Objective: IMEA aims to support local and regional authorities in taking a pro-active role in improving the energy efficiency of the built environment.IMEA focuses on Energy Efficiency. The implementation of EE measures is a European key challenge in the transition towards sustainable communities, in special in Eastern Europe and in deprived urban areas where a high percentage of the housing stock has a very poor energy performance. The IMEA-partners collaborate to enhance the effects of their strategic plans and policies to promote EE. Sub-objectives1. To exchange good practices that raise awareness on energy efficiency and energy efficient behaviour (tackling cognitive barriers);2. To exchange viable business models that create local/regional economic spin-off (tackling economic barriers);3. To bridge the gap between policy and implementation, to put policy into practice by developing change strategies and implementation plans with SMART projects;4. To disseminate good practices to all public authorities in the EU and to facilitate exchange via a project websiteAwareness raising: Energy consumption and energy savings are abstract phenomena for many citizens and organisations. they are often unaware of the benefits EE-measures could bring. Good practices for awareness raising will be exchanged.Business models: To achieve EE, public authorities should take on a pro-active role as facilitator. They have to connect stakeholders and develop business cases that divide investments and risks over multiple actors, that take uncertain future energy prices into account and that are attractive to all actors in the value chain. Partners will exchange suitable business and governance models.Policy into practice: Policy frameworks and support programmes for EE are available, on European and on national levels, but policy is often not put into practice. Implementation plans will be formulated in which good practices arestrategized', including project proposals that can be submitted within support programmes that are relevant in each partner region.Energy Efficiency Change StrategiesHow can public authorities, in relation to EE, move from a reactive to a pro-active position in a collaborative framework with multiple stakeholders? To make this abstract challenge tangible and test various approaches, 6 complementary change cases are formulated. Each partner will have a transnational team of critical friends (from the partnership) at its disposal that will provide advice about institutional, strategic and practical steps that could be taken. PartnershipLocal and regional public authorities/organisations (NL, DK, PT, RO, HU) work in pairs with National Focal Points: Ministries and Knowledge institutions for which supporting local and regional authorities and dissemination are part of their core businesses. This ensures a large territorial impact. Achievements: After a delayed start (see I.6), the IMEA-project partners have successfully initiated the IMEA-project. The subsidy contract and the partnership agreements were signed. At a pre-launch meeting in Copenhagen in June 2012, the partners conducted a series of meetings, field-trips and workshops. The core of the project is best practice exchange and joint learning at the strategic governance level in regard to the cities and regions promotion of energy efficiency measures in the built environment. To support this global ambition, the partners successfully launched the Community of Practice and Change Case seminars at the Copenhagen meeting, and they have agreed to a joint analytical framework for the analysis and development of proactive governance in relation to the promotion of EE-measures. The City of Copenhagen organized field trips to three sustainable urban renewal projects in Copenhagen, and produced an English brochure on urban renewal in the city. Moreover an IMEA logo was developed and the first IMEA-newsletter describing the project in general and the Copenhagen meeting in particular has been made and distributed. The lead partner developed a project management manual and a financial manual. Also a draft communication plan was developed.