REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL on the Urban Agenda for the EU
Date: 2017-11-20
Institutions: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission
Subjects: EU regional policy, action programme, economic and social cohesion, regional cooperation, regional development, town, urban community, urban habitat, urban problem, urbanisation

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 20.11.2017  COM(2017) 657 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL on the Urban Agenda for the EU  
 
 
1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The Pact of Amsterdam, agreed by the Member States of the European Union (EU) in May 
2016, has been prepared in close cooperation with the Commission. It establishes the Urban 
Agenda for the EU which is a historic step on the path towards a closer association of cities to 
the  development  of  EU  and  national  policies.  It  gives  an  opportunity  for  cities  to  come  up 
with concrete actions in favour of a better regulation, better funding and better knowledge of 
EU  and  national  policies.  This  is  an  innovative  working  method  putting  multi-level 
governance  in  practice,  the  agenda  being  jointly  steered  by  all  involved  partners  on  a 
voluntary, inclusive and equal basis. Twelve issues which are particularly important for urban 
development have been identified and will be addressed in an integrated way. In June 2016, 
the Council of the European Union1 confirmed the importance of the Urban Agenda for the 
EU  and  called  on  the  Commission  and  EU  Member  States  to  fully  engage  in  its 
implementation. 

The  Council  conclusions  on  the  objectives  and  priorities  of  the  EU  and  its  Member  States', 
which has been adopted for the Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable 
Urban Development (Habitat III), present some key features for urban development. They call 
for  an  integrated  and  place-based  approach,  together  with  a  long-term  vision,  which  is 
necessary in order to promote well-managed, socially inclusive and safe, resilient, resource-
efficient  and  environmentally  sustainable  as  well  as  economically  prosperous  cities  of  all 
sizes2. The Urban Agenda for the EU is fully in line with this. 

Cities are important drivers of economic growth in the EU. It is in cities where most citizens 
live, where the biggest share of the Gross Domestic Product is generated, where a large part 
of EU policies and legislation are implemented and where a significant share of EU funds is 
spent.  In  addition,  cities  are  actors  of  open  innovation,  enabling  multi-level,  multi-
dimensional and multi-sectoral interactions between different stakeholders involved in the co-
creation, co-design and co-implementation of integrated and innovative solutions.  

Cities  are  also  the  places  where  opportunities  arising  from  the  urban  context  can  be  seized 
(e.g.  low  emission  transition,  circular  economy,  clean  mobility,  cultural  offer,  etc.).  At  the 
same time, many challenges have a strong impact on cities and it is there that they are best 
addressed.  These  challenges  can  be  related  to  global  issues  (e.g.  unemployment,  migration, 
impacts of disasters exacerbated by climate change, water scarcity, sustainable production and 
consumption or biodiversity loss, grey and black economy, etc.) but they can also be related 
to  local  issues,  linked  closely  to  the  quality  of  life  of  their  citizens  (e.g.  air  quality, 
recreational  space,  traffic  and  noise  levels,  water  pollution,  etc.).  The  White  Paper  on  the 
future of Europe underlined that "many Europeans consider the Union as either too distant or 
too interfering in their day-to-day lives"3. As cities are one of the closest levels of governance 

1   http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/06/24-conclusions-eu-urban-agenda/ 
2   http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-8824-2016-INIT/en/pdf 
3   COM(2017) 2025 final. 

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to  the  citizens,  working  with  them  can  bring  the  EU  closer  to  them.  Therefore,  the  EU  and 
cities, together with Member States, Regions and stakeholders, should work hand in hand to 
have  policies  adapted  to  the  needs  of  cities  and  hence  deliver  visible  improvements  to  the 
daily lives of people. 

The  momentum  on  urban  issues  has  not  only  been  on  the  rise  in  the  EU  but  also  globally 
where  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  been  instrumental  in  shaping  the  New  Urban 
Agenda.  The  latter  reflects  and  reinforces  the  principles  and  key  messages  of  the  Pact  of 
Amsterdam.  The  New  Urban  Agenda  is  creating  a  mutually  beneficial  relationship  between 
urbanisation  and  sustainable  development  and  will  guide  urban  development  policies  and 
financing  for  the  next  20  years.  The  Urban  Agenda  for  the  EU  contributes  to  the  external 
cooperation towards sustainable cities worldwide and strengthens the potential for inclusive, 
safe, resilient and sustainable urban development, framed by the new European Consensus on 
Development4 and the upcoming Staff Working Document on Cities and Local Authorities in 
third countries. The Council of the European Union has recognised that the Urban Agenda for 
the EU is a key delivery mechanism for the New Urban Agenda within the European Union5. 

