Working with Eurocities
Turku is a strong supporter of European cooperation and an active member of Eurocities, with its own Turku EU Office in Brussels since 1998. The objective of working together is to increase the visibility and influence of cities in policy discussions.
The current geopolitical context highlights the value of cooperation between cities for peace, stability, and sustainable development. Cities are spearheading Europe’s ambition to become the first climate-neutral continent while committing to strengthening our social model to ensure that no one is left behind. Turku, for one, aims to become climate-neutral by 2029, and cooperation with other cities has helped us address one of the key challenges: the reduction of transport emissions.
Eurocities has strengthened our climate work by enabling peer learning, policy alignment, and collaboration, and by facilitating access to European partnerships and project cooperation. Participation in mobility projects, such as CIVITAS ECCENTRIC, SCALE-UP, and USER-CHI, has helped Turku to test new urban mobility approaches, pilot electric mobility solutions, and develop charging infrastructure for the benefit of our residents. The 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, has also helped Turku develop its Climate City Contract, engage citizens in climate-friendly lifestyles and involve local enterprises in emission reduction, and this way to accelerate implementation of local climate actions.
What people need to know about the city
Turku is a fascinating and boldly renewing European city of universities and culture that provides the conditions for a good life and shared successes. As the oldest city in Finland, founded in 1229, Turku is a pioneer of urban culture which celebrated its year as the European Capital of Culture in 2011. Turku is also known as a strong sports and events city as well as the Food Capital of Finland. The riverside of the River Aura acts as a vibrant year-round living room for the city residents right in the city centre.
Turku is a safe city where the rich clean environment and nature are close. Part of the attraction is based on the coexistence of urban life and a breathtakingly beautiful archipelago. The 200,000 inhabitants city is surrounded by 40,000 islands and the national park of the Archipelago Sea. In housing, business life and leisure alike, Turku draws from its maritime location on the shores of the Baltic Sea.
Valuing its history and as a city that is good to live in, Turku is attractive to residents, students, experts and tourists, as well as big and small businesses. The excellent success of its diverse and dynamic business sector supports the Turku region’s growth. Particularly the success of the maritime and pharmaceutical industries is reflected in other sectors, such as cleantech, technology industries, and construction. The naval cluster has solid global networks and high-quality project expertise, making the region the leading marine area in the world where the most environmentally friendly cruise ships are built. In the pharmaceutical industry, more than half of Finland’s total turnover is generated in the Turku region.
Turku has six universities with 40,000 students. Cooperation between universities, research groups, the public sector, and business life creates new operation and collaboration projects, boosting international competitiveness. Turku has a long history in advancing cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region, especially in environmental protection and sustainability. In 2020, the European Commission selected Turku as the best mid-sized climate city in Europe, based on information in the Covenant of Mayors system. Through systematic strategy-based work, Turku will be carbon neutral by 2029 when the city celebrates its 800th birthday and climate-positive thereafter.
The city’s goal is to speed up the transition towards a circular economy and resource wisdom, to find new climate solutions together with companies and educational institutions, to invest in renewable energy, low-carbon mobility and sustainable urban structures, and to add carbon sinks and adopting a local emission compensation model. There are many ways to live sustainably, and Turku believes each person is a climate changemaker!
