Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region (RRA LUR) in cooperation with Slovenian partner of SYMBI project: Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy (GODP) successfully prepared the pilot project proposal.
The pilot project specific aim is to empower regional stakeholders on the basis of various trainings for the diffusion of industrial symbiosis, to add value, reduce production costs and relieve environmental pressures through increased resource efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions.
Before participating in the workshop participants were engaged in comprehensive e-Learning Programme set by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, followed by the workshop (15th of October) which was the first in a series of trainings. The aim of the workshop was to enhance the knowledge of different regional actors to become the facilitators of the transition towards circular economy.
The workshop was led by the expert from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), organisation, which has been setting milestones and implementing breakthrough projects in the field of circular economy for many years. An introduction into the training was prepared by Marjana Dermelj (GODP) presenting the policy orientations at the level of Slovenia in this field.
Participants gained the basic understanding of the circular economy and the benefits it brings to businesses and society. They found out in which areas Slovenia has challenges and opportunities and learned about the policy guidelines at the level of Slovenia and the EU. Participants also gained general understanding of the role of the cities in the circular economy and the benefits and opportunities that arise when cities transition to the circular economy. They obtained an overview of the levers policymakers have at hand to drive the transition and explore their interconnectedness and varying relevance in different contexts. At the final stage of the training participants uncovered the key barriers of the transition to circular economy in Slovenia and identified key policy objectives and measures that can unlock those barriers.
Through the topic of circular economy the workshop provided the basis for diving into the next set of training that will be focused on industrial symbiosis. 
