Promoting CSR Initiatives Through the ACROSS Project
The ACROSS project was officially launched during an online kick-off meeting, hosted by the Lead Partner, Alba Iulia Municipality, on April 18th. The event brought together project partners to outline and discuss the project’s framework and goals. The kick-off meeting stimulated a lively exchange of regional perspectives and purposes, enabling participants to share ambitions and territorial insights about the project's common objectives.
The topics covered were the project, financial and communication management, methodology, and workstreams for the next three years. The importance of the Thematic Expert Team (TET) was emphasized for advancing public-private partnerships and enhancing local Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
During the 3 years, Alba Iulia Municipality with seven partners will be working together to reach the project's objectives: EDC Debrecen Urban and Economic Development Center (HU); BURST Nonprofit Limited Liability Company (HU); Kekava Municipality Local Government (LV); North Development Agency (HR); Municipality of Milano (IT); City of Hannut (BE); University of Liège (BE).
The European Green Deal has set a target of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. To this end, a collaborative effort involving various actors, such as cities and enterprises, is necessary to attain sustainability targets at the EU level. Furthermore, regulatory incentives, including the taxonomy regulation, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), will require designated companies to publish non-financial reports on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability.
In light of these challenges, the ACROSS project aims to align public and corporate sustainability goals by establishing long-term cooperation between economic actors and local authorities. The project seeks to enhance local development policies to mitigate the effects of climate change, promote responsible use of natural resources, and achieve the EU's carbon neutrality goals by 2050. To achieve this objective, the project is establishing a comprehensive interregional learning process that incorporates study visits and knowledge exchange sessions. The primary aim of this process is to acquire an in-depth comprehension of the local situations of the partners, identify common obstacles, and gain inspiration from the best practices showcased by the partners. Through these sessions, the partners can learn from each other, share their experiences, and discover innovative solutions to the challenges they face. As a result, ACROSS and its partners can improve their local policies and achieve their goals more effectively.
The ACROSS project promises to be a cornerstone for promoting the concept of CSR for the benefit of communities.
Total budget project: 1,535,424.00 Euro
Interreg Funds: 1,188,178.20 Euro
Total partner contribution: 347,245.80 Euro
Implementation period: 01 April 2024 – 30 June 2028