Capannori (Italy)-Tunis (Tunisia): REP.IT Réutilisation, Economie circulaire, Participation

PLATFORMA has decided to reward the best city to city and region to region international cooperation projects. Twelve projects have been shortlisted out of 25 applications. This is how Capannori (Italy) is presenting its project with Tunis (Tunisia):

Circular economy is a great opportunity for Europe and neighboring territories. For years, Municipality of Capannori has been experimenting with a waste management system oriented towards reuse and recycling, which is at the base of the circular economy system, and also acts internationally within the framework of Zero Waste Europe network. At the regional level, then, Tuscany Regional Authority operates with a strategy called a “Governing body for the Mediterranean”, with the aim of strengthening relations between the north and south banks.

In this context, the Tuscan-Tunisian partnership of the REP.IT project was defined, which includes the Municipality of Capannori, the Municipality of Rosignano Marittimo, the Chamber of Commerce of the Maremma and the Tyrrhenian, Cispel Toscana, Anci Toscana, the Pontes Association Tunisie, the Fédération Nationale des Villes Tunisiennes and the Tunis Governorate.

The local Tunisian context has shown that there is a fertile ground to cooperate successfully on the issues of the circular economy, because there is a strong national strategy of the government to favor the development of a sustainable economy and promote the importance of environmental protection and protection among citizens.

The REP.IT project consists of 5 activities:

• Capacity Building: Through the participation of local authorities involved in the project, actions will be carried out to qualify the skills of public officials on the policies and tools for implementing the circular economy;
• Study visits organization: at the end of the capacity building action, the representatives of the Tunisian Local Authorities will participate in a 10-day study visit in Tuscany aimed at the transfer of good practices carried out in the circular economy.
• Action Plan definition: to support the implementation of the circular economy in urban areas, with reference to the district’s economic, environmental and social characteristics.
• Development of a virtual collaborative platform on Circular Economy: the activity is aimed at activating in Tunisia a Platform-Center of Competence on Circular Economy in which all the partners will cooperate in three ways:
  • promoting entrepreneurial culture and entrepreneurship in the circular economy;
  • developing the endogenous potential, involving citizens and promoting the preservation and sustainability of resources through innovative actions;
  • improving the entrepreneurial skills, knowledge and abilities.
• Dissemination and Communication: development of multi-media dissemination products.