Background Local authorities in Latvia and other new EU Member States face a range of common environmental problems: air, water and soil pollution, waste, uncontrolled resource consumption, urban decay, etc. Local authorities themselves can also be significant contributors to environmental degradation and it is important that they improve their own performance. The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS II) provides organisations with a systematic approach for solving environmental problems. However, this system is not yet widely used by municipalities in the new EU Member States. Objectives The project aimed to: demonstrate and promote EMAS II to local authorities in new EU Member States, using Latvia as a model introduce effective new tools for EMAS II implementation and dissemination assist new EU Member States in implementing EU environmental regulations The overall objective of the project is to achieve one of the goals of the EU's Sixth Environmental Action Programme: encouraging a wider uptake of EMAS. Results The project objectives - promotion of EMAS II in local authorities; introduction of new effective tools for EMAS II implementation; dissemination and assisting to new Member States in implementing EU environmental regulations - overall has been reached. Seven Latvian local authorities associated in three clusters have implemented and registered the EMAS. Ten local and eight new Member States consultants were trained in EMAS implementation techniques and now can professionally assist local authorities in their countries in EMAS implementation. An EMAS for Municipalities Implementation Guide was published and distributed to Latvian and new Member-States local authorities. For the first time since joining the EU, Latvian municipalities implemented the EU regulation in the field of systematic preventive environmental management – EMAS. However, the passivity of EMAS Knowledge Management Platform members from new EU Member States diminished the overall results of the project within the scale of EMAS implementation in these countries. On the basis of the project’s results, the key lesson learnt is that it is the central government should actively promote EMAS creating motivation and incentives for local authorities and industries. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).