Byer ses som både kilden til og løsningen på de økonomiske, miljømæssige og sociale udfordringer, vi oplever nu til dags. Over to tredjedele af EU's befolkning bor i byområder, hvor omkring 80 % af energiforbruget anvendes og op til 85 % af Europas BNP genereres. Disse byområder er motorerne i den europæiske økonomi, og de virker som katalysatorer for kreativitet og innovation i hele unionen. Det er dog også her, at hårdnakkede problemer som f.eks. arbejdsløshed, isolation og fattigdom er mest alvorlige. Bymæssige politikker har derfor bredere betydning på tværs af grænserne, og derfor er byudvikling en vigtig del af EU's regionalpolitik.
Samhørighedspolitikkens bymæssige dimension
I perioden 2014-2020 vil den bymæssige dimension være selve kernen i samhørighedspolitikken. Mindst 50 % af EFRU's ressourcer i denne periode vil blive investeret i byområder. Denne andel kan vise sig at blive større senere i perioden. Omkring 10 mia. EUR fra EFRU tildeles direkte integrerede strategier for bæredygtig byudvikling. Desuden vil ca. 750 byer få mulighed for at gennemføre disse integrerede strategier for bæredygtig byudvikling.
The 2014-2020 period put the urban dimension at the very heart of Cohesion Policy. More than EUR 115 billion of ERDF resources have been invested in urban areas and around EUR 17 billion from the ERDF were directly allocated to integrated strategies for sustainable urban development. More than 900 cities were empowered to implement these integrated strategies for sustainable urban development. Cohesion Policy in the 2021-2027 period will keep on investing in all regions and the European Commission has put forward a simpler and more flexible framework to better reflect the reality on the ground.
There is a focus on five policy objectives around a (1) Smarter, (2) Greener, (3) Connected, and (4) Social Europe, and a new cross-cutting objective (5) to bring Europe closer to citizens by supporting locally developed integrated territorial development strategies across the EU.
Cohesion Policy will continue to support integrated territorial and local development strategies through various tools and empower urban authorities and territorial bodies in the management of the funds, while requiring strong local partnerships with relevant stakeholders. The urban dimension of Cohesion Policy has been strengthened, with 8% of the European Regional Development Fund at national level dedicated to sustainable urban development strategies. Territorial tools, namely Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI), Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) and other territorial tools will be deployed to implement these strategies.
The new European Urban Initiative will finance innovative actions to experiment and develop transferable and scalable innovative solutions to urban challenges, improve capacities of cities in the design and implementation of sustainable urban policies and practices in an integrated and participative way, and promote knowledge sharing and capitalisation for the benefit of urban policy makers and practitioners. The Urban Innovative Actions and the Urban Development Network under 2014-2020 Cohesion policy will be embedded in the EUI. The support of the Urban Agenda for the EU will also take place under this initiative. Learn more about the way European cities are benefiting from EU's Regional Policy or about what happens in your Member State with Cohesion Policy.
The Urban Agenda for the EU
The Urban Agenda is an integrated and coordinated approach to deal with the urban dimension of EU and national policies and legislation. By focusing on concrete priority themes within dedicated Partnerships, the Urban Agenda seeks to improve the quality of life in urban areas. It is a new working method to ensure maximum utilization of the growth potential of cities and to successfully tackle social challenges and it aims to promote cooperation between Member States, Cities, the European Commission and other stakeholders, in order to stimulate growth, livability and innovation in the cities of Europe. Concretely, Partnerships are set-up around priority themes with European and urban relevance. Within these Partnerships, urban challenges are identified and solutions are recommended through action plans (these are addressed to the EU, the Member States and the cities). The action plans will contain actions and examples of good projects to be scaled-up and transferred across the EU. Actions could be a proposal to amend an EU Directive, proposal linked to the implementation of structural funds, reinforcing cooperation on shared issues, or a project that worked well and that could be scaled-up/ transferred etc.
The Urban Agenda for the EU should lead to better regulation (more effective, more efficient and implemented at a lower cost), better funding (more adapted to the needs, simpler access, more integrated) and better knowledge (data, good practices/ projects, exchange of experiences).
The website on the Urban Agenda for the EU enables all stakeholders to contribute to the Urban Agenda as a whole or to the specific Partnerships. You are invited to join this community so you can contribute actively and make your voice heard! Please register so you will be receiving a newsletter and notifications related to your own interest.
Learn more in our brochure Urban agenda for the EU Multi-level governance in action
The EU and Cities
See how the Commission helps cities achieve EU objectives. Learn how cities can gain and share knowledge. Get information on funding and other support. A one-stop-shop of EU policies for Cities
Cooperation and exchange of experience between cities
URBACT
URBACT is a European exchange and learning programme promoting sustainable urban development, which integrates economic, social and environmental dimensions. It enables cities to work together to develop new, pragmatic and sustainable solutions to major urban challenges, reaffirming the key role they play in facing increasingly complex societal changes. URBACT will continue enabling European cities to work together in 2021-2027 through transnational networks, capacity building and knowledge sharing activities. For More Information
International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC)
The European Union launched the International Urban Cooperation Programme (IUC) programme to promote international urban cooperation in 2016, and decided to launch a second phase in 2021 to extend the programme to regional authorities and to additional countries. The International Urban and Regional Cooperation Programme entails cooperation on common urban and territorial challenges, with particular attention to the green and digital transitions and the inclusive post-pandemic recovery, namely by pairing up EU with non-EU partner cities or regions in order to share knowledge and best practices. Cities and regions will cooperate in three thematic networks: the ecological transition and green deal; urban and regional renewal and social cohesion; and innovative sustainable and carbon-neutral ecosystems and strategic sectors. For More Information