Key Benefits:
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DRAFT RESOLUTION NO. 63 /XI/1.
"Recommend to the Government a set of Reprogramming, Redirecting and Reengineering measures of the QREN"
MOTIVATION
It becomes practically unnecessary or redundant to refer to the central importance that the QREN
should take over, as a vehicle for promoting competitiveness, of development
regional, but equally as a stimulus to social and territorial cohesion.
The national economy has put forward a worrying development, something that goes a long way
in addition to the international crisis, as since the year 2001 the rates of GDP developments
were always less than 2%, not projecting, so little, that up to 2011 such
behavior comes to invert. Growth rates of this type make it impossible
any kind of convergence of Portugal vis-à-vis the European Union, or still the decrease
significant of the alarming values of unemployment, never previously seen in Portugal.
Only receding from the years 1910 a to 1920, with a World War to occur simultaneously with
the atribulated Implantation of the Republic, one can find in our economic history
a decade with such poor performance at the level of recorded progress.
In turn, the goals of social and territorial cohesion are also far from having been
achieved, by watching even a growing worsening of existing inequalities,
unemployment rates higher than 10%, accruals of poverty levels and asymmetries
regional. Punctuate worrying phenomena of desertification, there is a handicap
redistribution of wealth, while at the same time taking on an ineffectiveness and
insufficiency of the mechanisms that should help to build a fairer, cohesive Country and
sympathetic.
Being these core issues in the evolution of the Country, all public policies, including the
design and management of the QREN, by the volumes of community funds involved, through the
their different operational programmes, should be oriented towards the avoidance of the
had come to this kind of situation, to the similarity of what succeeded with other nations, in the
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how they have designed and are taking advantage of the resources made available in the context of the
period of financial programming regarding 2007-2013.
Unfortunately, this has not been the case in Portugal, as we will see from next in greater
detail, by enunciating different areas of improvement associated with the design and management of the QREN,
where it matters to make urgent and critical changes, in advance in the last section.
DIAGNOSIS OF THE SITUATION
They are set out below the main elements of analysis that enable us to identify
evident gaps in the way in which the QREN was designed and has been implemented:
Unsetting Clara de Development Strategy of Portugal Inerente to QREN
The QREN, both by its designation as well as its range, should be aligned with a
objective and clear vision of the future that is intended for Portugal to come up with. Succeeding though
that such a type of view is not associated with it, as incidences of the rest was evidenced by the
opinions issued in 2006 and 2007 by the Economic and Social Council, having as rapporteur the
Prof. Doctor Adriano Pimpão (attending to the independent nature of this entity, and
quality of its opinions on this matter, to them we will make frequent reference,
designating them simply as ESC opinions), which we cite: " the QREN designation
raises a hope in the presentation of a new development strategy. Such was,
however, defrauded by the relative shyness in the deepening of the diagnosis and the
consequent therapeutics presented. The historical causes of structural weaknesses of the
economics are not sufficiently identified in this exercise of the QREN, namely
when you try to analyze Portugal's divergence process with the European Union. " More
still, the paths set out, albeit vacant, have been defined with a " deficit of
participation of partners and society in general in the preparation of a document with the
ambition and the importance with which the same is presented, "when, as is known," the
planning of the future is, first of all, a process understood in a systemic manner, in which the
final product -in this case, the QREN-will be hampered by the participation deficit ". This type
of approaches should be worth by the result, but equally by the mobilization of wills and
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consensuses that are capable of generating, and which here was manifestly to be built.
