1. Regions for Sustainable Change Project
Support of Shaping the Post Kyoto Climate Regime 5-6 March Szentendre, Hungary
Overview of
Regions for Sustainable Change Project
Venelina Varbova
Project Coordinator

2. Why regional development programs are important for moving towards low carbon economy?
Economic development typically managed at the regional level
Regional authorities well positioned to put strategic objectives like climate change into action
Regional development programmes are strategic funding documents that aim to drive the economic growth
Regional development programmes are an opportunity for integration of sustainability into development
European regions have great potential to contribute to the overall
sustainability of growth through lower emissions and implementation of innovative climate change mitigation and adaptation measures

3. Presentation overview
General information on RSC project and partnership
Project objectives and components
Methodology
First steps in implementation

4. Regions for Sustainable Change What to know about the project?
Partnership: 12 partners from 8 countries
Duration: Oct 2008 – Sep 2011 (36 months)
Total budget:€ 2,099,980.64
Co-funded by: INTERREG IVC Programme
Lead partner institution: Regional Environmental Center

5. The RSC Partnership Wroclaw CEP Cornwall Burgenland U Debrecen REC
Diversity of the partnership
Geographical
8 countries
Legal status
4 “bodies governed by public law” (Community Energy Plus, Lamoro, REC, University Debrecen)
2 “local public authorities” (Cornwall, Wroclaw)
4 “regional public authorities” (Burgenland, La Rioja, Liguria, Marche)
2 “national public authorities” (Bulgaria MRDPW, Malta Environment and Planning Authority)
Lamoro
Liguria
Marche
Bulgaria MRDPW
La Rioja
MEPA

6. Project Objective
“The overall objective is to promote an EU-wide shift to climate-friendly economies by developing the potential of regional development programmes to stimulate mitigation and adaptation to climate change to deliver sustainable socio-economic development.”
General objective of the project as established in the application form (and agreed during the meeting in Szentendre in November 2007). (Let’s save the interpretation perhaps for later )

7. Sub-objectives Share good practices.
Develop long-lasting relationships between partners.
Raise awareness and disseminate information.
Inventory and compare SEA approaches.
Investigate and incorporate the use of SEA and SA into regional development programmes.
Practical guidance to convince and assist local and regional authorities and agencies.
Provide expertise and capacity-building to partner regions.
Give partner regions the opportunity to undertake pilot actions related.
Project findings communication at a strategic policy-forming level.
To share good practice and existing experience among partners, and develop long-lasting relationships and friendships between partners with similar strategic goals and challenges
2. To raise awareness and disseminate information on climate change risks and options for mitigation and adaptation, and to engage a wider stakeholder network, through dissemination activities including local, national and international workshops and conferences and the production of useful and attractive written materials and tools
3. To inventory and compare approaches to SEA for the monitoring of regional development programmes
To investigate and incorporate the use of SEA and Sustainability Assessment (SA) for integration of climate change and low carbon economy issues into regional development programmes
5. To work together to produce practical guidance to convince and assist local and regional authorities and agencies across the EU to include climate change, low carbon economy and low carbon social equity issues into regional development programmes
6. To provide expertise and capacity-building to partner regions on climate change, carbon emissions, social equity, SEA/SA, and the tools and methodologies developed by the partnership
To give partner regions the opportunity to undertake pilot actions related to climate change, low carbon economy, SEA/SA and regional development programmes, which they would otherwise not carry out as part of regional policy and management
8. To ensure that the findings from the project are communicated at a strategic policy-forming level

8. Project components Management and Coordination
2. Communication and Dissemination
Website, newsletters,
Dissemination & publicity material
External events,
Final conference
Steering group meetings
Reporting
Financial management
Administrative management
3. Exchange of experiences
4. Pilot actions
Baseline report,
Indicators & criteria,
Macro-economic analysis,
SEA discussion paper,
Methodological Handbook,
CB & Thematic seminars
Pilot actions
Progress reports
Final reports
Component 1 Outputs (REC)
project team recruited and hired
kick-off meeting
6 steering committee meetings
6 progress reports and financial claims
Results: no serious, irregularities and with smooth reporting to the programme
Component 2 Outputs (Liguria)
a functioning and useful project website;
a project communication strategy;
a project “corporate branding” document;
5 partnership newsletters;
24 press releases;
2 brochures
copies of brocures disseminated;
7 dissemination events
5 other events.
Results: Effective External project communication (promoted widely and clearly to key policymakers, decision-makers etc)
Targets: 12 articles in media, 300 attendees total for dissemination events
Component 3 Outputs (Cornwall County Council)
Baseline report
Report on criteria and indicators
Macro-economic analyses of three partner regions’ carbon economies;
SEA/SA discussion paper
Methodological handbook
Capacity-building materials for 3 workshops;
3 capacity-building/thematic seminars.
Results: Partners build their capacities and develop practical products for future use. 50 good practices successfully transferred, 50 staff members with increased capacity.
Component 4 Outputs (Burgenland)
5 pilot action concepts developed;
5 pilot actions undertaken by partners;
10 pilot action progress reports;
5 pilot action reports with lessons learned
Results: Transfer of experiences, 10 important lessons learned transferred to the project methodological handbook; 5 new practices/techniques installed in regions; 25 regional staff with increased capacity

9. Major outputs Baseline report on the situation in the partner regions;
Report on criteria and indicators;
A macro-economic analysis of three partner regions which will identify the necessary structural changes regions required for achieving low carbon status;
SEA/sustainability assessment discussion paper;
Methodological handbook for integration of climate change into regional development programmes;
Pilot actions (such as the preparation of a carbon footprint of regional development programmes)
Report on criteria and indicators which will describe the position which partner regions aim to achieve with regard to low carbon economy;

10. Methodology
Project combines traditional networking opportunities with research and analysis to be carried out by the partners and external experts
Project team and Component Leaders will set up working groups for each major task
Working groups meet 2 – 3 times
Partners choose their working groups according to interest and experience

11. Progress so far
Project activities launched in Dec 2008 with the kick-off meeting
Working group on baseline assessment started
4 new working groups will be launched in March

12. More information about the project http://rsc.rec.org/?page=home
Thank you for your very kind interest!