REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Implementation of the European Urban Initiative in 2022-2024
Date: 2025-02-12
Institutions: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission
Subjects: European Regional Development Fund, European territorial cooperation, co-financing, cross-border cooperation, innovation, operational programme, regional development

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 12.2.2025  COM(2025) 41 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Implementation of the European Urban Initiative in 2022-2024  
 
 
Table of Contents 

1. 

2. 

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 2 

IMPLEMENTATION ....................................................................................................... 2 

2.1. Funding for innovation in cities .................................................................................... 3 

2.2. Supporting capacities and knowledge in cities ............................................................ 5 

2.2.1. Enhancing capacities of cities ................................................................................. 5 

2.2.2. Supporting knowledge and policies in cities ......................................................... 7 

2.3. Governance and other activities .................................................................................... 8 

3.  FIRST RESULTS .............................................................................................................. 9 

4.  CONCLUSIONS .............................................................................................................. 12 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
1.  INTRODUCTION 

Europe is facing multiple challenges, from economic recovery and building inclusive societies, 
to  tackling  climate  change,  environmental  degradation  and  demographic  change,  to  the  twin 
green and digital transitions. Cities are places where all the challenges are coming together and 
where new solutions can be tried and tested in ways that make a difference to people. 

Cohesion policy has a strong urban dimension, and its support to sustainable urban development 
was reinforced for the 2021-2027 programming period to help cities take active role in designing 
and implementing policy responses to their local challenges. As a result, Cohesion Funds invest 
more  than  EUR  100 billion  in  cities,  and  cities  are  directly  responsible  for  designing  and 
implementing investments for over EUR 24 billion under the Cohesion policy programmes. 
In addition, a new European Urban Initiative (EUI)1 was established within the urban dimension 
of Cohesion policy for the 2021-2027 programming period. With a budget of EUR 395 million2, 
it is  an instrument  to  support cities of all sizes,  to  build capacity and knowledge, to  support 
innovation and develop transferable and scalable solutions to urban challenges of EU relevance. 
Activities are coordinated with and complemented by the URBACT programme3 and provide 
support to the intergovernmental work under the Urban Agenda for the EU. 

The present report describes the EUI activities and the implementation results from 1 September 
2022 to 31 August 2024. 

2.  IMPLEMENTATION 

The  implementation  of  the  EUI  was  entrusted  to  the  Region  Hauts-de-France,  in  close 
collaboration  with  the  European  Commission4.  A  Permanent  Secretariat  (hereafter  ‘EUI 
Secretariat’)  was  set  up  by  the  Region  Hauts-de-France  to  carry  out  all  the  daily  activities 
presented in this report. The work is built along two strands, aimed at providing: (a) support of 
innovation, and (b) support of capacity and knowledge building, territorial impact assessments, 
policy  development  and  communication  (Figure  1).  75%  of  the  EUR  395  million  budget5  is 
designated to strand (a), and 25% for strand (b). 

1  Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 on 

the European Regional Development Fund and on the Cohesion Fund. 

2  The initial budget of EUR 400 million (in 2018 prices) was decreased to EUR 395 million (in current prices) 

due to the Multiannual Financial Framework review in 2024. 

3  Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1059 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 on 
specific provisions for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) supported by the European Regional 
Development Fund and external financing instruments. URBACT finances networks of cities to support cities 
in developing integrated practices. 

4  Based on Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1058, the implementation of the EUI was entrusted to the Region 
Hauts-de-France  via  indirect  management.  The  call  for  expressions  of  interest  concerning  the  indirect 
management of the EUI was published in May 2021 resulting in the selection of the Region Hauts-de-France in 
July  2021.  The  agreement  between  the  Commission  and  the  Region  Hauts-de-France  was  signed  in  August 
2022. 
In current prices 

5 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
Figure 1. Intervention logic of the European Urban Initiative 

2.1. Funding for innovation in cities 

The EUI supports innovative action projects that aim to foster the transformative role of cities 
and the deployment of proof-tested urban innovations across the EU. Each project can receive 
a maximum European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) contribution of EUR 5 million with 
a co-financing rate of 80% and has a maximum duration of four years6. Eligible applicants are 
urban authorities or groupings of urban authorities (i.e. cities, towns, or suburbs) with a total 
population of at least 50 000 inhabitants, located in one of the EU Member States. 
This workstream builds on the Urban Innovative Actions pilot initiative7 that was implemented 
during the 2014-2020 programming period. Since then, many improvements were introduced, 
for  example:  (i)  stronger  focus  on  urban  innovations  of  relevance  for  Cohesion  policy,  (ii) 
enhanced  measurability  of  results  against  pre-defined  indicators,  (iii)  improved  focus  on 
projects’ operational readiness, upscaling potential and replicability of tested solutions. 

Four calls for the EUI innovative actions have been planned, with two calls carried out, one 
ongoing  and  one  scheduled  for  2026  (Table  1).  For  the  first  three  calls,  the  objective  is  to 
stimulate innovation in certain thematic areas which are important for EU policies, while the 
fourth call is planned to support cities with less experience in innovation. 