Alarmingly Low Execution Rhythms
According to the available official data (see figure), it is confrangers to note that the
QREN's execution rates are greatly reduced and lower than the equivalents, in terms of
term of the Financial Programming Periods relating to the development of the CSF III
(2000-2006 vs. 2007-2013), something that is unanimously recognized and was recently
remembered by the AICEP president himself, Dr. Basilius Horta, by stating that " the QREN has
have had an unsatisfying application ", and that" the degree of percentage of application is very much
short of the possibilities. "
This means that the community funds associated with the QREN have not actually been
injected into the economy and society, this at a time when they would be more needed and
priority than ever before. Also add to this circumstance a strong risk, should it not have
place a quick inflection in the running rhythms, which relates to the eventuality of, already
at the end of the year 2010, Portugal come to have to return community funds to the Commission
European, for failure to comply with the guillotine rule "n + 3", despite its
softening, in the face of the previous "n + 2" rule, beholdant in the CSF III. In the opinion of the Court of Auditors
on the General Account of the State of 2008, warns of this same aspect, by referring that " the
low levels of financial implementation recorded in the Operational Programmes of the Framework of
National Strategic Reference endanger the fulfillment of the targets to be achieved already in
2010 ", given that the Community regulation" provides for the cancellation of the part of the authorisation
community budget not used until December 31 of the third year following that of your
approval ". It includes by this even a recommendation through which " the Court reiterates the
recommendation formulated in the previous Opinion in the sense that the acceleration is to be diligened
of the financial implementation of all the Operational Programmes of the Framework of Reference
National Strategic in such a way as to prevent the loss of monies that could result from the effects of the
rule "n + 3" and, so as not to occur new losses in the future, it recommends that if
diligene for timely preparation, material plan and financial plan, of a joint
of projects so that, in the various Operational Programs can be used all
appropriations made available by the European Commission. "
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1.5%
11.8%
24.9%
39.6%
51.9%
64.2%
75.7%
84.8%
1.90%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Dez-99 Jun-00 Dez-00 Jun-01 Dez-01 Jun-03 Dez-03 Jun-04 Dez-04 Jun-05 Dez-06 Jun-07 Dez-07 Jun-07 Dez-07 Jun-07 Dez-07
CSF III QREN
Jan-07 Dez-07 Dez-08 Jun-09 Dez-09
4.6% to 6.6%
Clash of Homologas Enforcement Rates (QREN versus CSF III)
Set-09
Jan-00
At the very low average run rate value (6.6% at the end of September 2009), we have to
add as well, reinforcing the above-mentioned concerns, the existence of several
Operational Programmes with enforcement fees (equally to September 2009) lower than
3%, as succeeding with the POVT, Cohesion Fund, Northern Operational Programs, Centre and
Alentejo.
This situation, in terms of deviations from the annual financial planning of the QREN, translates
in close to 7000 million Euros of community funds that were left to apply in
Portugal over the course of the triennium from 2007 a to 2009, contrary to the planned and agreed upon by
European Commission.
Insufficient Bet on the Economy and its Resilience
Of the totality of ERDF funds available under the QREN, only 30% are found
directed towards Research, Technological Development, Innovation and
Entrepreneurship, and much less yet, i.e., 0.3%, for the Increase of Capacities of
Adaptation of Workers, Companies and Entrepreneurs, something that in the current partner context-
economic should be assumed while absolute priority.
In turn, the targeted support for innovation lack a number of improvements.
Recent study results made for the European Commission show that in Portugal
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majority of companies are dissatisfied with public measures to support innovation,
pointing out flaws at the level of "execution and efficiency", and stating that " the support programs
did not match their expectations ". Respondents criticise still the morosity
associated with decision-making, in respect of projects whose implementation misses the whole
opportunity if it is not carried out in a speedy manner, suggesting for this even the creation of
Green routes of Analysis and Decision for this type of projects.
A recent analysis, conducted at the European level, of the state of implementation of the Strategy of
Lisbon, evidences also to be necessary, in the case of Portugal, to strengthen mechanisms of
evaluation and monitoring of results, as well as the networking between actors
diners of innovation.
Insufficient Approximation of SMEs
Even though belatedly, the Government seems to have recognised what the PSD and other parties
have been arguing for quite a long time: it is decisive and central the role of the almost 300000 SMEs
existing in Portugal in the construction of economic development, creation and maintenance
of jobs.
Unfortunately, the design of the QREN did not have this aspect in due account, as
explained in the opinions of the ESC, where it refers that in the QREN it is seen to the " omission of a
policy for the promotion of small and medium enterprises, even those of technological base, which
have been the driver of innovation of the Portuguese economy ".
One other recent study, which congregated responses given by more than 3000 SMEs (1% of the
universe), evidences that in more than 75% of cases the managers of SMEs do not come back in the
mode as the QREN has been drawn and is being managed. They consider it untuned to the
needs and most respondents claim even if they find themselves " totally
dissatisfied with various aspects of community supports for SMEs ".
To be put together at the low run rate, already evidenced, we have still the very low allocation of
resources that is targeted at SMEs. The indication taken by the QREN, in the sense of 60%
of the values assigned to companies correspond to SMEs, is manifestly insufficient.
It does matter, that yes, to set a sufficiently ambitious target at the level of the
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percentage of the total community fund values of the QREN, located at 21.4 thousand
million Euros, which should compulsorily correspond with projects that count on
SMEs as promoters and direct beneficiaries of those same funds. If necessary,
redirecting monies of major projects, investments and PIN, having at attention
particularly the opinions of the ESC, which point out that there is an " insufficient justification of the
allocation of high amount resources to major infrastructure projects ", to
others of smaller size, greater proximity and stimulation to the reinforcement of SME activity.
Supplementarely, even in larger projects, one of the evaluation criteria of the
merit of the applications, and follow-up of the subsequent implementation, should correspond
to the volume of business that they will generate from SMEs.
Finally, it is important to strengthen the possibility of the framework for applications submitted
by SMEs that are not limited exclusively to the IDI's themed, framing, among others,
also the following areas, with enhanced priority in the face of the current economic context and
social: modernization of their functioning and improvement of the quality of management; gains from
energy efficiency; participation in European projects; construction of prototypes and
experiences of implementation of solutions at the pilot scale; export support;
development of new products or services; creation of jobs.
At the present juncture, certain limitations should also be removed, by
example when it is required for an SME expressly to hire new collaborators,
to the detriment of the reallocation of internal human resources, while demanding departure
for the approval of certain applications.
It also urges to equate the creation of simplified, expedient and unbureaucratized avenues, in
particular to the presentation of small-scale projects by the
SMEs, through logics oriented towards their real needs.
As was recently recognized by the AICEP president himself, Dr. Basilius Horta, the
QREN not to be done to the measure of companies, has excessive bureaucracy and a low
use.
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Excessive Morosity
The decision deadlines associated with the approval of applications are generally found
above the objectives assumed at the headquarters of the respective Operational Programs (see Figure),
something that only does not succeed with the Regional Operational Programmes of Madeira and Lisbon. In
particular, it matters to have in attention the high average response time of the POVT part (157
days), and from the POPH (105 days, in the face of a 60-day target).
To these delays there is still to be added the way in which requests for claim or reexamination
of projects are dealt with. There are no set deadlines for processing these applications, which
they drag on for times more than a year unanswered, with the aggravating of any doubt
raised, regardless of their nature or value, as to the eligibility of expenses,
be able to be regarded as an impediment factor of the signing of contracts, making it impossible for this
mode the commencement of the implementation of the corresponding project until there is an answer in the face of
application for reconsideration presented.
With regard to the proper implementation of the approved projects, they are several
Operational Programmes where there are appreciable delays in the realization of the
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corresponding payment transfers. It is worth noting, in this purpose, that the
itself Gestor of the Northern Operational Program recognized him recently, stating
that " the run rate is modest, because the circuit of community funds is very much
complex and too slow for my liking. "
Reduced Selectivity
Having been the assumed selectivity while one of its main banners, in what it says
respect to the approval of projects applied to the QREN, has been registered a
progressive abandonment of this principle. There is, conversely, a reduction in merit fasteners
considered indispensable to the approval of applications, to the point of, by the end of
September 2009, have ended up to be approved more than 75% of applications
presented and admitted to the contest.
Excessive Bureaucracy
Contravening the successive guidelines, emanating from both the European Commission and the
European Court of Auditors, the QREN presents a tramway and administrative requirement
unnecessarily complex, bureaucratic and resource-absorbing. Imposing requirements
of documentary evidence that go almost always beyond the stipulation in the regulations
european management of community funds.
To be started since soon by the existence of close to a hundred different regulations,
which ends up to make even more complex something that at the outset should be simplified,
Notably by way of reducing the number of Operational Programmes of the QREN face to the
that existed in the duration of the CSF III. In what it touches to simplicity, from little upfront though to have
fewer Operational Programs when these then unfold in a complex web of
Axes, Measures, Programs, Contest Editals and Specific Regulations.
They often ask for elements to the promoters of applications that are not from
trivial achievement, in particular dealing with SMEs, and sometimes with need for repetition
of the redundant information launch, and which is supposed to be already the knowledge of the
own state.
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Also in the monitoring of the implementation of the projects, the perspective
adopted is almost exclusively administrative and bureaucratic (requiring, for example, a
thorough and detailed indirect costs of costs), to the detriment of an assessment
objective of the results actually achieved in terms of reinforcement of cohesion or
competitiveness.
As if all this is not enough, changes of rules are often imposed and
conditions in the middle of the game, i.e. when open tenders or projects are already in place
of implementation.
A symbolic example of the above, integrator of the various aspects referred to, is that of the
recent amendment, announced on the POVT website, of the co-funding stamp, which obliges
all the already existing beneficiaries to find a new stamp, different from the initially
pointed out (http://www.povt.qren.pt/tempfiles/20091109165258moptc.pdf).
