Title: Regional Profile Report - Central Europe

3.5.2. Co-operation
Additionally to the regional development plans, the FLOEZ communities can also draw on
past experiences with projects funded by the European Union. The city of Oelsnitz led two
European projects focusing on the use of mining potentials:
• In the funding period 2000-2002 the INTERREG II-C project REVI (“Revitalisation of
old mining regions”)
• And the follow-up project in the funding period 2003-2006 the INTERREG III-B project
READY (“Rehabilitation and Development of Mining Regions”)
While the REVI focused more on technical problems of the mining legacy (rising ground
waters, brown field site rehabilitation etc), READY used the results of REVI, to work on
concepts for the development of mining regions and to initiate practical projects in the
participating regions. A further result of the READY project was the founding of the mining
network MINEC, a Central and Eastern European Network of Mining Cities and Regions. The
city of Oelsnitz was also involved in the first preparation steps of the ReSOURCE project (EU
Objective 3, 2009-2012). The FLOEZ region is also involved in the creation of a UNESCO
World Heritage Site, the "Montanregion Erzgebirge", which aims at the international
recognition of the mining heritage in the region.
3.6. Actors
As mentioned above the FLOEZ region has, contrary to the neighbouring Uranium mining
region of Bad Schlema, no access to funds from a national rehabilitation programme. The
former coal mining districts are currently lobbying for the access to special funds from the
regional government by producing leaflets and focusing on efforts to raise awareness for the
problems connected to the mining legacy 49 . External funding is only available in those areas,
recognized as former mining land with special rehabilitation needs, which are often linked to
the uranium reprocessing which took place in the area of Zwickau.
The WIREG has acted as an important engine to bring together the local actors in form of the
FLOEZ cooperation. With the WIREG the FLOEZ region can rely on a highly integrated co-
operation structure, which includes a broad range of administrational and political
representatives from the region. The two regional co-operation initiatives feature mature
49 See WIREG (2009): “Kennen sie das Geheimnis dieser Region? Informationen zum Steinkohlebergbau in der
Region Zwickau, Oelsnitz, Lugau”
Regional Profile Zwickau-Lugau-Oelsnitz
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