Open Days: European Week of Regions and Cities How to measure climate change impacts in Cohesion Policy Operational Programmes - a comparison of experiences across the EU 8th October, Brussels Centre Borschette Room 1C, Rue Froissart 36 Ruslan Zhechkov, Senior Project Manager Team Leader Environmental Financing

Contents ENEA WG on Climate Change and Cohesion Policy; Possible deliverables; Suggested contents of deliverables; UK Sustainable Development Toolkit Greening the Regional Development Programmes (GRDP) France: carbon neutrality Sweden

Rationale Article 17 of EU General Regulation 1083/2006 on Structural Funds makes clear that ‘The objectives of the Funds shall be pursued in the framework of sustainable development and the Community promotion of the goal of protecting and improving the environment.’

ENEA WG on Climate Change and Cohesion Policy (1) WG launched in Ljubljana, 2008; : 310 billion EUR of SF; Objectives: discuss how to manage SF to achieve carbon neutrality; Target group: mainly management bodies, such as OP Management Authorities (MA); Climate change focus: prevention, mitigation and adaptation. Adaptation to receive priority; Principle: identification of needs, active contributions from participants; Relevance of work: funds regulations allow for a review of the programmes under the current programming period ( ). Currently: needs assessment in countries; Making inventory of tools and measures; Next meeting 24-25/Nov

Possible Deliverables General document - background and need of incorporating climate resilience in SF documents, general recommendations. Toolkit or Guidance document - specific recommendations, measures, checklists, best practices, etc., i.e. tools for MA to make climate resilient decisions while selecting projects, writing calls for proposals or evaluating projects Website – that could provide a living forum for uploading and exchanging materials, guidelines, best practices and a section for questions and answers. Extranet tool (e.g. CIRCA) - give the WG a private space on the internet to share information, documents and discussions. Document with good examples - positive examples of implementation and policy, good communication strategies and lessons learned.

Suggested Contents of Deliverables Greening’ the calls for proposals (Green Public Procurement); How to incorporate CC issues in the project selection process (review of good practices); Collection of checklists for assessment of projects (drawing OP manager’s attention to CC-related issues); To see how to improve the monitoring of CC impacts of (funded and implemented) projects; Identify CC-positive investments and how to increase the share of such investments; Generic checklist that could be applicable to all MS. List of possibilities to use SF for CC projects (types of activities) Documentation of best practice examples (good implementation of policy, good collaboration between environmental stakeholders, technical practical solutions, etc.); Stocktaking of available CC indicators; Suggestions on specific technical measures. Examples on how it is done in the MS;

UK Toolkit on Sustainable Development in European Social Fund (ESF): self assessment tool; 14 questions: -availability of environmental policy; -accessibility of project location by public transport; -promotion of alternative transport; -cyclist friendliness; -(ICT for) waste minimization; -use of recycled materials; -energy efficiency in training venues; -EE rating of project equipment; -promotion of EE; -integration of SD issues in training course; -awareness raising of SD; -use of environmental activities as a focus for engagement; Gives a score and recommendations for improvement. Provides links and contacts of organisations/initiatives that can help;

Greening the Regional Development Programmes (GRDP) EU-wide network founded in 2004 to help regions create jobs and growth in a way that protects the environment. Toolkit available: integrating the environment into regional development Environment and competitiveness Policies to incorporate environmental sustainability SEA for quality programmes Environment as an economic driver Partnership in regional development programmes Creating networks to promote environmental integration (Italian Network of Environmental and Managing Authorities of the Community SF; The Spanish Environmental Authorities Network)

Guide on Climate Change Adaptation by Design Principles: Incorporate adaptation into new and existing developments; Work in partnerships with communities; Incorporate flexibility to deal with changing risks; Look for no-regrets, low-regrets, win-win and adaptable measures to manage climate risk Avoid actions that will make it more difficult to cope with climate change in the future Adaptation through spatial planning (local communities) Directions: - managing high temperatures – catchment scale, neighbourhood scale, building scale

France Carbon neutrality Neutralize new emissions of programmes Applicable to development projects and investments The principle is that ‘emitting’ projects have to be compensated with ‘reducing’ projects (biomass, public transport, EE in buildings, etc.) Compensation on the same territory The carbon neutrality is not against investments, it guarantees their equilibrium The evaluation tool is very important: Necater

Sweden Long experience with integrating environment/sustainability in the processes and projects in the SFs A checklist is available on www of the Swedish Business Development Agency (MA). Developed together with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Helps select and enhance environmental aspects of the SF projects. In particular, those related to environmental technology, energy production, energy efficiency and thus climate change mitigation. No explicit reference is made to climate change adaptation. Criteria and Processes are applied in the application procedures to ensure that climate and other environmental aspects are considered in SF applications. The regional programmes that are guiding the SF work for the 8 SF regions of the country make extensive references to environmental technology, energy production, energy efficiency

Hungary 5-10% environmental criteria Applicants have to develop monitoring indicators Managing Authority Selection Committee includes MoE representative MA organises quality control appraisal on environmental sustainability. Project impacts are evaluated as to: -quality of environmental elements -natural resources -local communities -environmental public awareness MA developed a new guidance for applicants on environmental sustainability

Slovakia SF applicants state within the application form if the project includes any CC mitigation and/or adaptation measure. During evaluation and selection process, it is possible to take into consideration whether besides meeting the evaluation and selection criteria, the project contributes within the OPE to mitigation of the impacts of climate change or to adaptation to them. Due to the collection of such information it is possible to monitor horizontally within the EOP impact of the activities supported from the EU funds on CC (GHG emissions and CC measures). Economy ministry is obliged to monitor horizontally EE as a horizontal priority. Therefore, each OP monitors this through the applications forms (Increased installed output corresponding with RES; Insulated area; energy savings)

Conclusions There is a need to streamline the tools for incorporating CC issues in SFs; There is a need to transfer good practices between the countries; ENEA WG on Climate Change and Cohesion Policy is a good platform to do that.