EFFECT’s main aim is to map, communicate, foster and learn from good practice solutions on eco-efficiency in the Baltic Sea Region. The project will attract and enable cities, villages and BSR sub-regions as well as other relevant actors from the local, regional, national and pan-Baltic level to jointly develop and implement policies and concrete actions on becoming more energy and resource efficient, sustainable and resilient, while stimulating a greener economy.In the long term these activities will contribute to the creation of resilient societies and the promotion of the Baltic Sea Region as a green region.The project is part of the flagship “Creating a network of sustainable cities and villages” led by the Swedish National Board for Housing, Building and Planning (Boverket).The project has been approved as part of this flagship in EUSBSR PA “Climate“. Furthermore EFFECT received the status of a CBSS Baltic 21 Lighthouse project at the 6th EG B21 meeting in November 2012.One of the main results will be a larger application with an extended partnership to one of the first calls under a new EU financial framework 2014 – 2020. The project therefore welcomes addtional intersted parties, especially from currently not participating countries within the Baltic Sea Region to become associated partners. Achievements: The project officially kicked-off 21st – 23rd November 2012 with a main event in Stockholm. The kick-off meeting was back to back with the 6th meeting of the CBSS Expert Group on Sustainable Development, Baltic 21 and a round table workshop of the project Bioenergy Promotionwith as well as the ReNERGY project also focusing on similiar topics.The kick-off meeting was arranged at the CBSS Secretariat premises in Stockholm 21st – 23rd November 2012 back to back with the .The 2nd partnership meeting took place 25 – 27 June 2013 in Malmö Sweden in cooperation with Sustainable Business Hub, Malmö.During the project implementation to the project partners will also participate in so called peer to peer visits and it this respect one of the project activities is the mapping of frontrunner regions in eco-efficiency in the BSR.