Another pointing out, which does not cease to be significant, relates to the circumstance of the
own supporting guides in filling out forms, presented on the Internet, have
a close extension of the 50 pages.
Also in this regard the ESC opinions are unequivocal, in defending " the simplification
of the procedures for the analysis of eligibility and certification of expenditure (the Simplex justifies-
if also in the QREN), it is recommended to accentue more the logic of the evaluation of
results, than that of the documentary check ".
Quality of Decisions
The way in which the appreciation and approval of applications are conducted is of
diverse and important gaps, aspects for which the ESC opinions have already been warning, to the
they refer to be " nuclear that selectivity is realized on the basis of strict criteria and
objectives ":
Under the mask of a pretense objective assessment of merit, the editais are common
of contest with a grid of criteria, sub-criteria and sub-subcriteria of valorisation
that, in addition to some cases being of a questionable nature, they end up creating grills
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and analysis procedures so complex that, despite the illusion of an apparent rigor,
do not lead to a capable or effective analysis of the intrinsic merit of the projects
candidates;
On merit assessments, conducted particularly by external experts, are after
added additional valuations, with criteria not always clear, on the part of the
internal structures of management of the Operational Programs, or of political ind,
resulting in a mixture of appreciations where the objective evaluation of merit ends
by staying diluted;
There is an obvious interference and overlap, on the part of the Government, as to the
approval or non-approval of certain applications, regardless of the
its technical merit. Here they include, among others, the mandatory emissions of
opinions, on the part of certain Ministries, which are to feed several
applications, creating a "drawer veto" mechanism, sometimes conducted
through a simple omission, when the admissibility of certain
applications is impaired by refusal of timely issuance of the said
opinions. At another level, the Government has been reserved the right to casuistically
decide, for example, what are the applications of authorities that may or may not be
excepted for possible contribution effects to their net levels of
borrowing;
On the fair measure in which the nature of the applications mandates a greater qualification
technique of who appreciates them, at the level of their merit, has been found to subsist
in various measures a lack of specific competence, from indole not merely
administrative, on the part of technicians who are faced with the appreciation of
applications in multiple sectors of activity, with a diversified nature and by
relatively relatively elaborate. In spite of all their dedication and commitment, not
may in these circumstances issue a correct assessment or statement of reasons for the
merit of the projects presented, as well as of the respective elegibilities of
expense;
Complementarily, rather than mere cabinet work, it is suggested that the
evaluators take contact on the ground with the respective promoters, opening
also the possibility of these making an oral presentation of their motivations,
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including the provision of additional relevant clarifications by this route;
The merit of promoter entities should be increasingly an important part and
member of the overall merit assessment of the applications submitted to the contest.
Computer Systems
Being to welcome the gradual evolution towards informatics systems of submission and appreciation of
applications, as well as monitoring of the implementation of the projects, there is the
following deficiencies at this level:
The different Operational Programs have adopted informatics platforms
differentiated and without an automatic integration, which impairs promoters of
projects, and hinders a consolidated real-time management of the QREN;
Several of the computer devices have only been made available and fully
developed already with the respective Operational Programs running, creating
various types of difficulties, inconsistencies and even some caricate situations
upon their gradual entry into operation;
The informatics platforms supporting the submission of applications are little
user-oriented, obliges redundant launches of information, and
inviabilize the automatic import / export of data between them and applications
common use informatics, which creates need for constant transfers
data manuals, with the unnecessary squanderment of resources and the occurrence of
mistakes that would be of all unnecessary. They also prevent the possibility of
merger of the inputs coming from various people working for a same project,
figurine more and more common, even in the context of SMEs. This type of limitations
should be similarly outdated with regard to the applications employed for
if you do the monitoring of approved projects.
Imposition of Reductive Territorial Logics at the Level of Supramunicipality
By making exhausting the possibilities of contractualization of project management in a single
territorial pattern of supramunicipality, based on a logic of NUTS III, the QREN
disavested existing dynamics, with another type of geographical setting, at the same
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time that artificially forced the creation of others, nor that it is from the point of view
merely administrative and bureaucratic. Such an option translated not only into losses
significant of potential effective supramunicipal collaboration, as still in delays in its
practical, legal and administrative implementation. In this connection, the opinions of the ESC
suggested and well that the criteria for geographical collaboration should be " guided more by
factors of territorial homogeneity or typology of institutions, than by artificialisms
statistical (case of NUTS III for the Associations of Municipalities). "
Alhement of the Principle of Subsidiarity
Contravening the principle of subsidiarity, central to the entire conceptual matrix of the Union
European, as well as in the genesis of the respective policies and instruments of support for
regional development, in the QREN, more than in any other CSF, it is assists with a
clear attempt at design and centralised management.
