In EU project work, impact is built by communicating
I believe in European cooperation. I believe that multidisciplinary research, development and international cooperation funded by the European Union is the most effective and concrete EU policy. Communicating this impact and concreteness is at the heart of EU project work.
I coordinate EU-funded international projects and their communication at the Centrum Balticum Foundation. The general perception of EU project management, application and reporting processes is often negative. It is thought that the resources and time spent on bureaucratic processes are not commensurate with the results. I do not subscribe to this argument. Although there is a lot of work in administration, I believe that project work across Europe - also known as EU cohesion or regional policy - really is the most effective EU policy. Bureaucracy has a purpose: to ensure that money is not misused and to make transparent the money spent on each activity. So why is the image of EU project work often so negative? Because it is not that the work done on projects does not really benefit us all. It is a question of whether this impact can be communicated in an understandable and convincing way.
Almost a third of the EU's total budget, more than €351 billion, is earmarked for Cohesion Policy projects in the 2014-2020 funding period.These national and international research and development projects are the closest to European citizens and have an impact on our daily lives. In my home town of Turku, I walk to work every morning across a bridge that EU co-funding has made possible. This winter, Turku has invested in maintaining its winter cycling trails and next summer, city bikes will be tested thanks to an EU-funded project. Several projects are developing the maritime cluster, which is important for Turku residents, and its sustainable operating conditions now and in the future. These projects are therefore about actions that affect the well-being and quality of life of our Turku citizens and the sustainable development of society at large, which would not necessarily be possible without EU project funding. Examples of the everyday impact of EU funding can be found all over Finland and Europe.
International project cooperation in particular is, in my view, at the heart of the European Union's whole idea: to cooperate across borders in a goal-oriented way, while learning from each other's best practices. In this way, we are building a common European culture in which the Finnish way of working and living blends well with, for example, Latvian and German ways of working. Sometimes there are big conflicts and challenges, but we overcome them by negotiating and talking. I am lucky to work with people from different countries on a daily basis. We Finns can be proud of being sought-after and respected partners in international projects. Above all, however, I think it is great that international projects involve impressive cooperation as Europeans, rather than as Finns, Latvians or Germans.
EU projects have an impact at different levels. Firstly, the individual organisation involved in the project can take steps to improve its own activities and build its networks and reputation. The staff of the organisation can develop their own skills, which will certainly be useful after the project period. Secondly, the consortium of projects together will make a social impact on their target groups by achieving the objectives set for the project. In the best case, side streams can lead to results that were not even anticipated - or to the identification of needs for further development projects. Cooperation that started as a project can also lead to more permanent structures. Thirdly, at European Union level, hundreds of thousands of EU-funded projects contribute to building European unity, narrowing development gaps between countries and bringing joy and benefits to the daily lives of European citizens - like the city bikes for the people of Turku next summer. So project cooperation is a powerful example of why the EU exists and why we need it.
At all levels of project cooperation, communication is essential, because impact is built through communication. Project communication must be target group-oriented and ambitious. Communication should be built into the project's activities and objectives from the planning stage and taken into account in day-to-day activities. It is important to keep in mind not only the project objectives but also the wider picture, where the individual project is part of the EU's core message. Communicating the impact of EU projects can build a positive EU brand and bring the sometimes distantly perceived Union closer to the citizen.
Miitta Eronen
The author is EU project coordinator at the Centrum Balticum Foundation, which develops and supports multidisciplinary cooperation in the Baltic Sea region.