South West Oltenia (Romania) is fostering interdisciplinary and intersectoral cooperation through the preservation and innovation of craft ceramics, the integration of product and services and consumer education.

At national level, there is a need to revitalize initiatives that can stimulate the development, conservation and development of crafts in general and ceramics in particular. Support is required for a re-evaluation of crafts in new economic and social contexts and a consolidation of their vitality in new contexts (economic recession generated by the COVID 19 pandemic, unbalanced non-EU trade, etc.). Thus, an active intervention at the level of national sectoral policies (culture, education, economic development, social protection) is necessary to respond to the needs identified in the ceramics sector, to stimulate innovation and research in this field.

At regional level, the Development Strategy of the South-West Oltenia Region will include distinct actions and measures that will support the development of the ceramics sector in Oltenia. We will also recommend that county and local strategies include measures and strategic guidelines to ensure the perpetuation of their development and their development in the context of their contribution to local economies and national and world cultural heritage.

Action 1 – Supporting cross sector collaboration through promoting the SMEs competitiveness that operate in ceramics and related sectors

The action aims to prioritize the projects in the ceramics sector through interventions on the evaluation and selection criteria in a favorable way for the projects in the ceramics field.

Action 2 - Monitoring the implementation of funded projects related with the ceramics sector, funded by ROP 2014-2020

The action will highlight the effectiveness of the support intervention carried out through European funding, will provide information on the real needs of the ceramics sector, will identify future support directions and policies at which new interventions are needed;

Action 3 - Stimulating the involvement of local public organizations and authorities in supporting the development projects of the ceramics sector

The action envisages the inclusion in the local strategies of a prioritization of the financiers granted to the ceramics sector and of the actions related to the conservation, development and promotion of this sector.

The complete Action plan can be downloaded from the Library section of the Website: https://www.interregeurope.eu/clay/library/#folder=3051