The Urban Agenda for the EU also gives an important impetus to several other international 
agreements.  This  is  particularly  the  case  for  the  Agenda  2030's  Sustainable  Development 
Goal  11  calling  for  "cities  and  human  settlements"  to  be  "inclusive,  safe,  resilient  and 
sustainable"  and  other  urban  related  goals.  It  also  supports  the  Paris  Agreement  on  climate 
change6 which is the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal recognising the 
critical role of cities in reducing emissions as well as the Sendai framework for disaster risk 
reduction7.  Finally,  it  has  inspired  the  development  of  the  recently  adopted  'Union  for  the 
Mediterranean Urban Agenda'. 

The objective of the present report is to describe the initial stage of implementation and the 
preliminary  results  of  the  Urban  Agenda  for  the  EU  until  October  2017.  The  first  part  is 
dedicated  to  implementation  and  underlines  the  key  features  of  the  working  method.  The 
second part is dedicated to the results and presents the impacts that the Urban Agenda for the 
EU  had  so  far  on  policy  making  as  well  as  some  preliminary  proposals  in  terms  of  better 
regulation, better funding and better knowledge through the first draft Action Plans. 

2. 

IMPLEMENTATION 

The  Urban  Agenda  for  the  EU  constitutes  the  'umbrella'  for  all  urban  policy  initiatives.  As 
such, it should be implemented by all relevant actors at all levels. 

The  Partnerships  (groups  of  experts  from  the  Commission,  Member  States,  cities  and 
stakeholders) play a key role. In these, all the governance levels are involved in every stage 
and work on an equal footing thereby sharing the responsibility of results and cooperating on 
a  daily  basis:  EU  Institutions  and  Advisory  Bodies,  Ministries  of  Member  States,  regional 

4   http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2017/05/19-european-consensus-on-development/ 
5   http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-8824-2016-INIT/en/pdf 
6   http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php 
7   http://www.unisdr.org/we/coordinate/sendai-framework 

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authorities,  urban  authorities  as  well  as  stakeholders.  After  one  year  of  experience,  the 
members  consider  that  the  working  method  is  very  positive  as  it  promotes  ownership  and 
improves the content of the outputs. 

Twelve  priority  themes  have  been  identified  in  the  Pact  of  Amsterdam.  These  were  chosen 
taking into account the priorities of the EU 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive 
growth:  Inclusion  of  migrants  and  refugees;  Urban  poverty;  Housing;  Air  quality;  Circular 
economy;  Jobs  and  skills  in  the  local  economy;  Climate  adaptation  (including  green 
infrastructure  solutions);  Energy  transition;  Sustainable  use  of  land  and  Nature-Based 
solutions;  Urban  mobility;  Digital  transition;  and  Innovative  and  responsible  public 
procurement.  These  priority  themes  are  addressed  taking  into  account  a  number  of  cross-
cutting issues which reflect some of the important policies of the EU, especially the territorial 
dimension: the need to have a good cooperation between cities and rural areas; the importance 
of small and medium-sized cities; the added-value of a good urban planning which can affect 
urban sprawl and activity in city-centres; the links with the international dimension, especially 
the  New  Urban  Agenda  and  the  Sustainable  Development  Goals;  the  general  principle  of 
gender mainstreaming, etc.. 

The  Partnerships  analyse  challenges  and  bottlenecks  to  recommend  focused,  concrete  and 
implementable actions in the form of an Action Plan to be finalised within two years after the 
start of their work. Their proposals adopted by consensus cover improvements of regulation, 
funding  and  knowledge  but  may  also  extend  to  policies,  governance  and  practices.  This 
approach takes into account the diversity of cities and their wider territorial context in order to 
contribute to the Union’s objective of territorial cohesion. 

