Compendium of Good Practices on Partnership
Partnership principle. Cultures of partnership
Together with multi-level governance, partnership has been at the core of European Cohesion Policy funds for a long time. Partnership is about establishing and maintaining effective collaboration between public authorities, economic and social partners, and civil society organisations at various levels in the programming phase and throughout the programme implementation cycle.
The legal and procedural basis for partnership has been strengthened since 2014, especially through the adoption of the European Code of Conduct on Partnership, which sets out the framework within which the Member States implement partnership, in accordance with their institutional set-up and competences, both at national and regional levels.
A comparative look at the implementation of programmes from 2014-2020 to 2021-2027 shows that good practices exist and have improved in many programmes. In some cases, these practices are informed by and linked to an established and mature culture of partnership and collaboration, which exists in some countries and regions of the EU. But implementation also points at shortcomings and discrepancies between Member States. In these situations, a sustainable and profound change in how partnership is implemented will take time.
The compendium: a collective effort
Since the inception of the European Community of Practice on Partnership (ECoPP) in 2022, the practitioners of partnership at all levels of funds’ implementation have had a strong focus on learning, and knowledge exchange. Examples of good practices from across Europe have been put together and discussed as part of sub-groups’ work in 2023. Following the third plenary meeting of ECoPP, the members agreed that good practices should be put together to reflect the diversity of approaches to partnership and to inform and inspire future work.
While a “golden standard” for good and effective partnership seems difficult to achieve, the compendium can serve as a constellation of good ingredients to guide practice in Member States and regions and to encourage them to come up with their own impactful collaborations and tools.
The proposed examples in the compendium are clustered under “types” of practices which have been identified from different sources: input from the ECoPP members and the sub-groups, geographical desks in the Directorates-General of REGIO, EMPL, MARE, HOME and AGRI, examples from studies and analyses, or from other collaborators.
Focus on quality and good ingredients
In each selected example for the compendium we looked for a quality element that makes a certain example stand out, for instance, a combination of tools used in consultations, frequency, a particular structure for a type of activity, and out-of-the-box thinking.
Overall, the six clusters can be looked at as good ingredients that one would need to use to improve the quality of partnerships in cohesion policy and shared management programmes. Partnerships can be set up and function without most or all of these, but then their impact is limited, and their value does not go beyond a formal, purely bureaucratic exercise.
This compendium is not intended as an exhaustive document and future updates are foreseen with examples that can be added at any stage.
Clusters overview:
- What can a Member State do to support and enhance collaboration with partners for better cohesion policy partnerships?
Collaboration is at the heart of good partnerships, regardless of their rationale and goal. In some member states the coordination and exchange between public authorities and stakeholders existed before cohesion policy: national or regional strategies already included forms of collaboration and a certain level of commitment to partnership. For others, the processes associated to EU funding have pioneered collaboration with and involvement of partners in policy decision and implementation and reinforced its use by extending it also to national and regional policies.
For whom?
Central administrations in member states; managing authorities at national and regional levels; stakeholders and citizens that are interested to advocate for better collaboration.
Reference to the European Code of Conduct on Partnership
- Chapter III: Main principles and good practices concerning the involvement of relevant partners in the preparation of the Partnership Agreement and programmes
- Chapter VI: Indicative areas, themes and good practices concerning the use of the ESI funds to strengthen the institutional capacity of relevant partners and the role of the Commission in dissemination of good practices
- How do you identify and reach out to the relevant stakeholders?
- How do you make sure the stakeholders that show an interest in the programme are the most representative and the best fit for the partnership?
The European Code of Conduct on Partnership includes an entire chapter on transparent partner selection. However, managing authorities in different member states take varied approaches, with direct consequences on representativeness, transparency, and involvement. Some select the same partners as in previous periods, even if these partners do not fully align with the new programmes. Others see an opportunity for expanding the pool of stakeholders to achieve increased expertise and ownership of the programmes.
For whom?
Managing authorities at national and regional levels; stakeholders and citizens.
Reference to the European Code of Conduct on Partnership
- Chapter II: Main principles concerning transparent procedures for identification of relevant partners
- Can consultation really go beyond a box-ticking exercise?
- What makes a consultation process efficient?
- What to prioritise – open consultations or focused groups?
- How often should the authorities consult and for how long?
When it comes to good practices on partnership, consultations are arguably among the most frequently given example, but as with other ingredients in partnership, the added value comes from the accuracy of planning and the details of the actions taken.
For whom?
Coordination bodies and managing authorities at national and regional levels; stakeholders, citizens.
Reference to the European Code of Conduct on Partnership
- Chapter III: Main principles and good practices concerning the involvement of partners – Article 5: Consultation of relevant partners in the preparation of the Partnership Agreement and programmes
- Involvement of or engagement with partners – does it really make a difference?
- How can partners contribute beyond consultations for Partnership Agreements and programmes?
Across member states and funds, managing authorities particularly engage with partners
during the developing phase of the programmes.
Their engagement typically decreases in the implementation phase.
However, exceptions demonstrate that keeping partners meaningfully involved throughout
the implementation phase brings several benefits:
By playing these roles, partners contribute significantly to the successful implementation and sustainability of projects and programmes.
Their involvement ensures that projects are on track, resources are used efficiently, and the desired outcomes are achieved.
For whom?
Coordination bodies and managing authorities at national and regional levels; partners, citizens.
Reference to the European Code of Conduct on Partnership
- Chapter V: Main principles and good practices concerning the involvement of relevant partners in the preparation of calls of proposals, progress reports, and in relation to monitoring and evaluation of programmes
- Monitoring Committee (MC) meetings: friends or foe?
- How to better support decision-making processes in the MCs?
The monitoring committees are key to cohesion and shared management funds’ partnerships. They are often at the core of the partnership itself, where consultation and decision-making take place. However, they can also become contentious when issues like unequal stakeholder representation or conflicts of interest arise. Some managing authorities have successfully addressed these challenges, improving the effectiveness of these fast-paced, agenda-heavy meetings. Meanwhile some stakeholders have understood that timely preparation, increased expertise and smart advocacy can lead to concrete results that benefit their sectors and communities.
For whom?
Coordination bodies and managing authorities at national and regional levels; partners and relevant stakeholders.
Reference to the European Code of Conduct on Partnership
- Chapter IV: Good practices concerning the formulation of the rules of membership and internal procedures of monitoring committees
- Partnership skills training: basic need or nice to have?
- How to help increase the thematic and horizontal knowledge of stakeholders and monitoring committee’s members?
- Are monitoring committee facilitators a real thing?
Skilled people and organizations are essential for a high-quality partnership. The scope of support offered
to partnership by managing authorities varies greatly, with many offering only minimal administrative support.
Investing in training and capacity-building of stakeholders can enhance the quality of their contributions,
leading to better programme implementation.
Support can take different forms, such as reimbursements, secretarial work, networking activities or specialized training.
Regardless of the approach, it is important to ensure stakeholders understand the framework in which they are working in
and know about the available options for support.
Capacity building and training may not work wonders on biases, nor can they magically lower the appetite to pursue
self-serving interests, but they can help with shaping stakeholders’ proposals so that they match the goals of the funds
and the programmes, as well as the expectations of partnership.
For whom?
Coordination bodies and managing authorities at national and regional levels; partners and stakeholders.
Reference to the European Code of Conduct on Partnership
- Chapter VI: Indicative areas, themes and good practices concerning the use of the ESI funds to strengthen the institutional capacity of relevant partners and the role of the Commission in dissemination of good practices – Article 17: Strengthening the institutional capacity of relevant partners
To see examples of good practice on partnership, go to the Compendium.