IMPEL National Peer Review Initiative (NPRI) Meeting in Èvora, Portugal

At the invitation of the Comissão de Coordenação de Desenvolvimento Regional do Alentejo, I.P. (CCDR-A, I.P.), an NPRI meeting was held in Èvora, Portugal, on November 30, 2023. Twelve participants attended the meeting, eight of whom represented the CCDR-A. The meeting was also attended by two colleagues from the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy, the IMPEL NPRI project manager and the project consultant. 

Ms. Carmen Carvalheira, Vice President of CCDR-A welcomed all participants and shared that CCDR-A aims to further improve the implementation of the tasks and responsibilities assigned by law to the organization, in accordance with the powers conferred for this purpose, to a level of excellence that will lead to more efficient execution. In her introduction, she referred to the ‘Letter of Expression of Interest’ she had written to IMPEL requesting support for the implementation of an NPRI. She expressed that the CCDR-A wishes to adapt the IMPEL NPRI methodology as an instrument to improve and harmonize current processes, procedures, ways of working and reporting, by evaluating them through peer review. This involves the CCDR-A, its associated sub-regional organizations and other stakeholders to be identified. It is her expectation that all relevant organizations, will benefit greatly from the results of the NPRI. 

The meeting was also an opportunity for the CCDR-A team members to learn more about IMPEL and the NPRI methodology, its background, and lessons learned from the implementation of an NPRI in other countries and organizations. A draft Terms of Reference (ToR) as a thorough description of the intended process and all the steps to be taken to implement the project were discussed and agreed upon.  

The next step is to develop a concrete timeline for 2024 based on the steps and activities included in the ToR, including identifying relevant stakeholders, organizing roundtables, surveying stakeholders through a questionnaire, and so on. The CCDR-A has indicated his intention to initially focus on "low-hanging fruit" activities to quickly produce concrete results that are visible, quickly actionable, and directly contribute to more efficient task performance by stakeholders. This step is expected to contribute significantly to the necessary support for the project. 

For further information, please contact NPRI Project Managers.