All  the  twelve  Partnerships  have  been  set  up  in  three  phases  between  May  2016  and  June 
2017  (four  Partnerships  under  the  Dutch  Presidency,  four  under  the  Slovak  Presidency  and 
four  under  the  Maltese  Presidency).  Participating  Member  States  and  cities  have  been 
proposed  by  Member  States,  the  Committee  of  the  Regions,  Eurocities,  the  Council  of 
European  Municipalities  and  Regions  as  well  as  the  URBACT8  Programme  and  have  been 
selected  by  the  Directors-General  Group  on  Urban  Matters9.  A  large  number  of  cities  and 
partners  expressed  their  interest  in  participating  in  the  Partnerships  (with  about  250 
applications  received  in  total).  The  coverage  of  the  Partnerships  is  very  broad:  22  Member 
States,  84  cities,  13  Directorates-General10  of  the  Commission,  two  associations  of  cities 
(Eurocities  and  the  Council  of  European  Municipalities  and  Regions),  the  EIB  (in  8 
Partnerships) and several stakeholders such as associations, non-governmental organisations, 
research  and  education  bodies,  and  business  representations  (e.g.  European  Federation  of 

http://urbact.eu/ 

8 
9  The Directors-General Group on Urban Matters is composed of all Member States, the Commission and city 
representatives  (Committee  of  the  Regions,  Eurocities,  Council  of  the  European  Municipalities  and 
Regions). This group is co-chaired by the country holding the EU Presidency and the Commission. 

10  DG  Regional  and  Urban  Policy,  DG  Agriculture  and  Rural  Development,  DG  Climate  Action,  DG 
Communication  Networks,  Content  and  Technology,  DG  Employment,  Social  Affairs  and  Inclusion,  DG 
Energy, DG Mobility and Transport, DG Environment, DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship, and 
SMEs,  DG  Migration  and  Home  Affairs,  DG  Research  and  Innovation,  DG  Humanitarian  Aid  &  Civil 
Protection, Joint Research Centre. 

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National Organisations Working with the Homeless -, Polis - network of European cities and 
regions  working  on  local  transport  -,  Housing  Europe).  It  is  also  worth  underlining  that  the 
composition  of  the  Partnerships  is  balanced  with  most  Member  States  being  involved,  with 
cities of all sizes, of all parts of the EU and of all levels of economic and social development, 
as well as with some regional city networks and Regions.  

In  order  to  ensure  that  the  Partnerships  remain  operational,  their  size  is  limited  to  15-20 
members. It is therefore of key importance to work in full transparency and give a voice also 
to  those  outside  its  membership.  This  has  been  done  through  an  interactive  website  called 
'Futurium' which enables all those interested to be informed and to give feedback (e.g. on the 
first  drafts  Action  Plans  proposed  by  the  Partnerships)11,  a  series  of  workshops  and  also  a 
high-level  conference  organised  by  the  Commission  every  two  years  called  the  'Cities 
Forum'12.   

The Urban Agenda for the EU requires the issues to be addressed in an integrated way. The 
priority  themes  require  input  and  collaboration  of  experts  from  different  policy  fields.  For 
example, the improvement of air quality is as much a matter  of addressing issues related to 
transport,  energy,  sustainable  management  of  natural  resources,  nature-based  solutions, 
health, governance, housing, infrastructure, business, construction13, financial models as well 
as research and innovation.  

In  line  with  this  approach  experts  from  several  Directorates-Generals  of  the  European 
Commission participate in the work of the Partnerships which ensures, in particular, that they 
cover the many EU policies and instruments relevant for cities and that they work together to 
avoid  duplications,  establish  complementarities  and  build  on  synergies.  To  reinforce  a 
comprehensive approach of urban issues and consistent proposals to tackle these challenges, 
the Partnerships also coordinate their work among each other.‎ 

3.  FIRST RESULTS 

3.1. 

Impact on policy-making 

3.1.1.  Cities 

Cities are not only places where EU policies and instruments are implemented, they can also 
be the actors in developing EU policies addressing the challenges they face. In fact, through 
the  work  in  the  Partnerships  many  cities  have  demonstrated  their  ability  to  contribute  in  a 
meaningful way to EU policy-making. However, not all cities can invest time and resources to 
work  at  national  and  EU  levels.  It  is  therefore  important  to  raise  awareness  and  foster 
engagement of cities not directly involved in the work of the Partnerships. In addition, while 
not multiplying initiatives and networks, it is an important challenge for the coming years to 
support and build capacity to enable them to implement integrated approaches at local level 
through innovative cooperation between the administration, the business sector and citizens. 

11   https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/urban-agenda 
12   https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/content/save-date-cities-forum-2728-november-rotterdam 
13   COM(2012) 433 final. 

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3.1.2.  Member States 

Member  States  are  very  active  in  the  implementation  of  the  Urban  Agenda  for  the  EU  and 
they have played a key role in the governance of the process. During the last Trio Presidency 
(Dutch,  Slovak  and  Maltese  Presidencies)  this  process  has  smoothly  continued  with  the 
selection of partners for each of the twelve Partnerships, the monitoring of already established 
Partnerships and the discussions to steer the overall process. 

