Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on 'The European Commission's Communication 'Sustainable urban development in the European Union: a framework for action''
Date: 1999-06-03
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: civil defence, employment policy, environmental policy, social policy, sustainable development

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Position

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on ‘The European Commission’s Communication
“Sustainable urban development in the European Union: a framework for action”’

(1999/C 293/12)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the
Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions ‘Sustainable Urban Development in
the European Union: A Framework for Action’ [COM(1998) 605 final];

having regard to the decision taken by the European Commission on 4 November 1998, under the first
paragraph of Article 198c of the Treaty establishing the European Community, to consult the Committee
of the Regions on the matter;

having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau on 15 July 1998 to direct Commission 4 for Spatial
Planning, Urban Issues, Energy and Environment to draw up the relevant opinion;

having regard to the Draft Opinion (CdR 115/99 rev. 1) adopted by Commission 4 on 16 April 1999
(rapporteurs: Mrs Sally Powell and Mrs Eva-Riitta Siitonen),

adopted the following opinion at its plenary session of 2 and 3 June 1999 (meeting of 3 June)
unanimously.

1.

Introduction

usher the EU’s urban policy into the new century and act as a
guide for future urban policy. Nevertheless, action in the field
of urban policy must not be allowed to lead to an extension of
the EU’s powers.

1.1.
The Committee of the Regions welcomes the develop-
ment of urban policy achieved within the Framework for
Action, and is particularly pleased to see the urban agenda
move forward so promptly after the previous communication
‘Towards an Urban Agenda in the European Union’. The
latest communication, ‘Sustainable Urban Development in the
European Union: A Framework for Action’, represents an
important step forward in the recognition of urban areas and
in the co-ordinating of the urban policy and actions within the
EU. The Committee of the Regions also supports and welcomes
in the
the integrated approach to urban policy set out
Framework. The Framework is a positive step on the way to
developing a truly integrated approach to urban policy. It will

1.2.
The recognition given to the central role played by
cities, towns and urban areas, and the importance of urban
policy on the EU agenda, is the result of many years of work,
especially on the part of local authorities and the organisations
that represent them. The COR has itself argued for such
recognition, for example in its Opinion on ‘Urban development
and the European Union’ (1995), which commented on the
need for a greater urban dimension to EU policies and in its
opinion on the European Spatial Development Perspective
(ESDP), which focuses on the vital role of towns in regional

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economic dynamism and in EU competitiveness. The Com-
mittee of the Regions particularly welcomes the Commission’s
recognition of the decisive role of cities in the implementation
of the EU’s main objectives — economic and social cohesion,
employment, competitiveness, and environmental sustaina-
bility. The recognition of the role of cities in this process
demonstrates the need for close involvement of local and
future policy formulation, and
regional authorities in all
recognises that cities — and the organisations and institutions
that represent them — should be true partners in the process.

The Framework for Action promotes a broad-based,
1.3.
integrated strategy for the development of cities and towns,
and considers a number of the recent EU programmes and
policy documents relevant to urban areas. At the same time,
however, the Framework has been successful in avoiding long
lists of specific issues, and has helpfully distilled its thoughts
into four broad headings. The structure of the Framework is
clear and accessible, and the Committee of
the Regions
commends the Commission for producing such an accessible
and useful document.

1.4.
However the Framework is only the first step. The
Commission and Member States must ensure that the Frame-
work’s recommendations are followed up with real action
and, in particular that the statements in the framework are
implemented during the new Structural Funds programming
period 2000-06. Equally, now that the Commission has pro-
duced such a valuable document — in effect a Green Paper —
they should take the next step and produce a White Paper that
will move urban policy into the next century. The Committee
of the Regions also looks forward to seeing the recommen-
dations for follow-up work delivered swiftly and effectively,
and urges the Commission to ensure that the resources needed
to deliver this are identified.

The Committee, however, emphasises that it is not yet
1.5.
possible to fully determine whether certain measures proposed
by the Framework for Action comply with the requirements
of Article 3b of the EC Treaty. In this respect, the safeguarding
of the subsidiarity principle in each individual case will have
to be verified if the measures are developed further.

2. General comments

with energy; we need to maintain an economy that
is
innovative, competitive and productive; and we need develop-
ment that does not erode social cohesion and undermine
families and communities’.

