The general objective of ROP BI is to contribute to the strategic vision of the Bucharest-Ilfov Region by supporting a smart, sustainable and inclusive economic development in order to develop the standard of living and increase resilience to societal challenges. Its priorities are: P1 – A competitive region through innovation, digitalisation and dynamic enterprises, P2 – A digitized region, P3 – An environmentally friendly region, P4 – A region with high mobility and low carbon emissions, P5 – An accessible region, P6 – A region with modern educational infrastructure, P7 – An attractive and inclusive region and P8 – Technical support.
Within StopWaste, the focus will be on the policy objective (PO2) of the Investment for jobs and growth “A greener, low-carbon transitioning towards a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe by promoting clean and fair energy transition, green and blue investment, the circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, risk prevention and management, and sustainable urban mobility”, which is transposed into ROP BI through Priority 3 – An environmentally friendly region and Priority 4 – A region with high mobility and low carbon emissions.
We consider that, as a result of the experiences gained as a result of the implementation of the StopWaste project, we will also focus on the possible influence of the other priorities of the ROP BI (BI Regional Development Plan 2021-2027), within the limits and rules of the program.

The Viseu Dão Lafões Strategy 2030 is a regional strategy managed by CIM VDL. The strategy envisions six thematic areas – vertical axes, to be promoted within the region to achieve wide-ranging progress by 2030. One of the six priority vertical axes is “Environment, Energy Transition and Circular Economy” with investment priorities that include the promotion and development of: Energy efficiency measures; renewable energy; systems, networks and forms of intelligent energy storage locally; sustainable water management; the transition to a circular economy; and biodiversity and green infrastructure. Within the investment priority of transitioning to a circular economy, two of three strategic objectives have high relevance for StopWaste: “OE3. Reduce waste production” and “OE5. Realize the circular and regenerative economy”. The OEs include several lines of actions related to waste minimisation and prevention, such as: LA6. Environmental awareness and education of the population, LA8. Energetic and urban waste valorisation, LA9. Decreased disposal/ disposal of waste in landfill, and LA. 10 Stimulating industrial symbiosis in a logic of circular economy and promoting green market. The StopWaste project will address all of these.

In line with the National Waste Prevention and Management Plan 2021-2027, ARATC is finalising its Regional Waste Prevention and Management Plan 2021-2027. The National Plan focuses on waste minimization via prevention, reuse and separate collection to be reflected in the regional Plan. The transition from a linear economy to a circular economy constitutes the most important factor underlying the development of the Regional Plan, and the planning of the necessary implementation measures.
The Regional Plan includes the following targets:
• The home - treated bio-waste and separate collection of other municipal waste must account for at least 60 % of the municipal waste generated in 2023, 65 % in 2024, 70% in 2025, 75% in 2026, and 80% of the municipal waste generated in 2027.
• The municipal waste management system in each municipality in Lithuania must be based on a separate waste collection in order to meet these national targets:
 Increase the amount of municipal waste prepared for re-use and recycled to at least 55% in 2025, 57% in 2027;
 Reduce the amount of municipal waste going to landfill no more than 15% of the total municipal waste generated in 2025, 8% in 2027 (important target addressed by StopWaste).
In line with the Regional Plan, 7 municipalities in the region must prepare their waste prevention and treatment plans, streamlining all contents to the local implementation levels.

The Sustainability Agenda (2020-2050) is a strategic policy framework that gives a direction to transition of the City of Almere to a future-proof climate-neutral and circular city in the upcoming decades. With this sustainability agenda the City council aligns itself with the national (climate) targets to drastically reduce CO2 emissions by 49% in 2030 and 95% in 2050. It happens along the lines of the six themes (1 of which is “Circular economy”: contributing to the national objective, Almere being one of the frontrunners); with various projects and initiatives.

For the theme Circular Economy the following objectives are stated in the Sustainability Agenda:
- To be a front-runner in the field of circular economy (at (inter)national level)
- Fully circular economy by 2050, and using 50% less primary raw materials in 2030
- Reducing the household residual waste per person a year from 250 kg to 50-100kg

Those following measures and initiatives should contribute to these objectives:
- Fostering the circular entrepreneurship, creating a circular hub in the city
- Practice and Innovation Centre Circular Economy is intended for entrepreneurs and knowledge institutions to experiment together, learn from each other and develop circular ideas into specific projects.
- Resource efficiency through looking into the chain, for example, green concrete factory, green plastic factory where a circular application was found for residual waste stream through collaboration in the chain.