The  Urban  Agenda  for  the  EU  and  the  New  Urban  Agenda  have  also  triggered  a  renewed 
policy interest in some Member States to develop or strengthen their national urban policy14. 
This  process  has  a  wide  potential  by  making  the  best  use  of  the  dynamism  of  cities  and 
securing  the  integration  of  city  initiatives  and  planning  into  the  national  and  regional 
development strategies of the country. It can reinforce the cooperation between national and 
local  levels,  lead  to  the  involvement  of  cities  and  stakeholders  in  the  design  of  policies 
allowing for knowledge and good practices sharing on common issues.  

3.1.3.  EU Institutions and Bodies 

The  Commission  facilitates  the  overall  process  by  bringing  EU  policy  expertise  in  the 
Partnerships'  meetings,  providing  a  Secretariat 
the  Partnerships  and  having 
communication activities with all interested parties.  

for 

The Commission reinforced the policy coordination to ensure a better coherence among EU 
policies,  to  avoid  duplications,  establish  complementarities  and  build  on  synergies.  This 
coordination  still  needs  to  be  strengthened  in  the  coming  years  to  fully  achieve  results.  In 
particular,  the  coordination  happens  both  at  political  level,  in  the  project  team  on  urban 
matters and at operational level, in the inter-service group dedicated to urban matters which 
coordinates policy developments.  

The  Urban  Agenda  for  the  EU  constitutes  the  common  frame  for  urban  policy  initiatives 
launched  by  the  Commission.  This  is  particularly  the  case  for  the  European  Innovation 
Partnership  on  Smart  Cities  and  Communities15,  the  Joint  Programming  Initiative  Urban 
Europe16, Horizon 202017, the Covenant of Mayors18 (where many actions are in line with the 
key priorities of  both the Urban Agenda for the EU and the New Urban Agenda, i.e. right to 
the city; public spaces; urban resilience), the Urban Innovative Actions (where the calls have 
been  aligned  to  the  twelve  topics  of  the  Urban  Agenda  for  the  EU),  and  for  international 
commitments.  

Thus, the Urban Agenda for the EU is fully embedded in the work across the Commission and 
is referred to in a number of key policy documents such as: the Communication "Europe on 
the move - An agenda for a socially fair transition towards clean, competitive and connected 

14   http://www.oecd.org/regional/regional-policy/the-state-of-national-urban-policy-in-oecd-countries-

9789264271906-en.htm. 

15   http://ec.europa.eu/eip/smartcities/ 
16   http://www.jpi-urbaneurope.eu/  
17   https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/what-horizon-2020 
18   http://www.covenantofmayors.eu/about/covenant-of-mayors_en.html 

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mobility  for  all"19;  the  e-Government  Action  Plan  2016-202020  under  the  Digital  Single 
Market Strategy for Europe which includes the work of the Digital transition Partnership as 
one of its key actions21; the Communication "Accelerating Clean Energy Innovation" where 
urban aspects are included, with a specific action on 'Smart, sustainable and inclusive urban 
demonstration projects and best practices in cities'; and the Action Plan on the integration of 
third country nationals22 which refers to the Partnership on inclusion of migrants and refugees 
as a framework to exchange experiences and best practices.  

The European Parliament is a very important player in the Urban Agenda for the EU through 
policy  inputs  to  the  Partnerships  and  funding  for  the  Secretariat.  Once  the  actions  are 
finalised,  they  will  be  transmitted  to  the  European  Parliament  to  consider  how  they  can  be 
taken up in its work as co-legislator. 

The Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee have been 
strong advocates of the Urban Agenda for the EU and continue to discuss urban issues on a 
regular basis. In particular, the COTER Commission agreed on a "Follow-up Strategy on the 
Implementation of the Urban Agenda for the EU"23.  

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is actively involved in the Urban Agenda for the EU. In 
particular,  the EIB  has  created  an  Urban  Agenda  Working  Group  bringing  together 
representatives  from  all  EIB  services  to  review  the  many  ways  in  which  the  EIB  can 
contribute to the Urban Agenda for the EU24. 

