Over 6,000 city politicians, officials and experts across more than 200 cities exchange, learn, and are inspired by the contacts they sustain through the Eurocities network. That means you’ll meet and collaborate with colleagues across the continent working on the same issues, with the same enthusiasm as you. A network like this behind you gives your city a strong voice and the power to achieve anything.
Why start from scratch when you can leap straight to the top? With access to the expertise and experiences of your fellow cities, you can get the latest insights on everything from cutting-edge technology to engaging local people in decision making.
Through our forums, working groups and European projects you’ll have the opportunity to meet regularly with cities at the forefront of every urban domain and get key insights for your local context. The benefits of this are direct, quick and substantial.
When you join Eurocities, your city becomes a stronger actor on the European stage. As a result of our advocacy work, many EU policies and programmes have a stronger urban dimension that considers the reality in cities – not only those concerning regional development but also policies on, for example, transport, energy, innovation, culture and social affairs.
We represent the urban voice in EU high-level and expert groups on issues like cultural heritage, food policy, mobility and better regulation, alongside member states and other stakeholder organisations. Through our projects, we also directly author many European guidance documents. As part of our network, you’ll cement your place on the European stage and help determine our messages to the EU.
Do you need access to more funds? We’ll keep you up to date with clear and accessible information on funding available to cities through our regular funding forecast and funding briefs. Through European projects, our members also tap into often quite significant sums of money to help them deliver their priorities in a particular field, such as climate, mobility, social inclusion or ICT.
As part of Eurocities, you’ll have project partners ready to hand, as well as early insider intelligence from our close contacts with the European Commission concerning forthcoming EU programmes and calls of interest to cities. Our members also collaborate to develop innovative finance mechanisms for funding local initiatives – and that’s on top of what you save from enhanced efficiency.
Our team of nearly 70 staff are on hand to assist you year-round. Our Brussels office boasts urban experts with years of experience in projects, communication and public policy. We’ll get to know your city, offer advice and support, reach out to you with tailored opportunities and assist you with any request or information.
This diverse team is comprised of people with experience working in local administrations all over Europe, as well as in the European Commission, academia, NGOs and private enterprise. And all of us have one thing in common: we live and breathe cities.