Interreg NPA projects are change-makers!

What’s new and why it matters

Projects now use two documents to track their contribution to the horizontal principles. 

• STEP 1: Partner organisations list their sustainability, inclusion, and equality best practices.
• STEP 2: Each project selects nine practices - three in each category - to follow throughout their implementation.

The new reporting process raised awareness and sparked new ideas across the programme. Nearly 100 different practices were collected through STEP 1, and these will now be shared with all project leaders to inspire further action.

Most importantly, projects chose practices that are practical, visible, and achievable - showing a real commitment to making NPA regions greener, more inclusive, and more equal.

Sharing organisations’ best practices

Sustainability (42 practices shared)

Most projects chose practical, event-related actions: hybrid meetings, reduced travel, using local products, or sustainable catering. Fewer organisations reported long-term commitments such as renewable energy or internal sustainability policies, showing that many prefer low-threshold, easy-to-start actions.

Inclusion (30 practices shared)

Common approaches include involving young people, using inclusive language and imagery, ensuring broad access, and making communication and events more accessible. Many organisations are working to reach diverse groups through partnerships, multiple channels, and language support.

Equality (26 practices shared)

Most practices focus on gender-balanced speakers, equal representation in teams, and awareness training. Fewer organisations reported deeper, long-term measures such as pay equity, LGBTQ+ support, or tackling gender-imbalanced fields.

What projects are committing to

To capture recurring ideas, the JS grouped the selected practices into five categories. Here are some highlights:

Sustainability

• 90% projects adopted at least one sustainable travel and mobility practice.
• 80% projects committed to using sustainable travel when possible and holding hybrid/online meetings.

Inclusion

• 85% projects implemented accessible communication and materials.
• 50% projects committed to accessible reports and tools

Equality

• 75% projects took up practices on balanced representation and participation.
• 55% projects committed to gender-balanced speakers at events, and
• 50% projects aim for gender balance in partnerships, meetings, and working groups.

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash