The National Programme “Metro Plus Città Medie Sud 2021-2027” has the goal to support the Italian Cities (the 14 Italian Metropolitan Cities and 39 mid-sized Cities in South Italy) to implement urban sustainable development strategies through ERDF and ESF+, also in synergy with the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

The Priorities addressed by the Policy Instrument are the following:

1. Digital agenda and urban innovation
2. Environmental sustainability
3. Sustainable and multimodal urban mobility
4. Services for inclusion and social innovation
5. Services for inclusion and social innovation (specific focus on medium-sized Cities in South Italy)
6. Infrastructures for social inclusion
7. Urban regeneration

At central level, the Programme is managed by the Territorial Cohesion Agency. The 14 Italian Metropolitan Cities are validated as Intermediate Bodies for the management of the funds allocated to each of them.

The City of Torino (PNRR and EU Funds Department) is the managing body of the +140 million € funds allocated to the City of Torino to implement the programme.

General strategic goal of the Program for preservation of the environment of Stara Zagora Municipality for the period 2021-2027 (Stara Zagora Program 2021-2027) is to increase life quality for the inhabitants of the municipality and decrease to a minimum the risk for people’s health by constantly improving the condition of separate components and factors of the environment. This policy instrument is a key document that sets out actions to improve the local environment, taking into account national and international commitments, state-of-the-art knowledge and mobilisation of available resources.

The most relevant Stara Zagora Program 2021-2027 goals for NEBA topic are:

• to focus on critical ecologic issues of the municipality;
• to bind future projects and activities of the municipal administration with national and global trends aligned with environmental management strategies.

In addition, general strategic goal of Stara Zagora Program 2021-2027 is composed of several specific strategic goals that serve as areas to which the most resources must be allocated in order to achieve better environmental and social local conditions.

For NEBA project Stara Zagora Municipality will target policy instrument improvements related to the following specific strategic goals:

• Strategic goal 6: Improve the management and increase the area of the green system on the territory of the municipality;
• Strategic goal 7: Limit and/or prevent the risks in Stara Zagora Municipality consequent of climate change and adapt to the current climate change.

Climate and Energy plan is applied as a strategic plan in Elverum within the social area "climate and energy" - cf. municipal planning strategy. The plan is based on the UN's sustainability goals and is developed through an inter-municipal collaboration in our region. This plan has status as a sub plan for the municipality, which means it shall be a part of the basis for all municipal decisions.

All municipalities in Norway have such a plan. It describes objectives and strategies, but also specific local actions. It is the municipal councils who prepare and adopt it, and these will be updated regularly, usually every 4 years.

Elverum municipality's overall climate goals by 2030 (as stated in the plan) is

1) to reduce the municipality's annual greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent, corresponding to 30,000 tons of CO2 equivalents, compared to the 2017 level;

2) to increase the annual long-term sequestration of CO2 in standing forests and in long-term wood-based structures equivalent to 25,000 tons of CO2 equivalents compared to the 2017 level.

This plan works as an instrument that will help the municipality to achieve those goals, as it's strategically divided into different themes to focus on. Regarding policy instrument continuation, the plan is set to be presented as part of the newly elected politicians' planning strategy and is scheduled for approval during the year 2024. The new plan will include NEB principles.

The main objective of Panevėžys sustainable development strategy (PSDS) is to promote an integrated sustainable development of the city, while ensuring that city planning and development decisions are environmentally friendly both physical and engineering infrastructure, also integrating improvement of socio-cultural and economical environments.

PSDS characteristics include an integrated view done through different environments provided with project measures.

Economic: creation of jobs and talent attraction by the use of advanced technologies and data analysis to optimize city functions and promote economic growth and higher competition.

Main projects means: Infrastructure access improvement for industrial and business areas, orientation towards industry 4.0.

Socio-cultural: ensuring activities for all ages and genders by providing good accessibility of social services, functional diversity, and community activity.

Urbanized: development oriented towards compactness, characterized by mobility and good access to jobs, maintaining different city identities, cultural, historical values in various parts of the city and its neighborhoods. Main projects means: mobility and access improvement, creation of renewable energy sources. Natural: improving existing ecological systems and connections by creating major and local greenery network and varied public spaces. Main projects means: improvement of ecological quality and biodiversity, cleaning of brownfields and contaminated areas.

The spatial plan (Beleidsplan Ruimte) is the main policy instrument shaping the city’s urban planning policy. It integrates the policy frameworks of the versatile city, liveable village centres, sustainable economic activities, public space and mobilty and the action plan 2018-2026. Spatial plan is a very balanced document that consists of a strategic vision note (Geel 2040) and five policy frameworks which further elaborate and concretise the content of this strategic vision note:

1. Multifaceted city policy framework outlines the desired future for the urban area of ​​Geel;
2. Policy framework for liveable villages discusses the desired future for the various villages on the territory of Geel;
3. Sustainable business policy framework describes the guidelines for economic development;
4. Public space and mobility policy framework makes the link between spatial development, public space and mobility;
5. Open space policy framework represents the development prospects for the open space.

During the project, City of Geel will mostly address 1, 4, and 5 of the policy frameworks within the spatial plan policy instrument.

The ‘Infill Strategy’ is primarily a Department of Housing in Galway City Council policy. Policy instrument looks at addressing the housing shorter and identifying sites/projects that will provide housing in areas that are close to existing infrastructure, services and employment.

The implementation of the strategy is based on the evaluations of unused/vacant/underdeveloped lands/sites/buildings within the existing built footprint of the City. This information is used to seek engagement/support across the entire organisation in the different departments to develop these projects first. National Policy would seek a Town Centre First approach to development but it is far easier to develop out of town ‘greenfield’ projects. Thus, the ‘Infill Strategy’ is the bases of reusing existing footprint and infrastructure and addressing the situation of poorly planned sprawling of the city.

The ‘Infill Strategy' is only the first part of the establishment of a City-Wide approach to sustainable compact growth. Other activities (incl. Galway Charter, IC 2070 and Block Design) are all non-binding additions to the discussion regarding compact growth. These additional texts, drawings, workshops and conference are all part of establishing a consensus within Galway City, a shared consciousness that climate change our number one objective.