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CHAPTER 9: INVENTORY OF THE EXISTING STRATEGIC RESOURCES:

PARTNERSHIPS, PLANS, PROGRAMS, SOURCES OF STRATEGIC INFORMATION

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9.1. Consortiums initiated in Maramures, Baia Mare, 1994-2001
There is a relatively high number of initiatives of public - private partnership type (12 development consortiums) in Baia Mare, constituted in view of applying for financing. These formulas have generally led to positive results, community experience and many specialists in project management. These consortiums regularly cover all the fields in the Local Agenda 21. Further details are to be found at the following address: http://www.mmnet.ro/Consortii/consortii.html
At the end of 2001, the "Local Development Consortium of Social Partnership for Vocational Training in Maramures County" was established in view of preparing the modernisation and vocational re-focusing plan for high school education; the public-private partnership has both short-term (PHARE_TVET) and long term scopes in the context of the "Learning City".
Poll returns from the draft Local Agenda 21 document show the importance citizens conferred to education in all fields: social, economic, environment, IT, justifying the adopted logo.

9.2. Environment programs and projects
There has been a constant concern for the quality of the environment in this region in the city of Baia Mare, coming from the local public administration but also from the civil society.
Hence, the programs and projects aimed at improving the environmental constituents, public opinion information, increasing the institutional capacity of the environmental authorities, protecting and augmenting the public parks and the protected areas and sanitary and ecological education of the citizens.
Here are the most recent projects accomplished with international financing:

  • Reducing lead exposure of the population - financed by USAID, educational project
  • Informational system concerning the state of the environmental constituents in Baia Mare - financed by USAID
  • Modernization of the water supply and sewerage system, Feasibility Study - financed by CIDA and the city of Ottawa, Canada
  • Self-monitoring system of air quality in the city of Baia Mare - financed by PHARE
  • Development and operational functioning of the air monitoring system in Baia Mare - financed by JICA
  • Elaboration of the Local Environmental Action Plan - financed by Phare
  • Citizens' involvement in the local environmental protection, the "Ecological Guard" - financed by Phare

Projects currently developing:

  • Control, alert and prognosis system of short-term air pollution at the regional and continental level under unfavourable meteorological and topographic conditions "ASSURE" - financed by Phare, LIFE Environment
  • Environmental Impact Assessment underlying town planning of land use, using Open GIS technology and pollution estimation procedures - a pilot system, "AIRFORALL" - financed by Phare, LIFE Environment

Projects submitted for financing:

  • Integrated management of municipal solid waste - Feasibility Study - financed by ISPA Environment, 2000
  • Water supply and Sewerage in the Baia Mare area - financed by ISPA Environment, 2000
  • Restoring the lands contaminated by mining and metallurgy in the Baia Mare "RECLAIM" - financed by Life Environment, 2001
  • Risk management due to decantation ponds in the mining industry "Min-Risk" - financed by a Research&Development program of the EC, 2001

Apart from these, there are over 40 projects (proposed or in preparation) in view of co-financing by various international organisations (local communities, NGOs, public administration, environmental authorities, economic agents, etc).

9.3. Complex and multidisciplinary programs and projects

Complex actions and projects of the Baia Mare City Hall in the social, economic, environmental and ICT fields

  • For the first time in Romania, the development strategy of the city of Baia Mare 2000 is presented in a modern formula: http://www.bm2000.mmnet.ro
  • Community strategic projects integrating elements of infrastructure, human resource development, creation of development centres and networks:http://www.bm2000.mmnet.ro/oras_ideal.htm
  • Infrastructure and urban modernization: Millennium III Business Center: http://www.bm2000.mmnet.ro/oras_ideal.htm
  • Wireless infrastructure project + partnership administration - educational system "CityNET": www.citynet.baiamarecity.ro
  • Actions and projects of the local "event" type in modern formula (Chestnut Holiday: www.castanet.ro, Austrian Days: http://www.austria.mmnet.ro
  • Individual Internet page: www.baiamarecity.ro, with unique information for Romania: Local Budget, Multidisciplinary Development Centres, links to the web pages of the sister cities, opinions, viewpoints of the citizens of Baia Mare, modern communication instruments - ICT.
  • E-government community projects, developed in public-private partnerships in:
  • Industrial property protection
  • Technology development
  • SME development
  • Development of the technological education system (multimedia & networking) are in the project list of the Multidisciplinary Centres.

