Yesterday, a moved and proud Dario Nardella, Mayor of Florence and outgoing President of Eurocities, handed over the reins to the Eurocities network. He mentioned the network’s efforts for Ukraine and cities commitments to sustainable recostruction, the launch of the 100 Smart and Climate Neutral Cities, as important moments of his presidency. “No political targets can be reached without the support of Eurocities,” he said.
“Without cities’ energies, no goals are achievable,” added Nardella passing the baton to the Mayor of Leipzig, Burkhard Jung. “I’m sure you will continue this incredible experience. I wish you to change Europe, because if we want a more united Europe, we need public administration and local communities.”
A new driver in the seat
The incoming President of Eurocities, Burkhard Jung, enthusiastically received the new role. “I’m excited to serve as president of you all,” he said, addressing Eurocities members in the room. “I promise that I will listen to your proposals.” With much to do in two short years and times that will continue to be difficult, Jung lost no time in introducing the priorities of his mandate.
Responding to the appeal of Andriy Sadovyi, Mayor of Lviv, who asked for more collaboration with European cities to be able to rebuild the country, Jung reiterated his and the network’s commitment to Ukraine and its people. “‘You’re not alone, you’re never going to be alone. Our support is not a sprint, it is a marathon. We’ll be together for as long as it takes,” added Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj Napoca.
“We have to continue our work,” said Jung, adding to his to-do list challenges such as energy, housing, migration, and low-carbon infrastructure. To tackle them, he stressed the need for “a permanent dialogue at the EU level that recognises cities’ role and a seat at the EU table. The institutions should be aware of our strong and loud voices.”
The upcoming European elections are an opportunity for the next mandate to recognise the role of cities, and “why not institute a Commission Vice-President for cities?” Suggested Jung.
With new nationalisms and rising scepticism about the democratic system, the upcoming elections are another challenge on the new presidency’s horizon. “We need to strengthen our efforts in protecting our democratic values. Let’s promote the vote for the EU elections,” added Jung.
During the debates, Eurocities launched a new policy paper on how the EU can work better with cities, which you can read here.
Elections on the horizon
“Europe needs cities to mobilise the people,” echoed Jeanne Barseghian, Mayor of Strasbourg, on the political debate on building a closer Europe to citizens. “Europe should rely on this strength and use cities as intermediaries for European ideas,” added Peter Kurz, Mayor of Mannheim.
Mayor of Bologna, Matteo Lepore, emphasised the need to get more support, particularly for better competencies in local administrations. “We have to invest in the knowledge of our municipalities,” he said.
Cities’ demand for support ranged from a need for simplification in the access to funding to a call for ‘real’ multi-level governance. The need for a stronger cities’ seat at a strong European table, met broad consensus. “A stronger collaboration is a prerequisite to be able to do things on the ground. We are not only implementers but also designers of policies,” stressed Kurz.
Ricardo Rio, Mayor of Braga, proposed to further empower the Committee of the Regions and use city networks such as Eurocities to have a louder voice at the European table. “We need to strengthen communication between the Commission and cities, and city networks, such as Eurocities, are key to facilitating the dialogue,” agreed Johanna Rolland, Mayor of Nantes.
She also mentioned a lack of EU financing in key green and digital transition areas, such as mobility, housing, and urban poverty. However, climate will be cities priority for the upcoming period, as the Eurocities Pulse Survey also found. “The Climate Mission is our most important one, and war reminds us that we should fulfil our goals even faster,” said Konrad Fijołek, Mayor of Rzeszow.
Normunds Popens, acting Director General at DG Regio, recognised the crucial role of cities and added that “EU policy response is not just about money, it’s also about supporting cities in framing their ambitions.” He also cited the need to continue engaging with metropolitan areas. “This cooperation should be extended to rural areas. The role of small and medium-size cities is not fully exploited,” he said.
A sentiment shared by the mayor of Strasbourg, who is hoping to develop collaborations with peri-urban areas on energy and mobility, in addition to its current work with their surrounding country for food supply.
A new team meeting again in a year
The Eurocities General Assembly, where these political conversations took place was also an occasion to share some administrative business. Outgoing president Dario Nardella welcomed new members as the metropolitan areas of Rome and the Greater Paris Metropolis, Cartagena (ES), Montpelier (FR), Liege (BE), Reims (FR), Odunpazari (TR), Matosinhos (PT), and Strovolos (CY).
At the same time, incoming president Burkhard Jung is looking forward to working with the new Vice-President Matias De Clercq, Mayor of Ghent, and mayors of Athens, Helsinki, Nantes, and Vienna as part of the new Eurocities Executive Committee.
The new team will have an opportunity to show the results of their work, after the European elections, when they’ll meet at the Eurocities Annual Conference 2024 in Cluj Napoca. “Europe is in Brussels but also far away in the heart of Transilvania,” announced Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj Napoca inviting everyone to join him for a year in his city to share “the amazing feeling of feeling at home abroad.”
