ACROSS

The European Green Deal aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Many actors are key players to reach sustainability targets at EU level, such as cities and enterprises. Local authorities are facing the challenges of climate change and make huge efforts in adaptation and mitigation, and in preservation of nature values, ecosystem services and biodiversity. Decision makers are committed to reach the ambitious goals of the EU, setting significant objectives in the field of sustainability, as well as interventions and measures accordingly in the urban development policies. The ecological crisis has turned the attention to the need for greater socially responsible behaviour from the private and the public sector. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept whereby enterprises integrate social and environmental concerns into their mainstream business operations on a voluntary basis. The main objective of the ACROSS project is to align public and corporate sustainability goals and establish a strategic, long-term cooperation between economic actors and local authorities of participating regions, inspired by an efficient interregional knowledge exchange process. A public-private cooperation model/policy, including financial aspects, will be elaborated, involving stakeholders, in order to improve local development policies addressed by the partners. Leveraging the potential of companies’ CSR policies in the field of sustainable developments, local authorities could multiply their capacities and abilities to mitigate climate change effects promote responsible use of natural resources in cities and regions contributing to achievement of carbon neutrality goals of the EU by 2050.