Recent Analysis and Results

A complete dataset, containing transcripts of all 18 semi-structured interviews conducted within the project, together with an overview of the dataset, a structured interview-level metadata table (microdata), and the basic information necessary for interpretation, use, and future archiving of the material, represents the public Deliverable D3.3 Dataset.

 

Only anonymised and/or pseudonymised materials are included in the final complete dataset. Personal names, institution names, job titles, specific locations, numbers, dates and other potentially identifying details have been removed, generalised, or anonymised in accordance with ethical and legal requirements. Raw recordings, unedited transcripts, de-anonymisation keys, and any other directly identifying materials are excluded from public dissemination and remain stored securely under restricted access.

 

This deliverable D3.3 should be read together with Deliverable D3.2 Methodology – tools, which describes the qualitative data collection process, research population, and sampling approach in greater detail. Data processing and sharing are carried out in accordance with the project Data Management Plan (DMP), the FAIR principles, and the applicable legal framework, including GDPR and relevant national regulations.

 

Following final processing, the anonymised dataset may be deposited in a trusted online repository that complies with international standards for research data management.

 

Link to the online repository will be provided as soon as the repository finishes all the processes regarding depositing datasets and related materials. Interested researchers may contact the project team by email to request access, which will be provided as soon as possible.

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Research report with policy recommendations:

This report examines the organisational and social conditions through which Agenda 2030 is translated into action within the European Union and in selected international settings. It contributes to Task T3.4 of TIA2030 - Analysis and preparing policy recommendations. It connects expert interview evidence with policy recommendations for European, macroregional, national, regional and local actors, alongside EU public diplomacy actors, relevant UN bodies and stakeholders in third countries. Its central proposition is that strategic alignment becomes practically meaningful when responsibilities, resources, relationships and locally relevant purposes are connected. This results from an interpretation of the interview material collected during the project implementation. The deliverable D3.4 should be read together with the project documentation, in particular Deliverable D3.2 Methodology – tools and D3.3 Dataset. 

 

The first substantive finding concerns the distance between formal strategic alignment and changes in decisions and practice. Respondents describe programmes, strategies and organisational activities that refer to sustainable development, but also circumstances in which existing plans are adjusted to match funding language. Such accounts identify a problem for interpretation: a reference to an SDG does not, by itself, establish additional action or improved outcomes.

 

The second finding concerns implementation capacity. Accounts from administrative, programme and intermediary settings identify unclear responsibilities, discontinuity following leadership changes, paperwork, limited staff and uneven access to expertise. These are different constraints and require different responses. The evidence therefore supports a diagnosis of specific bottlenecks rather than an undifferentiated demand for more resources.

 

The third finding concerns the quality and accessibility of cooperation. Programme actors describe established partnerships and functioning participation arrangements, while other respondents describe newcomer barriers, unequal representation and consultation without visible follow-up. These accounts need not contradict one another: a programme may work well for participating organisations while remaining difficult to enter. Intermediaries appear important in connecting funding requirements, technical knowledge and local needs, but their reported activities have not been independently evaluated in this study.

 

The fourth finding challenges a simple assumption that implementation becomes progressively weaker towards the local level. Some respondents emphasise local resource constraints and difficulties with policy language. Others describe proximity, ownership and tangible problem solving as sources of stronger implementation. The interpretation advanced here is that local implementation depends on the relationship between responsibilities, available capacities and the relevance of the proposed activity, rather than on governance level alone.

 

Technology and innovation are discussed as resources for implementation, particularly through digital services, education, industrial change and knowledge exchange. However, respondents also identify skills requirements, exclusion, data concerns and the need to move beyond research outputs towards use. The policy implication is to assess adoption conditions and public value alongside development and deployment.

 

The public diplomacy component is more inferential. The interviews provide perspectives on external partnerships, multilateral cooperation and ownership, but do not compare public diplomacy campaigns or measure foreign audience responses. The report therefore proposes approaches for contextual assessment: listen before selecting messages, agree practical problems with partners, connect communication to credible cooperation, and provide feedback on how contributions shape decisions.

 

The recommendations prioritise six connected actions: assign responsibilities and resources together; review unnecessary procedural burdens; sustain intermediary functions and widen entry routes; explain strategic objectives through tangible public concerns; connect technology support with skills and safeguards; and assess partnership quality through participants’ experience and documented follow-up.