News and Events

First Partnership Meeting under the "Regions for Sustainable Change" Project
19.12.2008

On 15 and 16 December 2008 in Szent Andre, Hungary took place the first meeting under the "Regions for Sustainable Change" Project, financed by the European Union programme Interreg IVC. During the meeting all partnering organizations were introduced and a general presentation of the goals, activities, work groups and the time schedule was made. There were also clarifications on administrative and financial aspects, monitoring and reporting of results under the project, as well as the means of implementing financial monitoring and control. A Partnership Agreement draft and procedures for recruitment of the project management team were also presented and discussed.

The main goal of the "Regions for Sustainable Change" Project is to develop the potential of the regions in EU for adaptation to and counteracting climate change. The project has four major components:
Component 1 - Management and coordination - general management of the project by a project management unit based in Hungary; Component 2 - Communication and best practices dissemination - development of a website, promotional materials and contacts database; Component 3 - Best practices exchange: research and exchange of best practices in areas such as: climate change, environmental assessment, sustainable development assessment; Component 4 - Pilot activities - implementation of pilot projects for testing of the methodologies and indicators developed under Component 3.

The project consortium consists of 12 partners from Hungary, United Kingdom, Austria, Spain, Bulgaria, Italy, Malta and Poland. On Bulgarian side, a project partner is the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works (MRDPW). The total budget of the project is 2,153,526.63 EUR and the approved budget for project activities in Bulgaria is 120,347.71 EUR.

MRDPW became a partner in the "Regions for Sustainable Change" Project as a result from a work visit conducted under the "Rio Conventions" Project in Cornwall, UK in November 2007. Following this meeting, in June 2008 MRDPW hosted a seminar entitled "Bulgaria Cornwall and Northwest England: in search of green regional partnerships. In addition, in September, 2008 the Ministry was invited to participate in a new project consortium under the INTERREG IV C programme, which is developing a project proposal entitled "University Collaboration in Regional Development Spaces" (UNICREDS).

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