cover administration, monitoring and control.

4. Managing Authority