Since soon, by only being allocated 34% of the total community funds available to
Regional Base Operational Programmes, where the Regions of Portugal are located in
Convergence Objective, in accordance with the criteria adopted by the European Commission.
Additionally, there is no real significant differentiation between the contents of the
various Regional Operational Programmes, not so little Regional Operational Programmes
directed towards the formation of Human Capital, supported in the European Social Fund
(exception made for the Azores and Madeira).
Also here the ESC opinions have been warning from soon to " the emptying of
competences of the regional programmes, in particular with regard to the management of the ESF, and the
timidity of the development of the contrupgrade models with associations of municipalities
and business, "being these" troubling signs ".
Finally, the QREN points to a distribution of decision-making responsibilities, which, of
formal or informal mode, translates, as it never turns out previously, in a clear
centralization and intervention of the Government and its representatives in all processes of
decision, including the unilateral designation of the Managers of all Operational Programs
(even the Regional Base), as well as the inclusion of representatives of the Government in all
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the decisional structures. Even in cases where there is place to contractures mechanisms
(intermediate bodies), it is apparent that, instead of there being a real delegation of
responsibilities and competences, the management structures of Operational Programs, not
Limiting themselves to supervising and auditing the mechanisms of management, monitoring and control
of the managing entities of the contrupdated programmes, end up doing, in no way
redundant, a second analysis of the respective projects, with all manner of accruals of
morosity and dispersion of resources that such entails.
Again here the ESC opinions denounce the existence of a " centralized model of
design, organisation and management of Operational Programs. "
Strong critiques of the authorities, and their representatives, are also known,
relatively to how the QREN was designed and is to be implemented, something
which has been repeatedly pointed out in particular in the course of the 18º Congress of the Association
National of Portuguese Municipalities, recently held.
Alhement of the Principle of Regional Development
Owing to the QREN is essentially intended to promote the development of the NUT regions
II of Portugal in the aim of convergence, in the light of the European criteria, the way in which the
QREN has been designed and has been being managed to subvert in good measure this same logic.
In addition to the aspects already mentioned above, there is an attempt to find diverse
types of subterfuge in the sense of making redirecting to the Region of Lisbon resources that
should be applied predominantly in the northern regions, Centro, in the Alentejo and Azores.
This has been coming and will be able to continue to succeed, notably through the way they are
managed funds directed towards the support of Science, Research and Development, the
development of Competitiveness and Technology Policies, or still through the way
close to 170 million Euros of community funds have been already allocated to the Region of Lisbon,
through the singular mechanism of "spill-over".
Under the pretext of there being projects developed in Lisbon that have diffusive effects
positives, which will supposedly contribute to the development of the regions more
disadvantaged in the Country (something that is decided unilaterally, without the respective
regions have even been able to confirm the interest they have glimpsed in the
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referred to projects), the spill-over can take on worrisful contours. It is a
mechanism that contravenes the regional development logics embraced by the Union
European, justified in the light of the QREN as a result of the fact that Portugal " is one of the few
Member States where the phenomena of capitality are especially significant ". No
it cees to be something contradictory and paradoxical that this recognition is used as a base
argumentative to justify an increased allocation of community funds to the Region of
Lisbon, in it concentrating different projects and the installation of most of the services of
technical assistance from the QREN, financed through the said spill-over mechanism. Must
be underlined that this principle, by itself unheard of and questionable, aims to strictly justify the
application of community funds in Lisbon when these pretentiously have " effects
that are spread by the remaining regions ", being" considered very relevant to the
development of the target regions Convergence ". The framing document itself
QREN points out that " these typologies of interventions constitute exceptional cases,
duly justified in function of the nature of the operations and the multiplier effect that
cause in regions distinct from those in which the investment takes place ". Pronouncing
on this matter, which requires permanent attention, the Minister of Economy, Innovation and
Development has limited itself to stating that it understands that the spill-over mechanism, in its
opinion, "has every reason to be", which appears to be manifestly insufficient while
guarantee of the non-existence of distortions in their practical application.
