Linking Local Actors (2006-2007)

Type of project/activity :

Website development

Objectives :

The objective was to develop and launch a pilot website for networking and close cooperation between the Commission and local economic and employment development actors.

Background :

Since the 1980s, local development has been recognised as a tool for fighting unemployment and for encouraging new sources of employment. The Local Employment Development strategy has since been strengthened through the European Employment Strategy (and the revamped cycle of the EES in 2005 under the Lisbon mid-term review), the Employment guidelines, some specific Communications ("Acting Locally for Employment - A local dimension for the European Employment Strategy" and Strengthening the local dimension of the European Employment Strategy) and several schemes (Territorial Employment Pacts, Third Sector and employment). Community initiatives (EQUAL, LEADER, URBAN, INTERREG) have proved beneficial for promoting a bottom-up approach for projects based on territory, horizontal partnership and empowerment. Innovative actions (Article 6 of the ESF) have favoured the involvement of social partners and a number of social economy organisations.

Partners :

The project s led by AEIDL (BE) who are working in cooperation with European Dynamics.
Jean Gordon is a member of the expert working group.

Main activities :

The project concerns the development of a web-based tool that will provide the means for networking and closer cooperation between the Commission and the LED actors and between the local actors themselves. The web-based tool will provide relevant information to LED actors such as information on events, funding sources from different institutions, news and notifications, as well as services such as searching for partners, searching for best practices in LED, discussion forums, online meetings, etc.

The main activities of the project are:

• Survey by questionnaire and interviews for a needs analysis
• Design and launching of the website
• Drafting of good practice case studies

Name of programme, funder or client :

Directorate General for Employment and Social Affairs of the European Commission.

Expected outcomes, reports/documents :

The website went on line in its pilot form in the autumn of 2006 and includes short case studies on good practices by local actors from around the European Union. The address of the site is:
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/local_employment/lla/fo/index.do