9.4. Social policy programs and strategies

A. Phare Partnership Project (N° 96/PP/FR/12, contract N° 97 5054)
Started on 1 February 1999 by the Federation of Municipalities of Romania and Citées Unies, France, it developed over 22 months. The objectives of the project prefigured the social strategic planning process as part of a local sustainable development strategy. The established partnerships will constitute the basis of a future Cooperation Charter between the public sector and civil society in the field of social protection.

B. Partnership Projects NGO - Baia Mare City Hall, in progress or finalized

  • "The Multifunctional Social Centre" initiated by ASSOC Baia Mare; the activities are co-financed by the City Hall and the Orthodox Episcopate of Maramures and Satmar.
  • The Voluntariate Centre - ASSOC, in partnership with Baia Mare City Hall and financed by the Open Society Foundation.
  • "The Education Centre for Social Integration", in partnership with the Romanian-Italian Volunteer Foundation "SOMASCHI".
    The main objective of the centre is the preparation of the underaged for work or school (vocational schools, high schools), the insurance of a family environment.
  • Social Assistance Complex in partnership with "CARITAS" organization of Satu Mare, the Baia Mare branch.

The objectives of the project: ensuring social aid (food, medical assistance, clothing for persons with low income).

C. Education and learning projects
The 2001-2002 action plan aims at achieving the following priority objectives:

  • Establish educational partnership with:
    -Local community;
    -Pupils' families;
    -NGOs.
  • Diversify curricular and extra-curricular activities.
  • Improve school logistics.

The program "Preventing violence in schools" develops based on a protocol between the School Inspectorate Maramures and City Police. As a consequence, no violent situations were accounted for in schools for the past years.
In partnership with "Young for Young" foundation, Maramures branch, the Police organised, the educational program "Preventing the sexual abuse against the underaged". In 2000 the number of these abuses dropped to less than half as compared to 1999.
Given the strategic importance of education in Baia Mare, the City Hall, as member of the educational development partnership, decisively contributed to the grounding of the new learning schemes as well as the of the projects being prepared for PHARE TVET application, in the framework of the educational-technological development plan ("EduTECH".)
The goals of this plan are:

  • Turn educational institutions into Educational-Technological Development Centres
  • Create a city intranet, in order that the capabilities of modern education become a "nervous" system of the city.

D. Social Assistance Projects
The Department of Work and Social Solidarity of the Maramures county has the following objectives:

  • Increase the quality of the social services in the county through working meetings with representatives of the local councils involved in social activities;
  • Identify several buildings and turn them into houses for young people released from orphanages;
  • Establish partnerships with local institutions involved in social activities in view of opening several centres providing temporary accommodation for persons in with financial difficulties.

E. Cultural-Sports Projects

  • Cultural programs and projects of the County Department for Culture, Cults and National Cultural Heritage for 2002;
  • Capitalization of the Baia Mare - priority;
  • Revival of the Old City Centre;
  • The national program - "Sport for All".

F. Youth programs and projects
The Management Strategy of Children's Palace of Baia Mare for 2001-2004 prioritises the following objective: diversification of the educational offer according to children's aptitudes, talents, hobbies as well as to the human and material resources of the institution.

G. Citizen Safety Projects

Programs of the Maramures Police Inspectorate:

  • Preventing and fighting delinquency;
  • Preventing of violent crimes;
  • Partnership with the community;
  • Youth without delinquency;
  • Preventing family violence;
  • Preventing school violence;
  • Preventing the sexual abuse against the underaged;
  • Preventing drug use;
  • Preventing car theft.

