Coastal zones in the European Union are regarded as ecological entities, which encompass catchment areas of several different river basins. Moreover, management of water basins at the European level is governed by the Water Framework Directive. It is common however that appropriate management of coastal zones stimulates integration of many sectoral interests, which is manifested by international cooperation. Because of that, coordination of different practices, defined in the international agreements, with requirements and initiatives of the European Directive needs to be achieved in order to integrate coastal areas. The HARBASINS project was set up to combine the two approaches, i.e. the EU?s river basin and the international coastal zones management into an optimal way for the North Sea Region.

The main objective of the project is to support the development of public transport schemes for medium-sized cities and urban regions in the North Sea Region. It is planned to develop a range of tools including a best practice guide and a set of standards for transport authorities to assess transport schemes.

The project supports SMEs in the 8 participating regions to increase and improve their use of ICT. In the first module the ICT use among 100 SMEs/region will be surveyed. On the basis of this study 30-50 SMEs/region will receive an ICT audit and the proposed solutions will be implemented. The audit and its implementation will then be evaluated. This evaluation together with other important experiences gained in the project will be developed into a best practice guide.

The project is a continuation of the IIC LANCEWAD project. The main aim is to enhance the cooperation with relevant governmental and non-governmental organisations in order to secure the development, management and sustainable use of the cultural heritage in the Wadden Sea Region (WSR). The final output will be a draft Integrated Landscape and Cultural Heritage Management and Development Plan containing a management strategy for cultural heritage, cultural landscape plans, sectoral and theme strategies and an action plan.

The project will demonstrate to different sectors how increased sustainability can be incorporated into new residential development. The project will incorporate several topics in order for this to be achieved including; developing a strategy on the increased use and development of micro-renewables and creating conditions for the adoption of sustainable technologies in the construction sector.

The project aims to develop an integrated approach to the development, management and maintenance of the public domain in urban historic centres. The project works with a wide range of activities involving public spaces, innovative facilities, events and security amongst others. It aims to promote social inclusion, boost economic prosperity and enhance the environment.

The project aims to turn local governments into stronger players in the local economy. On the one hand by improving internal processes. On the other hand by strengthening their relations with particularly local companies (government to business relations) and with other governmental levels (government to government relations). The focus will be on how to use ICT to: · Improve local government processes (e-administration) · Improve service development and distri-bution (e-services) · Improve public-private interaction (e-society)

Making Waste Work aims to minimise the volume of waste produced, manage it in a more sustainable way and improve public awareness of waste issues. The project will focus on three separate themes and implement pilot projects within these themes: Waste management schemes, Employment and business opportunities and Public motivation and awareness. A Best Practice Guide on waste management practices and methods will be developed jointly, as well as a pilot model of a Waste Education Resource Centre.

The project addresses the issue of sustainable development of national parks through implementing environmental technologies in order to reduce pressures created by high traffic volumes. It implements information and communication technologies for site development and therefore encourages sustainable forms of tourism both to and within the park areas. The planned improvements target the conservation of the natural assets of the protected areas in the most economically viable way.

A project working with promoting sustainable cultural tourism through regenerating a number of walking trails along the North Sea coast. Activities include development of the information, services and infrastructure required for promoting the trail. The ultimate aim is develop a walking trail all along the North Sea coast.

The Northern Maritime Corridor is a sea based corridor aiming at attracting cargo from road to sea in an intermodal transport chain. In a long-term perspective the NMC?s ambition is to be defined as a Motorway of the Sea, linking Motorways of the Western Union and the Baltic Sea together. The first NMC project has already started a process of promoting the Northern Maritime Corridor as Motorway of the Sea. Its successful achievements in that matter have stimulated a need to continue the work. NMC II has been set up as a follow-up project to deal with those issues.

The project aims to facilitate the safe development of the maritime route from the Barents Region along the Norwegian coast to the core of Europe. It addresses the following issues: the development of regional maritime clusters, the promotion of Short Sea Shipping, transport in the petroleum and the seafood sector and risk management strategies. The project will be implemented in close co-operation with a similar project in the Interreg IIIB Northern Periphery Programme.

In many countries of the North Sea Region the notion that water shortage and drought will, in the future, pose an increasingly pressing problem, gains more and more on importance. Growing population, intensification of land use and changes in global climate will contribute to the problem that can hamper the Region?s development. The common challenge is therefore to develop long-term strategies to optimise the use of fresh water resources.

The project looks at practical ways of implementing the Water Framework Directive (WFD) both locally and regionally through pilot projects in five countries. Examples of best practice for improving physico-chemical and ecological water quality will be a particular focus.

The aim of the project is to improve water quality through separation of rainwater from sewage water, and in that way reduce storm water runoff in the sewer system. Sustainable techniques, such as no-dig techniques and source control measures for rainwater disconnection will be used.

The project aims at defining and enhancing seafaring heritage by examples of historic ships and sites as a cultural vantage point for a more preserving spatial development. Local public-private partnership co-operations are to support some of the sites; an increase of tourism and a methodology for better integration of cultural heritage into spatial (urban) planning are also envisaged.

The focus of the project is on stimulating positive development of rural areas. In order to achieve this, three themes are identified, which development or deterioration are mutually interconnected and have a major influence on the out migration trends in the area. These are: social/health services, transport services, and economic development. The project aims to work out solutions for the rural areas for the negative trends in the rural areas, through e.g. improving the level of social services offered, providing a better coordination of public transport, and securing/inspiring activities in rural areas.

The project aims to increase the share of biomass in energy production. Activities are split up in four themes where the three first ones focus on testing and demonstrating new technologies and processes within different local/regional pilot projects on biogas, biomass and bio fuel. Three pilot plants and one pilot pelletiser will also be set up in the participating regions. The pilot projects will result in new data and models on integrated supply chains. To disseminate project outcomes and develop the bioenergy market the partnership will also run an awareness campaign and develop a virtual market place.

The current application focuses very much on challenges for ports in their traditional role as transhipment nodes for sea transports (i.e. on short sea but also deep sea shipping) and also in their more modern role as logistic centres within globalised logistic supply chains. The partners are strongly convinced that the two issues tackled here are of vital importance for the future of the ports and their regions but also for the NSR as a whole.

The project aims to continue the efforts made under the IIC project to establish a basis for regional development through a conscious use of transport corridors in an efficient and sustainable way by use of intermodal transport solutions. Nordic Transportpolitical Network (NTN) is a regional cooperation about transport, and the ?NTN-corridor? covers the transport systems in south-western Norway, western Sweden, western Denmark, and Schleswig-Holstein. The project will also outline how different nodes and routes within the corridor link up as part of regional transport strategies and plans. Parts of these strategies could then be implemented regionally. This approach could also be used as a generic method for promoting and developing other transport corridors. Moreover a joint database containing similar statistical data on goods transport in the regions included in the corridor will be built up and the partnership will also try to develop sustainable transport solutions.