Towards resource efficient urban communities in SEE 

Resource efficiency is a top priority in the SEE policy-making agenda, especially in light of excessive consumption of energy due to users / inhabitants established behaviour, often uncontrolled waste production as well as lack of efficient coordination measures and awareness regarding how to use resources in a more conscious manner. The need to consider in resource management major externalities such as climate change and macroeconomic developments, e.g. the move from dependency on imported primary energy sources, is reflected in the flagship initiative Resource efficient Europe of the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. To boost resource efficiency, city leaderships have a major role to play at local and regional levels.The project therefore places municipality actors in SEE in focus and investigates what city leaderships can do within their scope of competence and responsibilities. The project specifically tackles 2 major elements linked to resource efficiency,i.e. energy and waste, in an integrated manner. This way it sheds light on the challenges of energy consumption and waste production and disposal (e.g. current unsustainable tendencies), but also the interrelations and opportunities thereof (e.g. awareness raising among consumers to boost energy saving, waste valorisation, efficient landfill utilisation, more coordinated and efficient exploitation of RES, etc). RE-SEETies? long-term vision is to turn SEE cities into resource efficient urban communities, in compliance with the requirements of the relevant EU policies and legislation. The main objective is to improve the integrated policy-making and strategic planning competences of SEE municipalities in the field of energy efficiency (EE), RES and waste valorisation, for the purpose of changing consumption patterns and supporting changing demands with innovative policy-making solutions, tools and incentives. The project intensively builds on the existing methodologies (e.g. LCA) of the SEAP elaboration process. ERDF and IPA PPs are from 8 SEE cities (Covenant of Mayors signatories and aspirants) and regions that are directly in charge of designing and implementing strategy building, and have the necessary policy- and decision-making competences related to the project topic. By involving a large number and variety of SEE actors linked to EE, RES and waste valorisation, the consortium represents a critical mass of stakeholders interested in making a difference in terms of improving policy-making and strategic planning competences of SEE municipalities in the field of resource efficiency. Main activities and outputs: - European overview, state-of-art regarding methodologies, technologies, planning processes going parallel with resources forecasting at local level - Development and adaptation of an initial methodological framework with criteria for assessment - Each PP city determines its own focus in the strategy building process in the form of case study profiles (i.e. a combination of specific areas to focus on in the local strategy and action plan) and starts to elaborate it. During this elaboration process (peer reviews), interim results will be assessed against the initially set up criteria for assessment. This way, the criteria will serve as an evaluation grid, but also the local cases feed into the finalisation of the criteria, and eventually the integrated SEE methodological toolkit towards resource efficiency. - Synergy of EU, SEE and partner level case results during a mid-term symposium - Incorporation of the outcome of this synthesis process into finalising strategies. Based on the final toolkit, conversion of PP cases into local strategies and action plans that include concrete measures to be taken with budgetary forecasts and policy recommendations. RE-SEEties results in PP cities with improved capacity in integrated strategic planning and also improved policies related to resource efficiency at municipal level.