The meeting was formally opened by Valentina Kuzma (Slovenian Chamber of Commerce) and Sara Piana (Liguria Region), who welcomed the CE-PRINCE consortium. Kuzma highlighted the importance of this transnational cooperation, which aligns capacity-building efforts with a tight timeline based on findings from the project’s assessments and strategic developments.
First-Year Achievements: From Assessment to Action
The morning sessions focused on technical discussions, while the afternoon was dedicated to project management. A central topic was the progress within Work Package 1, where partners collaborated on a comprehensive analysis of the state of Circular and Green Public Procurement (C/GPP) in Central Europe’s public and private sectors.
Domenico Mecca from Italy’s Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies presented key findings from over 230 public sector responses, nearly 400 private sector responses, and 70 in-depth interviews. These findings reveal existing gaps between circular demands and offerings, while also identifying major barriers, needs, and actions necessary to close these gaps.
The analyses of the results identify gaps between circular demands and offers and barriers, with needs and actions to fill the gaps.
Introducing the CE-PRINCE Interactive Heat Map
A major milestone of the meeting was the presentation of the CE-PRINCE Interactive Heat Map by András Pál (ERI Hungary). This cloud-based tool offers a geographic visualization of C/GPP implementation across Central Europe. It aggregates key data and highlights the most adopted circular practices, regional strengths, and common obstacles.
🔗 Access the Heat Map here: https://www.interreg-central.eu/projects/ce-prince/?tab=roadmap
Strategic Outputs and Next Steps
The project also celebrated the formation of an Advisory Board consisting of 25 experts from across Europe, who contributed to the development of the Transnational C/GPP Strategy.
🔗 Read the Strategy here.
As CE-PRINCE moves into its next phase, the focus will shift to finalising and launching Transnational Action Plans, and initiating capacity-building and pilot activities in both the public and private sectors. These actions aim to embed circularity into procurement practices and contribute to a greener economic model across the region.
Innovation Spotlight: Cradle to Cradle & Digital Product Passport
The committee was honoured to welcome Albin Kälin (EPEA Switzerland), a leading expert in Cradle to Cradle® design innovation. Kälin emphasized the need for corporate compliance with game-changing sustainability criteria and highlighted the emerging role of Digital Product Passports (DPPs).
He presented the “Passport Compass” – a toolkit designed to enrich product transparency far beyond the minimal data currently required, promoting supply chain traceability and return systems. Kälin raised a critical point: Can such data-driven tools align with and enhance C/GPP implementation?
Their trust network uses a circular model that works in partnerships and cooperation and uses information, just as the CE-PRINCE project does.
The Digital Product Passport is about to be extended to all products, but they do not show all the important information, only minimum level quality. The Passport Compass Cradle to cradle offer a toolbox to provide all relevant information.
It is the economic feasibility that is the most challenging but ensuring transparent supply chain and return points are very valuable.
The expected impact is “changing the game” and the requirement for database is important for CE-PRINCE: can these data fit to C/GPP?
Building Synergies Across Projects
The meeting concluded with the presentation of two complementary Interreg cross-border initiatives facilitated by the Slovenian Chamber of Craft and Small Business:
· Circular Buildings (Interreg Italy-Slovenia): Focused on sustainable construction, lifecycle thinking, emissions reduction, and circular waste management.
· RECREATE Project: Evolved from the RETRACKING initiative, this project addresses the collection and recycling of industrial materials such as fiberglass, metals, and hard plastics through circular approaches.
In addition, Katharina Hofer introduced the CE foodCIRCUS project, targeting agrifood sector circularity, food waste reduction, and improved waste management – an excellent synergy with CE-PRINCE’s scope.
Looking Ahead
With key assessments completed, tools launched, and strategic frameworks in place, CE-PRINCE enters a decisive phase. The upcoming activities will test innovative circular procurement models in real-world settings—marking a significant step towards sustainable economic transformation in Central Europe.
“Public Procurement is one of the essential keys to stimulate and accelerate circular economy in cities and regions all over Europe. Companies need to be assured of a certain volume in demand to innovate and change to circular design and production. Public authorities can practice what they preach by not only deciding on the proper policies for their societies, but also demonstrating it by adjusting their own procurement to boost circular economy.
CE-PRINCE is one of the important projects at the moment that aim to establish exactly that.“
Joan Prummel, Advisory Board member of CE-PRINCE project