In summary, positive differentiations, associated with objectives of strengthening territorial cohesion,
combating desertification and fixation of populations in the interior, are manifestly
insufficient in the context of the design and application of the QREN, something to which the opinions of the
CES already pointed out, referring to the risks of being contributing to " creating large areas of
economic and human desertification. "
Constant Changes of Rules
In the different Operational Programs has been assisted with a constant change of rules
applicable, deadlines to be complied with and procedures adopted, often when the
contests are already taking place, or even close to end, as he succeeded with frequent
changes of editations or deadlines for submission of applications, the change of which took place
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on the verge of exhausting the previously assumed calendar for closing the period of
submission of applications.
All these turbulence translates into habits of lack of rigor, in the creation of various types
of relative injustices, and in an ineffective management of resources by the promoters of
applications and from society in general.
Disarticulation between Operational Programs and Concourses
The mechanisms of articulation between the different Operational Programmes, Axes and Measures,
have proven to be insufficient. It is not unusual to note the existence of overlaps of
amber, in addition to an obvious disarticulation in the tendering deadlines of the contests, which
provoke a disappropriate management of means by the promoters, faced with
deadlines for delivery of related applications for different Operational Programs.
The non-existence of timely and consolidated disclosure of tender schedules
that will be open, by all the Operational Programs, creating a single map
aggregate, has implicated significant, atribulated and unnecessary disturbances.
Reduced Bet on Proximity Investments
In the current social and economic context, it matters to redirect the QREN in the sense of bearing
proximity investments, managed in a deconcentrated way, while vehicles of
economic stimulus, job creation and the strengthening of territorial cohesion.
An interesting example of the following type of approach, and their respective potential results,
is the adopted in Spain, where throughout 2009 the "State Fund for" program was launched
Location Investment ", depicted in the publication of the European Commission entitled" Recovering from
the Crisis: 27 ways of tackling the employment challenge ", to be continued in 2010, face
to the good results achieved. By way of this initiative, in Spain they were approved 30000
projects, coming from 8000 concelhos, each of them representing investments from
proximity to size of less than 5 million Euros, but which have translated globally
in an investment in 2009 of 5000 million Euros, which benefited 14000 enterprises (SMEs
in the overwhelming majority of cases), and resulted in the creation of 420000 jobs.
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Complexity of the Governance Model
The management and follow-up structures of the QREN, and their respective Operational Programs,
established in accordance with the guidelines of DL 312/2007, are extremely complex,
including an immensity of entities, bodies and decision-making processes, with evident
dilution of responsibilities, unnecessary delays, and lack of clarity as to what are the
exact domains of competence of each other, not being infrequent the promoters of
projects to see themselves confronted with opinions, advisories and contradictory decisions,
depending on the interlocutors to whom they are headed within the various structures or
substructures of the QREN.
It will be worthwhile to remember, in this connection, the opinion issued by the ESC opinions, which
have considered from the outset that the proposed governance model for the QREN " maintains the
characteristics of political insetting, multiplicity of organs without hierarchy and a
trend towards concentration and centralization ", through a model that raises" strong
doubts, not only in relation to excessive centralization as to their coherence (or inconsistency) ".
There is also a clear absence of balanced or sufficient involvement from the different
stakeholders and civil society in the structures of management and monitoring of the
QREN, in particular with regard to the intervention of agents who are in the
terrain, knowing better than anyone the concrete realities for which the QREN se
must direct.
Also here feels an excessive propensity to governmentalize the whole
functioning of the QREN, with the DL 312/2007 to be set up at the summit a ministerial committee of
coordination that integrates six ministers, to which they will be joined together after Ministries Ministerials of
Coordination of the different Operational Programs, the existence of a member of the Government
which chairs the Strategic Monitoring Committees of Operational Programs
Regional as well as Managing Authorities of Operational Programs named by the
Government, Commissions Directives of Regional Operational Programs with three of five
elements designated by the Government, or still the existence of a Technical Commission of
Coordination of the QREN also uniquely appointed by the Government.
Strengthening of Transparency, Accessibility and Rapidity of Information
In spite of the efforts made, in the sense of being provided an increased amount of
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information on the Internet, we are still far from seeing a consolidation between Programs
Operational that allows, in real time or at least with monthly update, to consult
in a simple and expeditious manner, through databases with research mechanisms and
data export, the following minimum information, aggregated from all Programs
Operational (similar to the succeeding in other nations): data from applications,
approval, implementation and certification of expenditure, description of promoters and projects
approved, with indication of the respective typologies, descriptions, volumes of funding
approved and executed.
It also matters to strengthen the capacity to prepare and make available the reports of
implementation of the different Operational Programs, as so far not yet if
they find even accessible the implementation reports referring to the year 2008 for the
following Operational Programs: Competitiveness Factors, Operational Programs of the
Centre, Lisbon, Algarve and Technical Assistance.