The need for such policy integration, both vertically
2.2.
and horizontally,
is clearly recognised by the framework
document. The four interdependent policy aims set out in the
Framework for Action, and the urban policy objectives based
on them, together offer a clear and holistic framework for
action.

The strategic role played by European cities, towns and urban
areas deserves greater recognition in formulating EU policy,
and it is important that more research is undertaken to help
us understand the position and the prospects of Europe’s cities,
towns and urban areas. With 80 % of all EU citizens living in
cities, towns and urban areas, there is an important role in
bringing the Community closer to its citizens. In terms of
urban governance that means that partnerships and local
empowerment have to be everyday practice in EU-funded
projects — from the planning phase to implementation.
This needs to receive greater recognition in the framework
document. Furthermore, the Commission should take better
account of the diversity of cities and their specific features.

2.3.
Culture is not included in the Framework for Action’s
challenges or policy aims. The Committee of the Regions takes
the position that culture is extremely significant both as a
growth sector and for the overall well being of a city, and
needs to be included as part of the EU urban policy. To cities,
culture has great economic importance: the culture industry is
one of the fastest-growing sectors. Cities are the bearers of
Europe’s values, cultural tradition, and identity — and cities
pass that heritage on to future generations. Along with
cohesion and sustainable development, maintenance of
Europe’s culture and identity should be a primary goal of
European urban policy — and a goal for the whole EU. It is an
important signal that the Fifth Framework for RTD programme
includes ‘The City of Tomorrow and the Cultural Heritage’ as
a key action. For the first
time, cities have thus been
mentioned explicitly in the Commission’s Framework for RTD
programmes.

The concept of sustainable, integrated urban develop-
2.1.
ment underpins the framework, and the Committee of the
Regions agrees that this should be the over-arching principle
to be followed in the development of urban policy. The
sustainable development of cities, towns and urban areas can
only be achieved by looking at economic competitiveness,
social cohesion and environmental sustainability as mutually
supportive agendas. The London Study, the first of a number
of city studies supported by the European Commission,
addresses this issue, calling for: ‘a recognition that our quality
of life rests on three key dimensions of development: we need
to live within the capacity of the environment to provide us

2.4.
The Framework for Action examines the challenges of
globalization primarily from the perspective of the urban
economy and urban employment. For cities, globalization
means both possibilities and threats, both competition and
co-operation. One important aspect of globalization that was
not discussed in the Framework is urbanisation and migration.
Urbanisation continues globally, and issues associated with
migration, both within and from outside the EU, will remain
acute in the next century. The challenges of urban growth
— housing, for example — should also be examined in the
context of EU urban policy.

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2.5.
The importance of taking a cross-sectoral integrated
approach to urban policy actions, likely to be more effective
than the sector-specific approach still applied at EU level,
should be given special emphasis by the Commission.

cities. If social and economic cohesion is to be achieved, it is
crucial that cities receive a fair share of resources. This would
demonstrate a real commitment to addressing urban issues. In
particular, the European Commission and Member States must
work to ensure a fairer distribution of Structural Fund
resources in favour of urban areas.

3. Strengthening economic prosperity and employment

in towns and cities

3.1.
Combined with the intellectual strength of urban
universities, the cultural traditions of European cities offer
yet-untapped possibilities for innovation policy. From the
standpoint of the competitiveness of Europe as a whole, the
central question is how the innovative potential of European
cities can be transformed into a practical creativity that
generates new products and services.
In the view of the
Committee of the Regions, the EU’s urban policy must strongly
innovation and
support
creativity. In this context the EU’s innovation and research and
development policies, particularly the City of Tomorrow
strand within the Fifth Framework Programme, occupy a key
position.

the role of cities as centres of

3.2.
The Committee of the Regions emphasises that this in
no way means abandoning the balanced development of cities
of different sizes. Through networking and co-operation, the
vitality of innovation centres will spread to other centres and
to the regions surrounding the cities, too. It is important, from
this point of view, that towns should be able to point to
increasingly functional links with the surrounding rural areas.
Distance work in rural areas, which has been made possible by
the new communications technology, could be mentioned as
an example of networking. Strengthening this interaction is a
cornerstone of urban policy. The urban dimension must be an
integral part of Structural Funds reform. It should apply to
Objective 1 areas as well as to the other objectives, as it is
towns and cities that often act as the motor for the economic
development of the whole region. Under the new objective 2
programme, the urban dimension should be strengthened and
greater complementarity between urban and rural areas should
be sought in order to promote a properly integrated spatial
development.

