In the CIVITAS Prosperity project 11 countries are working on the development and implementation of a tailor-made national SUMP promotion programme.  In the past half-year, the so-called ‘National Focal Points’ in these countries made good progress in creating a national SUMP network and SUMP Promo programme. To make this successful and get the commitment of the responsible higher level government, 11 National Task Forces were launched. 

The number one priority of these Task Forces is to build or improve the National SUMP (framework) programmes and stimulate the uptake of SUMPS in cities, taking into account country specific cultural differences and ambitions and supporting capacities (such as skills, finances, and institutional). The Task Forces also will decide on the legal character, the necessary cooperation of actors, and important steps like the overall quality control of SUMPs and expert certification programmes.  All this work will be targeted and build into a stepwise development process. How fast and hard they work may differ from country to country. It is Prosperity’s ambition to make the Task Forces the ‘manpower’ behind these SUMP Promo processes.  Some of the Prosperity countries are more advanced:   

• Slovenia already has 2 Task Forces, and the Federal Ministry is very committed to learn from the experience of two decades of Flanders’ SUMP Framework programme. 
• Germany gathered a lot of governmental, academic and private expertise in the Task Force. They will discuss and decide on how to reform their VEP (Verkehr Entwicklungs Plan) guidelines into a more SUMP oriented manual.
• Sweden already has its overarching ‘TRAST Strategic Plan’ guidance document and numerous in depth guiding documents to support cities’ efforts in SUMPs. Nevertheless, the National Transport Administration (Trafikverket) is interested in Prosperity’s Task Force approach and will launch it on a voluntary basis (as a 12th country). Trafikverket considers it a chance for better adaptation of the many legislative directives, and better cooperation between the different policy levels. The final aim is — completely in line with the TRAST strategy — to create a bridge between different community planning sectors and levels. A summary of the TRAST Strategic can be downloaded here. 
• Belgium has a complex federal structure. The Belgian Task Force operates under the BEPOMM (Belgian Network on Mobility Management and Sustainable Mobility) structure. The three regional transport departments are part of it, and they exchange experience and mutually improve their strategies. The SPW – Service Public Wallon (the Walloon Transport Department) – recently published an overview of SUMPs in 8 of their biggest cities. Prosperity considers making this brochure (currently in French) available in English.