Technical assistance to Lombardy regional environmental authority for structural funds

Client: Regione Lombardia

Period: 2002-2007; 2008-2015; 2016-2023

The Environmental Authority (EA) for Structural Funds was established in Italy during 2000-2006 Structural Funds (SF) programming period. Main tasks of the EA are to integrate sustainable development principles in SF Programmes implementation and to verify and enhance their compliance with EU environmental legislation and policies.

Our role

Poliedra was involved as scientific partner since the establishment of Lombardy EA, in cooperation with the Italian Environmental Ministry. Thanks to the awarding of public tenders, since then Poliedra has been assigned to technical assistance services, working on European Regional Development Fund, European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, European Territorial Cooperation.

The activities

During these years we have been dealing with:

  • drawing up calls for local authorities financing sustainable development tools and strategies (e.g. Local Agenda 21, Green Public procurement, EMAS, European Chart for Sustainable Tourism);
  • developing environmental criteria to be included in calls covering topics such as tourism and heritage valorization, transport, energy efficiency in buildings, in order to select top performing projects;
  • conducting environmental assessment of integrated territorial initiatives and strategies (e.g. Leader/CLLD, Strategies for Internal Areas);
  • setting up and managing the environmental monitoring of SF Programmes, according to SEA Directive and national implementation;
  • designing and managing of capacity building actions for local authorities in the fields of public participation, landscape analysis and management strategies, energy efficiency and RES development, with the support of sectoral experts.

In this phase we are working on environmental monitoring with a view to post 2020 priorities and we’ll focus on communicating the environmental results of SF Programmes. These activities will last until 2023.

Results

Two highlights of the projects concern:

  • complexity of context and SF funding rules and processes, involving public and private stakeholders, such as the Regional Managing Authority, National Ministers, European Commission, Local authorities, enterprises;
  • variety and extent of topics we are working on (e.g. rural development, eco-innovation, transport, heritage valorization, …) that require interdisciplinary competences and working group.

Moreover, we developed a number of tools, criteria, guidelines, indicators to integrate environmental dimension in sectoral development policies.

Our Case Histories

Circular Economy Stories

It deals with implementation of tools designed to give visibility and connect circular economy good practices
Period: 2017-2018

BiTiBi

Easy and energy efficient from door to door Bike+Train+Bike
Period: 2014-2017

INSPIRE-Grid

Improved and eNhanced Stakeholders Participation In Reinforcement of Electricity Grid
Period: 2013-2017