In this framework, the mechanisms of provision of provision should also be strengthened and routinised.
accounts, monitoring and monitoring, here if including the desirable monthly submission of
consolidated information of progress concerning the QREN for the Assembly of the Republic and the
holding of quarterly meetings with your Committee on Economics by the
maximum responsible QREN.
The Court of Auditors, in its opinion on the General Account of the State of 2008, states that "
2008 State General Account continues to not evidenced, in aggregate form, the execution
budget of community funds, finding these values disseminated in the various
economic classification items relating to the implementation of the various services and bodies which
integrate it. This gap violates the provisions of the budget framework Act. " Thus being,
adds as a recommendation that " the General Account of the State passes to include information
systematized, by community fund, with respect to the implementation and budgetary implementation of the
appropriations transferred within the framework of community funds. "
Extension of the Base of Potential Project Promoters
In different editations of contests the range of potential promoters who can present
applications is overly limited to departure, which may harm the
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presentation of meritorious projects, as well as their subsequent realization, by mere
administrative impediments, of a somewhat artificial and arbitrary nature.
Strengthening of the Guideline for the Infants
The management philosophy, and corresponding operating machine of QREN follow-up,
find themselves insufficiently oriented towards the true needs of users, and
overly fragmented, according to internal organic options, centered on
Operational Programmes, specific functions, Axes, Measures and Concourses in concrete. Loses-
if so an integrated, joint, or one-stop view, oriented towards the search side and
the needs of the potential promoters of projects.
At the same time, the formal monitoring mechanisms of the degrees of
satisfaction of users, as well as non-existant systematic promotion initiatives on the ground
of the possibilities opened up by the QREN, of use of the figures of "mystery client", or still
of recourse to "focus groups" to identify needs and eventual opportunities for
improvement in the type of services provided and their quality assured levels and
noticeable. It prevails over this a logic predominantly aimed inward, from
intimate merely administrative and financial evaluation of success, and so even
limited.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
Of all the above said, it stems with clarity that, despite some aspects
unquestionably positive, there are several and important gaps associated with design and
implementation of the QREN. Some practical consequences are already unrecoverable. However, in a
moment in which the conjuncture we live in is the current one, and in which the Government itself,
recognizing the registered failures, has chosen to redefine the management responsibilities of the
QREN, within its own organic, having the Minister of Economics, Innovation and
Development admitted that in the matter of QREN urge to do more and better, and stated that
wants to make it " an instrument of combating the crisis and modernization of the economy
portuguese ", it matters that the changes to be carried out are conducted through a process
extended participation and collection of input, where they naturally include those from
of the Assembly of the Republic.
In these terms, the Assembly of the Republic resolves, under the provisions of paragraph 5 of the article
166 of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, on the basis of the argumentation already exposed,
recommend to the Government to proceed urgently to a reprogramming,
redirecting and reengineering of the QREN, guided by the following principles and measures:
1. The Government, through a participatory and shared process, shall explain
clearly and in objective mode what is the Country that ambitious that Portugal come to be
in the year 2015, owing QREN to be instrumental in its construction.
2. The Government should publicly take over the QREN's implementation rate objectives that
commits to see achieved at the end of 2010 and 2011.
3. The means made available to foster the capacity of
adaptation of people and organisations to the times of change and crisis that
we live, at the same time as, in collaboration with the respective parties
interested, ways to improve public policies should be identified,
enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the targeted means for the promotion of the following
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vectors, whose priority now assumes redoubled importance: innovation,
internationalization, sustainability, quality and energy efficiency, with focus
particular in SMEs.
4. From the point of view of the devolined territorial implementation of the Strategy of
Lisbon, the QREN should foster in a strengthened manner the implementation of models of
innovation based on triple helix (conjugation of efforts of authorities, companies and
higher education), associated with the systematic management of ecosystems and pipelines of
transfer of technology.
5. In close collaboration with its recipients, urge to strengthen the betting of the QREN
in SMEs, and the Government should make a quantitative commitment to value
percent of the total of 21.4 thousand million Euros of community funds from QREN that
must have as promoters and direct beneficiaries the SMEs.
6. The increased bet of the QREN in SMEs should translate into a broadening of the scope of
respective applications, allowing to help in a strengthened manner the following aspects,
made especially pressing in the current situation: introduction of improvements in the
management capacities installed; support for exports; creation of jobs;
gains from energy efficiency; stimulus to participation in European IDI projects;
development of new products or services; support for the construction of prototypes and the
implementation of solutions at the pilot scale.