3.2.  Actions proposed by the Partnerships 

Each  Partnership  has  to  formulate  an  Action  Plan  with  concrete  proposals  for  better 
regulation, better funding and better knowledge, related to the theme of the Partnership. The 
first three have delivered their draft Action Plans25 mid-2017 that will be finalised by the end 
of 2017 (on urban poverty, housing as well as inclusion of migrants and refugees). Afterwards 
these  Partnerships  may  continue  to  work  on  the  implementation  of  the  proposed  actions  as 
well as potential further actions. The Action Plans of the remaining Partnerships are expected 
to be delivered in 2018/2019.  

There  is  no  legal  obligation  to  implement  the  actions  which  are  therefore  voluntary  for  the 
addressees of the actions. However, EU Institutions, Member States, cities and stakeholders 
should  examine  how  to  implement  the  actions  falling  within  their  competence.  The 
Commission plans to do so, and may consider implementing some of those addressed to it in 
the  form  of  legislative  proposals,  including  funding  instruments,  inclusive  policy-making 
processes  or  improved  mechanisms  for  exchange  of  experience.  Wherever  relevant,  the 

19   COM(2017) 283 final and SWD(2017) 177 final. 
20   COM(2016) 179 final (http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/1/2016/EN/1-2016-179-EN-F1-1.PDF). 
21  https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/blog/commission-adds-urban-digital-transition-actions-its-egovernment-

action-plan-reflect-role-local 

22   COM(2016) 377 final. 
23   https://memportal.cor.europa.eu/Handlers/ViewDoc.ashx?doc=COR-2016-04284-00-01-TCD-TRA-

EN.docx 

24   Publication by the EIB and the Committee of the Regions called “The EU Urban Agenda – Toolbox”. 
25   https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/urban-agenda 

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actions may be included in the Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme (REFIT) for 
possible legislative amendments. 

3.2.1.  Better regulation 

Cities are faced with several layers of legislation produced at EU, national and sometimes also 
at  regional  and  local  level.  Implementation  of  these  regulations  is  sometimes  difficult  since 
the rules have not necessarily been prepared with an urban perspective.  

In the context of the Urban Agenda for the EU, the Commission explores how to better assess 
the  impact  on  urban  areas  of  EU  legislation,  using  available  tools  and  including  stronger 
stakeholders'  involvement.  The  Commission  already  analyses26  the  potential  territorial 
impacts of legislative or policy initiatives that  have  an urban dimension.  In  2016 and  2017, 
the  Commission  tested  the  available  methods  on  five  cases:  Evaluation  of  the  Energy 
Performance of Buildings Directive; New Skills Agenda for Europe; Port reception facilities 
for ship generated waste and cargo residues; Minimum quality requirements for reused water 
in the EU; and Clean and energy efficient road transport vehicles.  

The  territorial  impact  assessments  gave  the  opportunity  to  experts  of  cities,  regions  and 
Member  States  to  express  their  views  to  the  Commission  on  EU  initiatives  and  thereby 
provide useful insights on the varying potential impacts on cities. The results of the territorial 
impact assessments are being used for the Impact Assessments prepared by the Commission 
on its policy initiatives. In addition, the process allowed for close policy coordination among 
Commission services. The next step will be to draw conclusions from the test cases to ensure 
that improved territorial impact methodologies are used more broadly in the Commission and 
in Member States. 

The  first  Partnerships'  draft  actions  for  better  regulation  focus  on  possible  improvement  of 
policy processes and legislation. They go beyond changing legislation and include new non-
legislative proposals. These actions could be examined by the Commission in the frame of the 
REFIT Platform27 or through other channels. Some examples of draft actions that have been 
developed by Partnerships are28: 

  Review  the  Services  of  General  Economic  Interest  decision  regarding  the  target 
group for social housing – The objective is to review the current definition of the target 
group for social housing in the Services of General Economic Interest decision. The aim 
is  to  improve  legal  certainty  for  public  and  private  social  and  affordable  housing 
investors. 

26   In co-operation with the Committee of the Regions (which has also experimented with  'Territorial Impact 
Assessment' methodologies), in particular delivering together seminars and disseminating methodologies.  
27   The REFIT Platform was set up by the May 2015 to advise the Commission on how to make EU regulation 
more efficient and effective while reducing burden and without undermining policy objectives. It consists of 
a Government Group, with one seat per Member State and a Stakeholder Group with 18 members and two 
representatives from the European Social and Economic Committee and the Committee of the Regions. 
28   These actions are owned by the Partnerships. As they have not been prepared by the Commission, they may 

not reflect the views of the Commission and may not be within its competences. 

