As already stated in section 4.3, the Managing Authority has sought to maximise the added value of the selected priorities and of the proposed interventions. This was also addressed in the ex ante evaluation process, as described in section 3.17. The Ex Ante Evaluation Report (section 4.2) established that there is a strong rationale for public investment in each of the priority areas selected. It also established (section 4.7.2) that there is consistency with and no overlap with other EU programmes in the region. The complementarities with co-financed and exchequer-funded NDP investments are set out in sections 5.7 to 5.14 of the OP.
The strategic interventions proposed in this OP provide policy added value in relation to community policies as they are clearly aligned with the priorities set out in the EU Community Strategic Guidelines and with the Lisbon and Gothenberg agendas. The additional resources will add financial value by reinforcing public investment in strategic areas such as innovation, ICT and the knowledge economy, addressing environmental risks and strengthening the urban structuring of the BMW region. Community added value will also be visible in the proposed experimental actions and in the continuation of the EU multi-annual programming approach, embedding of the partnership principle, project appraisal (cost effectiveness) methods and of financial control and monitoring and evaluation arrangements. Innovative partnership arrangements to develop and deliver aspects of the urban priority and the enhancement of academic-industrial and inter-institutional linkages to raise the research capacity of the region’s institutions will also be attributable to EU financial support. This added value will be made visible to the general population through the Information and Publicity actions described in section 8.8 of this OP and those envisaged in the Communications Action Plan.
