SUSTAINMENT in the Baltic Cities

Cross-sectoral cooperation in local administrations is a major contribution to urban sustainability as pinpointed in the EU Thematic Strategy on Urban Environment, EU 6th Environment Action Programme and 2005 Review of EU Sustainable Development Strategy. This is also one of the main elements in the UBC Agenda 21 Action Programme 2004 -2009.

The SUSTAINMENT project aims to meet the needs and challenges toward a more integrated sustainability process. The intention is to develop current municipal sustainable development processes to the next level by integrating the work more in local cities. The aim is to create models for Sustainability Management Centers (SMC), cross-sectoral policy integration and increased efficiency. In the end, the project provides all European cities with models for integrated sustainability management.

This can be done by strengthening the ability of local authorities to develop their working methods, skills and people to significantly contribute to all dimensions on sustainable development within the same city. To learn and support from each other is one of the aspects in the SUSTAINMENT.

SUSTAINMENT focuses on four main themes in order to build capacities for the creation of SMCs: Sustainable development, Management of the SMC as a strategic office, Governance for sustainability and promoting sustainable development through communication and participation.

These four themes will be profoundly processed in the main activities of the project, ending up into a Competence Development Package. The Competence Development Package will be available in nine BSR languages. The project consortium consists of

14 partners: Union of Baltic Cities, Commission on Environment Secretariat as the Lead Partner of the project, Baltic University Programme as leader of Work-package 3 and 12 partner cities from all over the Baltic Sea Region - Kouvola Region Federation of Municipalities, City of Turku, Municipality of Kalmar, City of Malmö, Municipality of Växjö, Municipality of Örebro, City of Gdansk, City of Riga, Municipality of Siauliai, Municipality of Panevezys, City of Kaliningrad and City of Novgorod.

The project is part-financed by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund) within the BSR INTERREG IIIB Neighborhood Programme, Finnish Ministry of Environment and the partner cities. The project runs from January 2006 to December 2007.