8 

 
                                                 
  Adopt a European Child Guarantee – The objective is to reduce the levels of poverty of 
children  and  young  people  at  EU  and  national level  with  a  Child  Guarantee.  The action 
requires  defining  a  set  of  realistic  objectives  and  measurable  targets,  guaranteeing 
children's rights through a child rights-based national plan or strategy for the fight against 
child poverty and providing adequate funds. 

  Establish a European Migrant Advisory Board – The objective is to involve refugees 
and  other  migrants  in  the  design  of  policies  related  to  their  integration.  The  Advisory 
Board will be comprised of migrants and refugees. At a first stage, it will provide advice 
to the Partnership (with the possible development of further actions) and at a later stage it 
could be extended to provide advice to the EU, national and local policy-makers.  

3.2.2.  Better funding 

Key European challenges such as energy transition, employment and inclusive society require 
investments  in  smart  and  sustainable  energy,  sustainable  transport,  information  and 
communication  technologies'  infrastructures,  social  and  nature-based  innovation,  affordable 
and  energy  efficient  housing,  education,  health  infrastructure,  air  quality  or  climate 
adaptation. Cities however face difficulties in financing these investments, following a steep 
decline in public investments since the crisis in 201029.  

Many  EU  instruments  and  funding  opportunities  are  available  to  cities.  For  example,  the  
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) invests about EUR 100 billion (2014-2020) in 
cities  and  out  of  these,  EUR  15  billion  are  managed  directly  by  cities  empowering  them  to 
develop  their  own  strategies  (integrating  interventions  from  different  policy  fields  based  on 
local challenges and opportunities) and to select the most suitable projects for funding. ERDF 
also  funds  Urban  Innovative  Actions,  with  a  budget  of  EUR  370  million  (2015-2020), 
supporting cities in testing new solutions for urban development. Another important example 
is  'Horizon  2020'  which  has  invested  EUR  1.5  billion  (2014-2017)  on  urban  research  and 
innovation actions, out of which EUR 435 million (2014-2017) devoted to innovation actions 
for  Smart  and  Sustainable  Cities.  The  European  Investment  Bank  (EIB)  invested  EUR  116 
billion  (2011-2016)  in  EU  urban  development  and  lent  directly  to  over  150  municipalities 
with  a  population  above  75 000  inhabitants  as  well  as  indirectly  to  hundreds  more  through 
facilities with promotional banks.  

However,  there  is  a  need  to  better  raise  awareness  about  existing  initiatives  and  the  current 
advisory  and  financing  landscape  needs  to  be  streamlined.  To  facilitate  the  exchange  of 
experiences  on  funding  urban  projects,  the  Commission  has  established  the  Urban 
Development Network30. At the same time existing sources need to be better tailored to cities' 
needs  and  challenges  also  by  making  use  of  other  existing  networks.  To  address  this,  the 
Commission  and  the  EIB  are  working  towards  a  new  "Urban  Investment  and  Advisory 
Platform" which will provide financial and technical advisory services for cities. The platform 
will  offer  bespoke  support  throughout  the  key  stages  of  preparing  and  implementing 
integrated  urban  projects,  including  development  of  investment  strategies,  preparation  of 

29   The State of the European Cities 2016, p. 192. 
30   http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/themes/urban-development/network/ 

9 

 
                                                 
project  pipeline  and  exploration  of  innovative  financing  tools  such  as  the  combination  of 
European Structural and Investment Funds with the European Fund for Strategic Investments. 

The  first  Partnerships'  draft  actions  for  better  funding  focus  on  improved  access  of cities  to 
EU  funding  based  on  the  needs  of  local  authorities  and  on  the  post-2020  cohesion  policy 
framework. Some examples of draft actions that have been developed by Partnerships are31: 

  Establish a block grant for urban authorities to fight poverty in cohesion policy post 
2020 – The objective is to facilitate access to EU Funds in cities through the introduction 
of  a  new  thematic  objective  on  urban  development  with  the  corresponding  ex-ante 
conditionality and a possible earmarking of funds for urban poverty.  

  Provide better access for cities to the EU funds supporting the integration of refugees 
and other migrants – The objective is to provide cities with a better access to EU funds 
promoting the integration of refugees and other migrants. In most cases cities do not have 
direct access to EU funds but have to go through their Member State or regions, which are 
responsible for managing the funds. In addition, the access to these funds can be complex 
which  represents  a  challenge  for  cities  that  have  limited  administrative  capacity  and/or 
have to act in urgency. The action aims at improving the situation in the next multiannual 
financial framework (post 2020).  

