2. WHAT IS SERN?
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 actors
27 Swedish members
26 Italian members
3. SERN FEATURES
Network focusing on North-South cooperation
Multi-level Network (Regions, Counties, Provinces,
Municipalities)
Participation of non-public actors
4. SERN – THE PROCESS
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
5. OBJECTIVE OF SERN
To create long-term transnational links among
Members in a “Bottom-up Perspective”
through:
Exchange of best practices
Development of EU projects
Exchange of knowledge, personnel and information
8. ACTIVITIES 2005-2012
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
9. PROJECT GROUPS WELFARE
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)
10. PROJECT GROUPS EDUCATION
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)
11. OTHER PROJECT GROUPS
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
12. SERN AND THE EU
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