The overall objective is to foster sustainable economic and social development in all 15 participating regions, particularly in view of EU enlargement. The project focuses on three clearly defined ‘clusters’, or priority themes of common interest to each of the region’s governments: - Introducing new forms of governance - Improving social and economic planning - Promoting innovation and increasing the potential of human resource development Achievements: Achievements so far The Hanse Passage Project along with its sub-projects have come to the end. The process of learning each others's priorities and regional structures, of exchanging experience and good practices, and of building interregional networks brought many positive results for the 15 partner regions (from NL,De, PL,Fr, the UK and LV) involved in this RFO. In total, 23 sub-projects were approved in 3 calls for proposals: 7 in thematic cluster 'New forms of governance', 7 in 'Social and economic planning' and 9 in 'Innovatory potentials and human resources'. Apart from international meetings, conferences and study visits the outputs of projects include: reports, comparative studies, e-petitioning system application, a book, a toolbox, guides, databases etc. Projects’ partnerships (on average 8 partners per project, including at least one from a new member state) proved to be very stable. A positive development is undoubtedly the fact that it has been possible to identify many synergies between projects and organize several joint or exchange meetings between different projects. Instrumental in ensuring effective exchange of experience between civil servants, politicians and project partners from various organisations proved to be annual conferences, expert meetings and project leader meetings. Annual Conferences (in Assen- Nov 04 on regional economic planning, Sheffield Sept 05 on new forms of governance and in Lublin Sept06 on Innovation and Human Resources, and the final one in Riga September 07) proved to be right forums for project participants, regional representatives and the political level to meet each other and discuss the overall themes and specific results of individual sub-projects. About 184 partner organisations were involved in sub-projects and the estimated number of persons more than incidentally involved in building interregional networks, has exceeded 650.The number of participants in meetings was several times higher,though. Altogether there have been about 160 interregional meetings and events organized, including 3 new thematic conferences covering themes not addressed by sub-projects as such, namely: brain drain problem, ESF funded vocational training projects and private public partnerships.Good practices identified within projects were related among others to: e-participation, youth participation, business support, promoting export, promoting entrepreneurship, lifelong learning, innovation support, transnational mobility. The record holder in this respect was project 'Promoting entrepreneurship' with 98 good practices identified. Project 'e participation' in turn has won the prestiguous EU best practice label for its multi-channel e-petitioning system. All people interested in the results of Hanse Passage sub-projects are referred to HP website www.hanse-passage.net.