First Steps to Implement Good Practices

Within the feasibility study, the ten cities taking part in the TBestC have now handed reports based on the information collected at their study visits. The findings show that it is possible to transfer the practices and the first steps to implementation are underway.

The target cities for transfer, Liepaja, Riga, Kaliningrad, Sopot, Sillamae, Jelgava and Cesis have now visited the origins of the good practices: Kristiansand, Kaliningrad, Malmo and Turku, and are preparing implementation of the good practices. The way for this is being paved by specific feasibility studies.

The findings in the feasibility studies clearly indicate that it makes sense to transfer and adapt the good practices from one city to the other. Actually, most of the target cities have already taken the first practical steps towards the implementation. The final conclusions and experiences of the whole "transfer exercise" will be presented at the final seminar in Turku on 27 October and will thereby be available also for a wider audience of cities outside the project.

Before the final meeting, there is still one very interesting activity left for the project cities. They go on a study visit to the U.S. to learn from activities taking place over seas. The project group was in Portland visiting different environmental projects. This has been made possible thanks to the partnership with the U.S. Baltic Sea Regional Environmental Office.

The whole project will close by the end of 2004. The final report covering all activities and especially lessons learnt will be disseminated to all UBC member cities and all interested can get it also by contacting the EnvCom Secretariat. A second phase of the project is under planning with the purpose of facilitating the implementation of the practices.

The TBestC project has received co-funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers and Finnish Ministry of the Environment.