The Urban Agenda partnerships bring together city representatives with Commission and Member State representatives to offer an informal way of assessing current European initiatives impacting cities. Eurocities actively works on the implementation of all 14 partnerships.
This project supports the implementation of the partnerships of the urban agenda, a working method bringing cities into direct dialogue with Member States and the European Commission. It aims to lift regulatory bottlenecks, funding and knowledge gaps that prevent cities from effectively tackling societal challenges.
Originally, 12 thematic priorities were agreed for the EU Urban Agenda, following the Pact of Amsterdam which led to its creation. These were: jobs and skills in the local economy; urban poverty; housing; inclusion of migrants and refugees; sustainable land use; circular economy; climate adaptation; energy transition; urban mobility; air quality; digital transition; and innovative and responsible public procurement.
Recently, two new partnerships have started their work on: security in public spaces and cultural heritage.
Eurocities actively participates in all 14 of the partnerships, bringing in expertise about urban development from a Europe-wide perspective, as well as about challenges related to EU rules and financial tools. To date, the partnerships have generated many notable results. These include:
- A recommendation on direct access to EU funding for cities for the integration of migrants and refugees, better matching allocated resources with local responsibilities
- City circular indicators to monitor transition and strengthen implementation of locally developed roadmaps
- An innovation accelerator for digital solutions to boost co-creation and replication in cities across Europe
