Szczecin has had its own European Integration House for almost two years now. The house accommodates ESTA, EuroInfo, Alliance Francais, Antenna Office of the Association of the European Border Regions, Baltics Office and Secretariat of Euroregion Pomerania, which is an association of Polish, German and Swedish local authorities. 
Its main task is to coordinate the city's international activities within the framwork set by the City Executive Board. Further, it has a special mission to carry out for the city, namely to increase the citizens' knowledge about the European Union, its institutions and their operations. 
Not only does the European House provide the information on EU and Polish integration into the European structures, but it also trains local politicians, city representatives and students on the

EU policies and Baltic Sea Region initiatives. Again, the House strives at developing intensive interregional and cross border contacts for the city whose main political priorities evolve mainly around the Baltic Sea Region.

Finally, the European House is to facilitate the cooperation with the numerous organisations in the BSR and the EU itself. For example, it works closely with organisations such as BTC, UBC and Eurocities, and the Council of Europe.

With the 1997 UBC-EU Information Project, Szczecin City Government started an early process of preparing its administration towards the integration process. Today, interdepartmental cooperation with the ConAct project partners is being developed. Also, the city competes for EU funds to co-finance the most actute problems from which it has been suffering. 
After over one year of intensive activities, the European Integration House has very well fit into the local needs and greatly contributed to increasing the overall knowledge of the Szczecinians about the European Union.

earlier carried out in a routine way without tendering now are done in formal tender process with a far better result. The national companies have got better possibilities to compete internationally. Standardisation gives better flexibility in the long run. 
There are also negative consequences. Namely, the term of time of 52 days is often hindering. It is difficult to describe the demand precisely in the tendering documents so that suppliers can be assigned without further contacts, as foreseen in the legislation. From the buyers' point of view, it is a disadvantage that you normally cannot negotiate with tenderers on submitted tenders. The extensive sets of rules are a major hindrance if you want to have special environmental considerations or support a local company. 
After five years experience of EU public procurement rules you can generally say that it has contributed to creating a better business climate, and in many cases to getting better prices and conditions for local authorities as buyers.

As of January 1, 1994, when Sweden entered the EU, all Swedish public procurement switched over to the extensive EU legislation on public procurement. Overnight a rather flexible system, steered by about 20 paragraphs, was replaced by a much more formalised system covering about 200 paragraphs of legal text. 
Three fundamental conditions have to be met in public procurement under EU legislation. Namely, competition must be utilised as much as possible. All procurement shall be on business lines. All tenderers must be treated equally. Further, procurement of all services or goods over 200 000 Euro must be announced within the European Union's OJ. A tender can not be opened before at least 52 days after tender announcement. Normally you are not allowed to negotiate with the tenderer. The selection criteria must be defined in the tender documents and no other tender criteria may be used. Tenderers can appeal against and get damages after an incorrect tendering process. The tendering 

results must be announced in the EU's OJ.
An intense training and education program was carried out 1993. Study visits were made to countries that had earlier implemented the EU rules. Smaller local authorities co-operated in larger procurement units to get more competence. As an example, Kalmar agreed on co-operation with four neighbouring local authorities. 
At this stage one may ask what the main results are. It was difficult, or even impossible, to favour local companies that gave inferior tenders than other Swedish or foreign companies. There have been only a few foreign tenders. But the new publicity rules have contributed to spreading out the ongoing tendering processes over the whole country and tempted more companies to give competitive tenders. It increased the national competition rather than international, which has given better prices and conditions. The binding legislation has created better order in the local authority procurement operations. Purchases