ERDF and INTERREG Projects

• County Administrative Board of Östergötland (Sweden) (Lead Partner)
• Region of Thessaly (Greece)
• Development Organization (Hungary)
• Municipality of Casalgrande (Italy)
• Riga Technical University (Latvia)
• Municipality of Lousada (Portugal)

OptiWaMag project – Optimization of waste management in urban spaces and in households – is an interregional cooperation project for the policy improvement of the resource-efficient economy.

The project is made possible by the financial support from the European Union – the Interreg Europe programme and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Interreg Europe programme helps regional and local governments across Europe to develop and deliver better policies.

The overall objective of OptiWaMag is the identification, analysis, dissemination and the transfer of good practices and policy experiences into the relevant Structural Funds programmes, and also the improvement and implementation of the regional policies and programmes. It aims to demonstrate how the development of the current waste infrastructure and the recently used waste management practices in urban spaces and in households can deliver sustainable, smart and inclusive growth through the exchange of good practice.

The project focuses on innovation of waste management in urban spaces and in households. The project supports waste infrastructure, develops awareness of waste collection and improves the well-being of citizens.

Europe faces major challenges in waste management due to high population density and growth in waste generation. Moreover the increased economic activities and growth in the tourism sector lead to increase of waste generation. The resource efficiency and proactive use of resource-efficient economy have the ability to contribute to economic, social and territorial cohesion by improving the lives of people regardless of income, background or status.

The project involves 6 EU regions with a shared ambition to accelerate the scaling up of waste management innovation that can support active and innovative environment and resource efficiency and secure the triple win of economic growth, more sustainable ecosystem services and improved wellbeing of Europe’s citizens.

Six partners from Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Portugal and Sweden have launched the OptiWaMag project. The partnership is led by the County Administrative Board of Östergötland from Sweden. The project will last for 3.5 years (August 2019 – January 2023).

Project implementation from Latvia is provided by the Institute of the Civil Engineering and Real Estate Economics of Riga Technical University.

OptiWaMag’s approach recognizes that effective, innovation cycle outcomes require a comprehensive approach and enhanced cooperation between relevant stakeholders. This will generate better strategies, plans and implementation for invention, validation, scaling up and ecosystem development that, for all participated regions, will lead to: 1) improved delivery of eco-innovation; 2) more effective ecosystems, improved technology transfer and scaled-up; 3) efficient promotion and education program of ecosystems.

The primary outputs include:

• The project self, peer and expert assessment tools and findings focused on regions’ strengths, weaknesses, policy priorities and policy enhancements;
• A Framework Strategy (6) for developing evidence based and co-designed policies, programmes and implementation methods and for identifying the best method to improve policy instruments;
• 6 Regional Action Plans (informed by the Framework Strategy, pre and interim self-assessments and Advisory Board case study) to enhance the implementation of regional policy instruments across Europe.

• National Association of Italian Municipalities Tuscany (Italy) (Lead Partner)
• Eastern & Midland Regional Assembly (Ireland)
• Tolna County Development Agency (Hungary)
• University of Craiova (Romania)
• Riga Technical University (Latvia)
• CREAF (Ecologic Research and Forestry Applications Centre) (Spain)

PROGRESS project – PROmoting the Governance of Regional Ecosystem ServiceS – is an interregional cooperation project and its’ overall objective is to initiate a process of policy change in the partners’ regions improving the implementation of the policy instruments under Structural Funds programmes and other regional strategies dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity and the maintaining nature’s capacity to deliver the goods and services that we all need, through policy learning and capacity building activities. The policy instruments tackled by the project are the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) operational programme at regional or national level and other regional strategies dealing with the protection and valuing biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Project is made possible by the financial support from the Interreg Europe programme that helps regional and local governments across Europe to develop and deliver better policies. This project relates to the category “environment and resource efficiency”.

PROGRESS project involves six EU regions with the common goal of providing more sustainable ecosystem services and improving the well-being of European citizens. PROGRESS project is launched by six partners from Italy, Ireland, Hungary, Romania, Latvia and Spain. This partnership is led by the National Association of Italian Municipalities Tuscany from Italy. This 4-year project (August 2019 – July 2023) was approved within the Interreg Europe programme financed by the ERDF. Project implementation from Latvia is provided by the Institute of the Civil Engineering and Real Estate Economics of Riga Technical University.

The approach proposed by the project is firmly based on policy learning and capacity building of the partner organizations and relevant stakeholders of the concerned policy subsystems, as it stimulates a collective multidimensional and dynamic exchange of experience. The project brings together local authorities and their associations, local development agencies, universities and research centers with a balanced mix between more and less developed regions and thought to assure geographical balance. Exchange of experience is built on the partners’ competences and experience in the design and implementation of policies protecting and valuing biodiversity and ecosystem services.

• The sub-objective is to contribute to capacity building and policy learning in the partners’ regions by supporting exchange of experience among relevant stakeholders, in order to:
• Promote the measurement of the costs and benefits of ecosystem services derived from land use;
• Support the horizontal integration of the ecosystem concerns into the sectoral policies and plans at regional and/or national level;
• Explore innovative financial and marketing mechanisms for payment for ecosystem services;
• Improve landscape governance for economic and environmental sustainability.

• 4 interregional thematic seminars organised to exchange experiences
• 4 interregional training workshops organised to learn from exchange of experiences
• 8+ study visits organised to exchange experiences
• 42 meetings of the stakeholders’ group (7 in each country)
• 4 intermediate good practices guides regarding the thematical direction
• 1 final good practices guide
• 4 policy instruments under the structural funds improved
• 2 policy instruments addressed without structural funds link improved
• 6 action plans developed, monitored and implemented

Mg.sc.ing. Edgars Pudzis, Mg.oec. Linda Kauškale, Dr.ing. Māris Kaļinka, Mg.oec. Iveta Stāmure