Learning and sharing with Ireland, France, Italy, and Austria

Sharing experiences with other one-stop-shops at the European level is one of the objectives that has been an integral part of the Opengela project from its inception. As an initiative supported by the European Union, the exchange of knowledge with similar projects or initiatives on the continent – irrespective of whether they’re more consolidated or incipient – has been one of the priorities of this project from its onset. We aim to learn from others and share our experiences to move forward.

Although the pandemic has hampered this mission, visits have been made to Tipperary (Ireland), Paris-Îlle de France and Amiens/Picardie (France) prior to COVID-19, while virtual sessions have been organised with Milan (Italy) and Vienna (Austria) since the outbreak.

«It is a very interesting process», stresses Andoni Hidalgo, an expert in Urban Agenda who is part of the Opengela team and who has facilitated learning from other programmes, «as there is a lot to learn about the models in other countries. Each case is different, but there are some common characteristics (between them) – for example, in terms of organisational models, financing mechanisms or communication strategies – that have given us very instructive clues.»

This activity has been combined with the participation of Opengela representatives in various international conferences over the last few months and will continue throughout the project.