NEW EPOC is one of the first inter-regional partnerships to be approved by the West zone of the EU funding programme INTERREG IIIC. Over 1.6m of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) money will be available to the operation.

The NEW EPOC partnership will provide a forum for the sharing of experience and best practice in port city development, enabling the partner cities to address socio-economic issues arising from globalisation of world markets and the impact of new technology on maritime economies. By encouraging the development of spin-off activities, the project hopes to create new jobs and ensure the port cities and their local communities prosper.

NEW EPOC is structured around five working groups.

One will concentrate on urban challenges such as environmental management and spatial planning issues. Another will concentrate on preventing the exclusion of the local labour force from the port economy by addressing training needs and the integration of immigrant workers. A third will look at ways of promoting and capitalising on the cultural heritage of port areas in order to protect traditional skills, encourage tourism and promote a strong community identity.

The fourth working group will focus on management issues connected with the operation and the last will concentrate on the technical aspects of collating and presenting the data between the partners.

MJ Information No: 19849