3.2.3.  Better knowledge 

Cities  have  to  adapt  to  a  changing  world.  Their  decisions  should  be  based  on  accurate 
information and can be inspired by the experience of other cities. EU policies, legislation and 
instruments must also be based on strong and reliable evidence on urban issues. This is why 
the Urban Agenda for the EU aims to have a better knowledge base and promote exchange of 
good practices. In order to improve access to data, the Commission has established the 'Urban 
Data Platform'32 bringing together, for the first time, the available data from Eurostat on key 
urban  challenges  (e.g.  housing,  key  pollutants  or  traffic)  and  providing    key  indicators,  not 
just at city level but also for functional urban areas and metropolitan regions. In addition two 
important recent publications are contributing to the understanding of European cities: 'Urban 
Europe:  statistics  on  cities,  towns  and  suburbs'33  (2016)  providing  detailed  statistics;  the 
second presents the state of the European cities34 highlighting how the unique characteristics 
of  European  cities  can  support  the  EU  priorities  of  jobs  and  growth,  migration  and  climate 
action by boosting innovation, embracing people from different backgrounds and reducing the 
impact on the planet.  

The  overall  understanding  of  urban  issues  could  greatly  benefit  from  a  global,  harmonised 
definition of cities35, as a means to move forward the evidence-base of global discussions on 

31   These actions are owned by the Partnerships. As they have not been prepared by the Commission, they may 

not reflect the views of the Commission and may not be within its competences. 

32   http://urban.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ 
33   http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-statistical-books/-/KS-01-16-691 
34   http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/themes/urban-development/cities-report 
35   http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-3477_en.htm 

10 

 
                                                 
urbanisation  and  urban  development.  To  progress  on  this,  the  Commission  has  taken  a 
commitment towards the international community to develop such a definition.  

The Commission is also helping cities in better designing their own policies, for example, in 
their  environmental  performance  and  sustainable  approach  on  key 
self-assessing 
environmental topics through a benchmarking tool called the 'Green City tool'36. 

Knowledge and information also needs to be shared with the cities in a streamlined manner. 
This  is  why  the  Commission  has  established  a  single  web  entry  point  for  cities  and 
stakeholders, the 'one-stop-shop'37 on all the EU urban initiatives, which provides complete, 
reliable and customised information on EU regulations, funds and knowledge.  

It is important to capitalise on the knowledge and experience created. To do so, a fresh look 
on knowledge capitalisation, capacity building and networks is needed38. Indeed, knowledge, 
which has been created over decades with EU support, is fragmented, made available through 
individual  projects  and  is  thus  often  too  difficult  to  access  for  cities  and  policy  makers. 
Scientific knowledge (e.g. from Horizon 2020 'Excellent Science' pillar, Civitas, the European 
Environment  Agency  or  the  European  Commission's  Joint  Research  Centre)  and  applied 
knowledge (e.g. from the Joint Programming Initiative Urban Europe, URBACT or ESPON39 
programmes) needs to be brought together, synthesised and made available in an easy way for 
policy-makers.  There  have  already  been  some  attempts  such  as  the  Urban  Development 
Network  or  the  Knowledge  Exchange  Platform  to  capitalise  knowledge  created  under  EU 
programmes  (for  example,  the  Knowledge  Exchange  Platform  presents  to  cities  the  new 
research  and  innovation  solutions  in  response  to  the  numerous  societal  challenges).  This 
transfer  of  knowledge  is  also  very  relevant  for  external  cooperation  as  the  EU  has  a  lot  of 
experiences on urban development that can be shared with other countries. 

The  first  Partnerships'  draft  actions  for  better  knowledge  focus  on  the  need  to  continue 
developing  local  data  and  their  better  use  for  policy  making  at  all  levels.  Actions  targeting 
data collection are scattered by target groups and sectorial policies. In order to improve urban 
policy making, actions in this field may foresee some consistency check. Some examples of 
draft actions that have been developed by Partnerships are40: 

  Draft  guidance  on  EU  regulation  and  public  support  for  affordable  housing  –  The 
objective  is  to  improve  legal  certainty  and  clarity  for  public  and  private  investors.  The 
Housing Partnership has elaborated an in-depth analysis of the effects of the current EU 
state  aid  rule  to  affordable  housing.  This  results  in  a  guidance  paper  that  addresses  the 

36   http://ec.europa.eu/environment/urban/tool.htm 
37   https://ec.europa.eu/info/eu-regional-and-urban-development/cities_en 
38   There  are  many  elements  that  could  be  used  for  inspiration  such  as  the  'transfer  networks'  under  the 
URBACT  programme  (http://urbact.eu/capitalisation-and-dissemination)  or  the  'TAIEX  REGIO  peer-to-
peer'  that  helps  public  officials  to  exchange  knowledge  thus  improving  their  administrative  capacity 
(http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/how/improving-investment/taiex-regio-peer-2-peer/). 