3.3.
According to the Framework for Action, the Structural
Funds are the EU’s most important instrument for promoting
prosperity and employment. The targeting of support should
be based on an integrated approach. Actions and programmes
must involve a flexible combination of measures and respond
to the current challenges faced by the city concerned. It is the
opinion of the Committee of the Regions that the Com-
mission’s proposal points in the right direction. It conforms
essentially with the subsidiarity principle and, when properly
used, offers a possibility for bolstering local autonomy and
supporting partnership.

In general terms, the issue of resources must be tackled.
3.4.
Many of the most intractable problems and the most difficult
challenges to social and economic cohesion are faced in today’s

3.5.
For the cities and towns of Europe, the improvement
of the employment situation is one of the most burning
questions. Integrated urban management is essential to the
success of employment and objective three strategies in
cities and towns. It is extremely important that increasing
employment be one of
the Union’s key objectives. The
Framework for Action emphasises the need for a stronger
urban dimension in the EU’s employment programmes. The
Committee of the Regions considers it important that the
challenge of long-term unemployment, which has been con-
centrated in cities, receive greater attention than before in the
co-ordination of the EU’s employment actions. This viewpoint
is absent
from the document now in hand. Within the
framework of the new Objective 3 in the Structural Funds
reform, the urban dimension must be emphasised, and the
urban viewpoint must be incorporated into the employment
programmes being drafted by Member States and by the
Commission.

3.6.
Cities are playing an especially crucial role in the
development of the information society. First, innovations in
new technology that offer the potential for dynamic new
sources of livelihood and employment are born in cities.
Secondly, by using new technology, cities can improve public
services in such fields as social services, health care and
education, so that social exclusion can be effectively reduced.
Thirdly, data networks are making it possible to get feedback
directly from city residents, and offer the potential for strength-
ening local democracy. Furthermore, data networks are offer-
ing opportunities for bolstering interaction between the
countryside and urban areas. In the view of the Committee of
the Regions, the urban-policy nature of these challenges has
not yet been adequately clarified. The connections between
urban policy and information-society policy must be studied,
and must bring these policy sectors closer together.

3.7.
Implementation of the objectives of the Framework for
Action will require active promotion of innovations and the
‘learning city’. To become reality, economic competitiveness, a
just society, sustainable development and functional adminis-
tration will make lifelong learning a necessity. Providing the
necessary learning and skills for residents and people who
work in cities is a basic prerequisite for the prosperity and
competitiveness of cities. Learning should be highlighted more
clearly as a leading principle of urban policy. Special attention
must be given to EU measures that support data systems,
research, and international assessments and comparisons of
innovative activity in cities. Co-operative networks between
cities on the one hand and universities and cultural and
research institutions on the other must be activated.

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4. Promoting equality, social inclusion and regeneration

in urban areas

4.1.
The Committee of the Regions welcomes the Com-
mission’s aim to tackle social exclusion by pursuing integrated
policy objectives. The integration of social equity, economic
competitiveness and protecting and maintaining the environ-
ment is key to delivering sustainable regeneration. The Com-
mittee of the Regions would urge the Commission to ensure
that this commitment to sustainable urban regeneration under-
pins all its activities.

4.2.
Social exclusion — although more visible and concen-
trated in our towns and cities — is not exclusively a problem
of urban areas. However it is in our towns and cities where we
witness the most severe forms of social and economic
exclusion.
In many otherwise wealthy regions there exist
pockets of the most deprivation, reflecting the sharp divisions
between the socially excluded and included that has been
recognised by the Commission. The EU’s First Report on
Economic and Social Cohesion identified this trend:

‘…The co-existence of areas with high added value and
high income residents alongside areas with low incomes,
high unemployment, high dependence on welfare benefits
and overcrowded and poor housing has become increas-
ingly common throughout Europe.’

The Commission has recognised the existence of areas
4.3.
of serious deprivation within otherwise wealthy cities in its
proposals for the new Objective 2 priorities, which identify
urban areas in difficulty a priority. The recent Eurostat
statistics on GDP provide a startling example of just such a
phenomenon, whereby some cities have scored very highly in
the table but have some of the most deprived local authority
areas in the whole of the EU.