H. Projects concerning the development of the local economy
The Baia Mare City Hall has special legal competencies as to local economic development, complex infrastructure projects, local urban management, town planning, etc
From the economic-financial point of view, it uses budget objective oriented management. A detailed description of the financial resource allocation is given by the Local Budget, approved each year by the Local Council.
For the first time In Romania, Baia Mare City Hall published the Local Budget on the Internet, for public consultation and debate at www.baiamarecity.ro, in order to get citizens' feedback.
This will turn into a common practice in the community management, taking into account the vision of this project.
There are projects concerning the development of several special economic areas (scientific and technological parks, industrial concentrations), in order to attract strategic investors, especially in the new high-technologies industries; the Baia Mare City Hall is currently preparing the documentation for these projects: http://www.bm2000.mmnet.ro/comunicatie/itpark/index.html

Counting the facilities provided by the disadvantaged area statute, there are development premises for the business sector, especially the SMEs.
City Hall's direct involvement in the establishment of several Pilot Centres (CDIMM, Business Incubator, Educational Economic Development Centres, TechnoCAD, CaTEL, UrbaNET, TURiST, etc.) is of major importance for the adapted and dynamic economic development of such fields as ecology, tourism, ICT, sustainable development.
The reference project - "Millennium III Business Centre", having as overall goal the creation of a Business Eco System in the Old City Centre area as well as its multiplication in space in time, is a significant starting point for future development plans, which may adapt its specific objectives to specific community needs: http://www.bm2000.mmnet.ro/comunicatie/milleniumIII/prezentare.html#titlu

"e-Baia Mare" plans will refer to the fast introduction of eGov modern administration systems in Baia Mare, bringing about a more efficient community management and opening paths towards the knowledge based economy.

Local Sustainable Development and the Information Society (the analysis of the*ICT field in Baia Mare)

Where are we? (SWOT analysis / ICT)

SWOT
ICT
Positive factors
Negative factors
Internal factors · Local initiatives (SMEs- it&c) and local administration
· Developed ICT project portfolio
· Human resources (CAD, GIS, networking, data base experts).
· Information society development (incipient phase, initiatives)
· Foreign investors in the field
· Virtual presence (Internet) above national average (www pages, ISP, Net cafés, administration)
· GSM, TV, Radio national operators
· Developed media (Cable TV, newspapers, radio)
· Lack of massive investments in the Disadvantaged Area (few jobs)
· Lack of cohesion in the field (NGOs) (reduced community participation)
· SMEs fragility (reduced dimensions)
· Lack of educational centres and networks, developed and specialized in modern subfields (e-learning)
· ICT standards not applied
· ICTurban infrastructures inadequately developed for eLearning , eBusiness, eCommerce
· Lack of active university involvement in ICT - practical activities (direct relations with ICT companies)
· Lack of quality related criteria (price criteria) in the public acquisition systems
External factors Opportunities
· Disadvantaged area - legislative facilities
· Globalisation
· Geographical location (Ukraine, Hungary)
· Low competition from the neighbouring cities (Satu Mare, Bistrita, Zalau, Ivano-Frankivsc, Sighet)
· Permanent ICT events, regional level: Cerf Maramures, Castanet (Chestnut Holiday on the Internet), regional Cisco l Academy_CCD, NORD-CAD Centre
· International ICT events: multimedia camp, ThinkQuest
· Portfolio of local projects with ICT elements: Millennium III Business Center, MiRA, TiSA
· Liberalization of telecommunication market (1 January 2003)
 Dangers
· Massive emigration of young people (brain drain) as well as of the adult generation
· Globalisation (migration of financial and human capital)
· Migration of potential to Cluj University Centre nearby
· Externalisation of profits resulted from the local private ICT education, low private investments in ICT education
· Unsustainable development of ICT activities in the area (lack of competitiveness)
· Ageing of ICT due to the exponential evolution in the field
· Accumulation of specific waste (monitors, carcasses, keyboards) not fully recyclable at the local level
· Specific Risks - Phenomena: y2k, computer viruses, increased (disloyal) competition

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