39   https://www.espon.eu/ 
40   These actions are owned by the Partnerships. As they have not been prepared by the Commission, they may 

not reflect the views of the Commission and may not be within its competences. 

11 

 
                                                 
main points of concern  of social, affordable and  municipal housing providers as well as 
legislators on Member States and EU level.    

  Establish  a  peer-to-peer  academy  on  integration  strategies  and  practices  –  The 
objective is to offer trainings and different kind of activities to enhance the knowledge and 
capacity  of  policy-makers  to  promote  the  integration  of  refugees  and  other  migrants. 
Indeed, local authorities are faced with a complex range of integration related challenges 
and  they  are  more  and  more  required  to  act  quickly  to  react  to  changing  demands  and 
needs in their population. Being equipped with the necessary knowledge and capacity is 
crucial to develop responsive and effective integration policies.  

  Establish  a  solid  statistical  basis  regarding  integration-related  data  on  urban  and 
regional level – The objective is to facilitate evidence-based integration policies in cities. 
Currently,  at  local  level,  there  is  an  uneven  availability  of  integration  statistics,  limited 
cities’ involvement on data and no comparable integration indicators. In addition and as a 
consequence there is a limited knowledge transfer among cities. 

  Establish  a  database  and  toolbox  on  migrant  integration  and  affordable  housing  – 
The  objective  is  to  facilitate  evidence-based  policies  in  cities  through  reliable  data  and 
knowledge transfer. Currently there is an uneven availability of statistics on local level. In 
addition, there is little knowledge transfer among cities. 

4. 

 CONCLUSION AND NEXT STEPS 

After  only  one  year,  the  Urban  Agenda  for  the  EU  has  already  delivered  the  first  tangible 
results.  The  twelve  Partnerships  are  operational,  a  governance  system  is  in  place  and  three 
draft Action Plans have been prepared. In the Commission, urban issues are on the agenda and 
efforts have been made to improve internal coordination, involve more the cities and provide 
easy access to information on EU opportunities for cities. The working method - multi-level 
governance, multi-stakeholder involvement and integrated approach - is functioning and could 
be used in other policy fields.  

The commitment for the Urban Agenda for the EU, initiated during the Dutch Presidency of 
the  EU,  continues  to  be  high.  The  Commission,  Member  States  and  cities  are  eager  to 
strengthen  the  urban  dimension  of  their  activities  as  it  is  a  way  to  be  closer  to  the  citizens: 
making  good  policies  with  positive  results  in  their  daily  lives.  This  interest  is  also  on  the 
international side, where the concept of an 'Urban Agenda' is widely understood and has also 
been  developed  with  the  New  Urban  Agenda  and  the  Union  for  the  Mediterranean  Urban 
Agenda.  Moreover,  cities  and  local  authorities  are  gaining  increasing  importance  in 
international processes on sustainable development, climate and disaster risk reduction. 

Already  after  the  first  year  of  implementation,  the  Urban  Agenda  for  the  EU  showed  that 
there is scope to strengthen urban policy in the EU and the necessity to discuss this further. 
We  are  still  at  early  stages  but  there  are  already  some  concrete  milestones:  on  27-28 
November, the progress on the Urban Agenda for the EU will be discussed during the Cities 
Forum; in 2018/2019, the twelve Partnerships should all have their Action Plans finalised; in 
2018,  the  Commission's  Staff  Working  Document  on  Cities  and  Local  Authorities  in  third 

12 

 
countries  should  be  issued;  between  2018  and  2021,  some  of  these  actions  should  be 
implemented;  by  the  end  of  2019,  the  Commission  plans  to  carry  out  an  evaluation  on  the 
Urban Agenda for the EU. All this should lead to a shared understanding of the best ways to 
work  with  cities  and  support  them  in  their  development.  The  Commission  is  committed  to 
continue promoting the Urban Agenda for the EU as it is convinced that cities are important 
actors who have to be involved in the design and implementation of EU policies. 

13