4.4. Many of the most disadvantaged of our citizens are
affected by multiple levels of deprivation and poverty — they
live in inadequate housing, are unemployed and have little or
no prospect of getting a job, are poorly educated, and are
unskilled. These issues are even more acute within certain
social groups: minority ethnic communities are amongst those
who suffer the severest form of deprivation within the EU. It is
this multiple deprivation which demands a co-ordinated policy
approach by the EU and Member States. Non-discrimination
as described in Article 13 of the Amsterdam Treaty needs to
be mainstreamed if it is to be truly effective.

looked at in greater depth and should be viewed by the
Commission document as a territorial reference unit for action.
The Commission should examine the interdependancy and
complementarity between city and regions as well, and the
need for harmonious relations between them. The Committee
of the Regions wholly supports the intention of the Com-
mission in the new guidelines for the next programming
period 2000-06 for Structural and Cohesion Funds, to specifi-
cally address the needs of urban areas. This will be one of the
most effective means of ensuring that there is a strategic
approach to dealing with the needs of urban areas in each
region.

The Committee of

4.6.
the Regions acknowledges the
need for a partnership approach to finding solutions. This
partnership should span both horizontal and vertical levels of
decision making, ensuring complementarity of policy actions
at Member State and EU level. In addition, there is a growing
recognition that local partnerships are the key to achieving
sustainable regeneration and ensuring a more inclusive society.
The Commission’s URBAN Community Initiative was specifi-
cally developed to encourage a community led approach to
tackling social and economic exclusion. The Committee of the
Regions welcomes the development of this principle which
now under-pins the new Objective 2 priority for tackling the
structural problems of towns and major urban population
centres on the one hand and rural areas on the other.
The Committee also welcomes the move prompted by the
European Parliament to press ahead with the URBAN Com-
munity initiative.

4.7.
The Framework for Action document recognises the
need for area-based targeted actions, which actively involve all
sectors of society in bringing about change and pursuing
these objectives. In supporting the partnership approach, the
Committee of the Regions would urge the Commission to take
true capacity building amongst
account of
to the successful
the partnership, which is fundamental
implementation of local programmes, takes time; and that the
need for resources to support this must be recognised.

the fact

that

4.8.
The Committee of the Regions welcomes the emphasis
throughout the Urban Framework document on the need for
exchange of know-how and experience. However it stresses
the importance of the involvement of local and regional
authorities, which are responsible for the implementation of
national and EU policies and have a wealth of expertise on
which to draw.

5. Protecting and improving the urban environment:

towards local and global sustainability

4.5.
Developing routes out of exclusion — pathways to
employment — is a fundamental tenet of urban management.
In order to achieve links to the wider economy, the ’functional
urban regions’ first identified by the Committee of the Regions,
are an essential element of opening up access to employment
opportunities throughout the region. This concept should be

In terms of both objectives and action measures, the
5.1.
the
section on the urban environment,
Committee of the Regions, is comprehensive and focuses on
the essential questions. To strive for sustainable development

in the view of

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and to curb the negative environmental
impact of urban
functions have quite correctly been designated as the primary
objective. The other objectives cover the main challenges
facing the urban environment. In the implementation of these
objectives, the cities are in a central position. For the cities,
that represents a great challenge. The most important thing is
the integration of environmental policy into other policies at
all levels of administration (local, regional, national, EU). The
EU’s main departments and the Governments of the member
countries must harmonise their policies so as to ensure the
greatest multiple benefit.

5.2.
Improving the urban environment entails overhauling
the management of urban eco-system resources. These include
water and sewage services, selective sorting and recycling of
waste, an energy saving drive and improved multimodal,
environment-friendly public transport. Environment quality
standards for air, water etc. can play an active part in steering
development towards sustainable systems.

5.3.
From the standpoint of improving the urban environ-
ment, EU activities aimed at streamlining the enforcement of
Union environmental legislation are especially essential. The
EU must work with cities and towns at an early stage of
the preparation of new legislation in order to ensure the
implementation and enforcement of directives. Taking account
of the urban dimension means that new actions are planned
in cooperation with both representatives of local adminis-
tration and other stakeholders. The action proposal in question
must be fully supported. In the preparation of directives, there
must be adequate clarity as to their impacts at the local level,
and special local features must always be taken into account.

