Services to Members
Overarching aims of the office
SWUKBO formulates a new business plan on a three-yearly basis. As the current business plan runs until 2011, a review of office priorities is currently being held in preparation for the new business plan that will come into action next year.
Currently, the overarching aims of the office are to ensure that the interests of the region are represented and heard in Brussels, to keep South West partners fully informed of all European developments and opportunities of relevance to them and to help develop strategic partnerships with other European regions and EU networks on key areas of common interest.
Strategic goals for the current business plan
Key Strategic Policies
• Provide partners with early information and advice on key issues and their relevance to the South West:
• Provide a “watching brief” on all relevant aspects of other EU policy areas.
• Provide the value added link between EU and regional/local priorities/policy objectives and input the European dimension to regional, sub-regional and local strategies (and committees/groupings in these areas where relevant.
Maximising EU funding opportunities
• Identify funding opportunities focused on key sectors in the Regional Economic Strategy and where appropriate take the initiative in helping to develop strategic projects and networks with other EU regions.
• Raise awareness and interest within the region on all relevant EU funding programmes, building on the success of the Funding Roadshows, including input into partners’ EU Masterclasses and specific events in Brussels as appropriate.
Promoting and raising the profile of the South West in Europe
• Bring high level EU officials (including EU Commissioners) to the region and to Brussels-based events, focusing on the key strategic policy areas of interest to South West partners.
• Launch annual good practice events in the South West and Brussels to highlight key success stories coming out of the new Regional Programmes.
• Establish networks with other EU regions around key issues on the regional agenda (such as flooding, regional airports, immigration etc.).
• Ensure South West participation in key Brussels events such as the Committee of the Regions Open Days, Green Week, Sustainable Energy Week, and the annual Regions for Economic Change conference.
Services
The key goals and actions of the South West UK Brussels Office reflect the types of services that SWUKBO provides to partners. These services can be organised into four broad categories of activity: Intelligence and Advice, Lobbying, Project Support and Profiling.
• The intelligence and advice service focuses on the key strategic policy areas and maximising EU funding opportunities. Conveying intelligence to members takes the form of the European Update Newsletter (published every two weeks), the Members’ Section of the SWUKBO website and responses to individual enquiries.
• The lobbying aspect of the office focuses on the key strategic policies. SWUKBO responds to specific requests for lobbying from members and participates in working groups within relevant European networks and organisations.
• The project support service helps partners to maximise EU funding opportunities. SWUKBO both identifies project possibilities related to the key policy areas and helps to initiate projects at the request of partners.
• The profiling aspect of SWUKBO’s services aims to promote the South West in Europe through bringing high-profile EU officials to the region and maximising South West participation in Brussels events.
For more information about current activities, please see the How we work page.
For more information on the South West UK Brussels Office Management Board and meetings, please click here (please note you will need to log in to access this page).
For more information on becoming a member of the South West UK Brussels Office, please contact our director, Jos Gallacher.