7. Take as criteria for evaluation of applications submitted to all the
Operational Programmes, when the promoters are not SMEs, the volume of
additional invoicing that the concretization of the corresponding projects will
represent together with SMEs.
8. Ensure greater speed in all steps of appraisal of applications and in the
implementation of projects, ensuring that the corresponding deadlines are shortened and
effectively complied with, which define deadlines for the analysis of complaints and that
these are not impediments to the start-up of the successful projects, the
less of the outstanding issues of reanalysis.
9. Flexibilise, simplify and substantially extend payments made to title
of advances or against the submission of invoices, in particular when the
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promoters of projects are authorities or SMEs, so as to accelerate the
implementation of the projects and increment the implementation rates of the QREN and
respective operating programs.
10. Introduce measures of administrative simplification and de-bureaucratization to all
levels, making prevalent criteria for analysis of the results actually prevail
achieved, at the level of competitiveness and / or cohesion, on mere validation
bureaucratic of procedures, in the entire lifecycle of applications, and
subsequent projects.
11. Improving the quality of approval decisions, through a true logic of
analysis of the intrinsic merit of the projects and their promoters, of the adoption of
simple but objective methodologies of appreciation, and with a real separation of
areas of intervention, between the technical level and the political level, without interferences
constants of the latter, even when such extravasa clearly established it in
seat of the assumed regulations and procedures.
12. Implement different improvements in the computer systems for supporting the management of the
multiple Operational Programs, making them much more forward-looking
needs of the promoters of applications and projects, at the same time as if
ensures complete integration between all information systems platforms
existing, in articulated mode and with automatic consolidation of data, in time
real.
13. Strengthening appropriations associated with Regional Operational Programmes, fostering
by way of this even a real bet on regional development and cohesion
territorial, achieved through initiatives of proximity and in respect of the principle
of subsidiarity, including much higher levels of decentralization and
de-concentration in the whole management of the QREN.
14. Limit application in the Lisbon Region of community funds through the mechanism
from "spill-over" to truly exceptional cases, obligatorily recognized
previously as such by the majority of Regions in Convergence Objective,
by the diffusive effects that actually represent for them, and within
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a maximum value of reduced community funds and assumed since already for the whole
period of financial programming from 2007 a to 2013.
15. Reforcing the targeted criteria and mechanisms to increase territorial cohesion,
combatting desertification and fixing populations in low-density territories
population.
16. Improving the mechanisms of articulation between the different Operational Programs,
avoiding possible overlaps, redundancies or temporal coincidences,
assuming a schedule of consolidated tenders, released in a timely
and without constant last-minute changes.
17. Redefine, from the summit to the base, the governance models of the QREN and their respective
Operational Programmes, ensuring by way of this even a simplification and
clarification of responsibilities, the existence of true decentralization,
deconcentrisation and mobilization of the relevant actors in the monitoring of the
execution, evaluation and review of the QREN.
18. Create automatic and integrative, ICT-based, and integrative mechanisms that contemplates the
provision on the Internet, in real time, of a database, with
possibilities for research, import and export of information, which allows
get to know comprehensively the approved projects, their execution and promoters, well
as the respective typologies, in the whole of the QREN, and, likewise, in a way
disaggregated, through the same data base, depending on the different Programs
Operational, your Axes, Measures or Concourses, all of this in a single platform
common information.
19. Submit monthly to the Assembly of the Republic data related to developments
verified in QREN and respective Operational Programs, including indicators
updated from follow-up.
20. Reinforce the guidance of the QREN, and its Operational Programs, to the respective
users and promoters of applications, including the adoption of mechanisms
independent measurement of the satisfaction of the same, adoption of "customer" measures
mystery "," focus groups ", creation of" one-stop shop " approaches (it is suggested that in
all district capitals there is a small team highlighted from the assistance
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technique, deeply knowledgeable of all operational programmes and
regulations, empowered to understand the global needs of a given
potential promoter of projects, advising it and forwarding it to the
most suitable frameworks in QREN headquarters), as well as of teams of
promotion of the QREN that should be present on the ground, sweeping it through
visits to be carried out with the economic and social actors of the different regions, with
particular focus on those that are still in target of convergence, by
how to make known the potentialities of the QREN at multiple levels (one
similar approach, adopted in times by the Innovation Agency, translated into
in excellent results, in particular through the registered membership of
many SMEs to new bets in the field of innovation).
Assembly of the Republic, January 28, 2010
The Deputies,