5.4.
Transport questions are among the most important
environmental questions everywhere. The constant growth in
road traffic does not conform with the principle of sustainable
development. Improvement of public transport and a substan-
tial increase in its market share are decisive factors. Action and
an integrated approach will be needed here, at all levels of
government. In addition to measures aimed at a more compact
local community structure, the EU should develop economic
guidance measures, such as steps aimed at favouring and
supporting public transport so as to ensure its competitiveness,
for example.

5.5.
In the years immediately ahead, the enforcement of the
Kyoto Protocol will pose a key environmental challenge. From
the standpoint of cities, linking public transport planning and
land use policy is an important means of reducing greenhouse
gas emissions.

5.6. With regard public procurement, cities can and must
serve as a good example to others. The substantial purchasing
power of local and regional authority will play a central role.
The objective has to be the ‘greening’ of procurement policy
and the promotion of
life-cycle thinking. Unfortunately,
environmental and internal-market policies often conflict with
each other in practice. The EU’s political will and action are
needed in this context. The EU can support cities and
towns by accelerating the progress of the EMAS and Public
Procurement Regulations, and the introduction of eco-labelling
— by publicising and harmonising the labelling systems. This
work will require a substantial research and development
investment by the EU.

the environment. That

5.7.
The Committee of the Regions believes that citizen
participation in decision-making processes, including dialogue
on local agenda 21, will require an enhanced public conscious-
in turn will demand the
ness of
production of clear, comprehensible information on the
consequences of human actions for the environment. For
sustainable development, the greatest challenges are consumer
behaviour and people’s lifestyle. Changing public attitudes is
essential to the implementation of sustainable development.
In training, educational curricula and day-to-day life, we must
concentrate on the sustainable-development perspective.

6. Promoting public influence and good urban adminis-

tration

6.1.
The Committee of the Regions fully supports the
Commission’s commitment to enhance and develop their
dialogue with local and regional authorities about EU policy
formation. We warmly welcome the proposal for the creation
of a group of experts to discuss progress in the implementation
of the Framework for Action. The Committee of the Regions
would like to see local and regional authorities strongly
represented on the group: municipalities often take a leading
role in the development of urban policy. It is also essential to
ensure that those actively engaged in the practical implemen-
tation urban development and regeneration activities be
included in the group. The Committee of the Regions urges
the Commission to establish the expert group without delay.

Through voluntary agreements, the EU is promoting product
development
in vehicular technology in order to reduce
vehicular emissions. The Auto-Oil Programme will have an
impact on the quality of fuel in the years immediately ahead.
The EU must continue and expand this sort of activity in a
consistent fashion. Cities and towns must seize the opportunity
to promote the use of the most advanced environmentally
friendly vehicles and engines through initiatives like Alter.

It is essential that the expert group on urban policy
6.2.
considers more than the monitoring of the framework. It
should be closely involved in influencing future actions.
Initiatives aimed at towns and cities, such as the Urban
Community initiative, or actions funded under the new
innovative actions budget heading allowed for in the structural
funds, should be closely guided by the views of the expert
group.

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6.3.
The Committee of the Regions would like to see a
greater commitment from the Commission to work closely
with the Committee of the Regions as well as other European-
wide, national or regional groupings of local authorities in the
development of policy. In particular, the Committee of the
Regions would like to see better inter-institutional arrange-
ments so that the Committee is involved from the outset in
policy development discussions.

6.4.
The Committee of the Regions agrees that policy
integration has to be an essential guiding principle, applied to
all aspects of strategy and policy development. Through
partnership and joint working, partners are able to recognise
and understand the objectives of others and that, for example,
economic growth is hindered if social exclusion is not tackled
or that environmental improvements often require growth in
order to be funded.

The appointment of a new Commission and a possible
6.5.
Intergovernmental Conference early next century provide a
golden opportunity for the European institutions to reassess
their decision making and administrative arrangements to
co-ordinated action for urban areas. A positive reform would
be to give one Commissioner overall responsibility for co-
ordinating urban policy actions.

6.6.
The COR welcomes the support of the Commission in
the draft Structural Fund regulations for the continued funding
of projects that support local capacity building.

6.7.
The Commission has an important role in encouraging
the exchange of experience between cities to support local
capacity building and to increase awareness about innovative
work in the area of sustainable urban development. Support
should continue for work in this area, such as European-wide
databases, training schemes and award schemes.

6.8.
Good urban governance requires an advanced model
of citizenship. Electoral apathy and a top-down approach to
policy development are not compatible with the development
of sustainable urban communities.

