REPUS focuses on new EU Member States and addresses the challenge of a more balanced and sustainable urban development. The European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) points out that urban polycentric systems are essential for a balanced and sustainable economic development of Europe. The main aim of the project is to build a Regional Polycentric Urban System (REPUS) in Central-Eastern Europe that contributes to an emerging Potential Economic Integrating Zone (PEIZ). This system will be based on small and medium-sized cities. The project plans to identify the potentials of regional urban systems including their functional roles and the urban hierarchies within the context of the whole European space. The most dynamic small and medium-sized cities could play an important role as potential regional capitals for developing new functional areas of integration. The linking of urban centres and rural areas will be intensified by strengthening the role of small towns. The effectiveness of urban policy should be improved by the project so that the institutional capacity can be enhanced within the ongoing decentralisation process. Achievements: Among other things REPUS has accomplished and intends to achieve the following results: - Identification of appropriately selected indicators for conducting the empirical urban spatial analysis, - Elaboration of a detailed analysis of the spatial, functional, economic and social links that develop among small and medium-sized cities including cross-border areas in Central-Eastern Europe, - Elaboration of a SWOT analysis as a result of the empirical analysis for each country and for the whole Eastern European area to identify the Potential Economic Integrating Zone, - Identification of best practices as the result of the pilot cases achieved in each country and measurement of the obstacles and difficulties, - Elaboration of a strategy for setting up a Regional Polycentric Urban System, - Launching a network of small and medium-sized cities in order to favour the exchange of strategic policy visions and improve their policy-making capability and co-operation.