6.9.
The Community has a role in studying and disseminat-
ing information about new models of urban administration
and community consultation. Work should be undertaken at
the European level to discover effective ways of involving
all sections of local communities, and in the socially and
economically excluded.

different consultation mechanisms, and the piloting of innova-
tive projects and the dissemination of information about best
practice is a legitimate and valuable role for the EU.

6.11.
The European Commission must ensure that there is
meaningful community involvement in area based regener-
ation initiatives funded by the European Union, in particular
Structural Fund interventions. Full participation of the com-
munity is vital to ensuring that that economic development
initiatives are effective in meeting local need, and to ensuring
a sustainable benefit when funding programmes come to an
end.

6.12.
The Committee of the Regions welcomes the proposal
for European-wide civic forums to look at urban issues. Every
effort must be made to ensure that the forums are constructive
and that all sections of the Community are represented.

6.13.
The framework promises to encourage and support
local authorities to develop locally relevant indicators and to
undertake more work on bench marking, building on pilot
benchmarking exercise in urban transport. The COR is cur-
rently involved in a study to develop a limited set of indicators
of quality of life that can assist in the management of urban
policy. The study will seek to identify indicators that are
consistent with existing data availability and that go beyond
current crude traditional measures of quality of life based on
population density, GDP and unemployment. The Commission
is asked to consider the results of the study in future work.

7. Conclusions

7.1.
In the final analysis, the success of an urban policy
depends on the cities’ own activism. According to the subsidi-
arity principle, the urban policies of the EU and the national
Governments must by nature support and complement the
cities’ own actions. Such being the case, the role of urban
regions’ own integrated development plans, which are local
and based on self-government, must be recognised as the key
instrument of urban policy.

7.2.
The Committee of the Regions emphasises that towns
and especially cities are engines of economic growth and
sustainable development across Europe. The European Com-
mission should support cities in fulfilling their responsibilities
to the surrounding region. Meaningful dialogue and interaction
is in the interests of both the city and the surrounding region.
The methodology presented in the ESDP can, if developed in
dialogue with cities and regions, be an effective instrument for
coordination.

6.10.
Local and regional authorities have developed innova-
tive approaches, such as surveys of public opinion, citizens’
juries and panels, but this is often undertaken in isolation. It is
difficult for cities to justify using scarce resources to test

The EU must introduce the urban dimension as a
7.3.
guiding principle in those sectors of policy that are crucial to
sustainable urban development. The proposal for continuing

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the operation of the Commission’s Interservice Group must
therefore receive strong support. The cities must be brought
into the development and monitoring of urban policy as active
players and implementers.

7.4.
Information is becoming more and more important as
a resource for the development of cities, towns and urban
areas. Research and public information directly related to
urban policy must be increased at the level of the Commission,
too. The Urban Audit Project is a modest but important step
in this direction. It is, however, important that information on
towns and cities should not be confined to those major cities
which are currently covered by the Urban Audit, but that it be
extended to medium-sized and smaller towns too. Eurostat
must develop a uniform system of urban statistics. Both the
monitoring of the condition of the cities and the assessment
of actions that promote sustainable urban development lack
for which the
jointly agreed-upon gauges and indicators,
Commission should provide financial assistance.

7.5. Mechanisms and financing for the exchange of experi-
ence and information between cities, and for the dissemination
of the best practice, must be developed on an ongoing basis in
conformity with all four of the Framework for Action’s policy

areas. This increasingly applies also to activity that crosses the
Union’s outer borders.

The proposal for the establishment of an urban-policy
7.6.
expert group is to be supported. The Committee of the Regions
must be represented alongside other EU institutions in the
expert group that is to be established. Only in this fashion will
it be possible to ensure an integrated approach to urban affairs.
European cities and city networks should also be represented
in the group.

7.7.
The regular organisation of Urban Forums is an
effective way of developing and giving profile to urban policy
issues. Smaller-scale follow-up programmes, concentrating for
example on certain themes, would complement the Forums
and offer the opportunity to discuss specific issues in greater
detail, possibly with more opportunity for detailed discussion
and sharing of experience.

7.8.
Having drafted what is in effect a Green Paper, the
Commission must now take the next step and produce an
Urban White Paper to move urban policy into the next
century. Its preparation must take place through co-operation
among all the main parties, in a genuine spirit of partnership.

Brussels, 3 June 1999.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Manfred DAMMEYER