6  EUI - innovative actions guidance 
7  UIA - urban innovative actions 

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Table 1. EUI innovative action calls 

Call  Published (year), 
topic(s) 

Applications 

Selected projects, 
total ERDF 
contribution (EUR) 

Success 
rate of 
applications 

1 

2 

3 

4 

2022, one topic: New 
European Bauhaus 

2023, three topics: 
Greening Cities, 
Sustainable Tourism, 
Harnessing Talent in 
Shrinking Cities 

99 applications 
from 21 
Member States 

14 projects from 12 
Member States, EUR 
65.2 million 

112 applications 
from 21 
Member States 

22 projects from 12 
Member States, EUR 
98 million 

2024, two topics: Energy 
Transition, Technology in 
the City 

Call closing date 
in October 2024 

Planned budget EUR 
90 million 

Planned for 2026 

- 

- 

14% 

20% 

- 

- 

36 projects from 16 Member States were selected under the two calls (Figure 2). To improve 
the geographical coverage and to help cities prepare good quality applications, several measures 
have been undertaken, e.g. organisation of applicant workshops across the Central and Eastern 
European Member States and establishing a network of national urban contact points promoting 
the calls across Member States. 

Figure 2. Geographical locations of the selected 
projects under the two calls of innovative actions 
(call 1: purple, call 2: green) 

Regarding the population size of the urban centres whose authorities participate in the selected 
projects under the two calls, more than two thirds are small- and medium-sized cities (Figure 3) 
and, likewise, more than two thirds are ‘Article 11 cities’8. 

8  Article  11  cities  are  cities  selected  by  Member  States  to  implement  sustainable  urban  development  under 

Regulation (EU) 2021/1058.  

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Figure 3. Share of the urban authorities per population size in the selected 
innovative action projects 

As a novelty, a part of the ERDF grant to each innovative action project is dedicated to financing 
transnational transfer partnerships between the lead urban authorities and three other EU cities 
out of which two must be from less developed or transition regions9. The method builds on the 
pilot transfer mechanism for Urban Innovative Actions implemented through URBACT III in 
2021-2022  and  aims  to  transfer  the  experience  of  tested  innovative  solution  and  explore 
possibilities for its replication in other urban contexts. The goal is also to inspire investments 
under Cohesion policy programmes and to foster innovation capacities of cities beyond the cities 
leading innovative action projects. 

2.2. Supporting capacities and knowledge in cities 

2.2.1. Enhancing capacities of cities 

Capacity building activities of the EUI were rolled out in 2023, and they are implemented as 
pilot actions until the end of 202410. These activities include three types of actions: city-to-city 
exchanges, peer reviews and capacity building events. They seek to improve the capacities of 
cities in the design and implementation of sustainable urban development strategies, policies, 
and practices in an integrated and participative way. They also function in a complementary and 
coordinated manner with URBACT IV11. 
A  city-to-city  exchange12  is  a  bottom-up  and  demand-driven  activity  and  is  based  on  a 
continuous call. It brings together for a short-term visit an applicant urban authority facing a 
specific challenge, and another urban authority from a different Member State that has expertise 
to tackle it. The exchange is a powerful peer learning. 

The  interest  of  urban  authorities  in  the  city-to-city  exchanges  is  growing  over  time.  By  31 
August  2024,  60  applications  were  received  from  cities  located  in  22  Member  States.  Cities 
from Italy, Spain, Portugal and Finland submitted most of the applications. 40 exchanges13 are 
ongoing or have been completed mobilising altogether 88 urban authorities (Figures 4 and 5). 
A large majority (88%) of the cities involved are small- and medium-sized cities and are almost 
equally spread across less developed, transition and more developed regions. More than 60% 
are ‘Article 11 cities’.  

9  EUI innovative actions guidance for applicants 
10  The work programme 2023-2024 of the EUI financing decision set out the pilot phase for capacity building 

activities. 

11  URBACT IV has the implementation period of 2021-2027. 
12  EUI city-to-city exchange guidance for applicants 
13  The success rate for applications was over 85%. 

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Figure 4. Urban authorities involved in city-
‘cities  with  a 
to-city  exchanges  as 
challenge’ 

Figure 5. Urban authorities involved in city-
to-city exchanges as ‘peers’

In  addition,  peer  reviews14  are  supported  that  involve  groups  of  cities  to  benchmark  their 
integrated  urban  development  strategies,  which  form  the  basis  for  sustainable  urban 
development15. The aim is to improve the strategy design and implementation. Each peer review 
consists of up to four ‘cities under review’, working with individuals from up to six cities acting 
as ‘peer reviewers’ to address an identified challenge16. Annual calls are implemented targeting 
‘Article 11 cities’ to apply as ‘cities under review’ and inviting other cities as ‘peer reviewers’ 
from across the European Union. 

Figure 6. Geographical coverage of peer reviews  
(cities under review: purple, peer reviewer cities: 
green) 

14  EUI peer review guidance for applicants 
15  As defined in Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1058.  
16  Building on the JRC-DG REGIO peer review methodology and tools. 

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By  31 August 2024, three peer reviews  were implemented with  Thessaloniki (EL), Coimbra 
(PT) and Kalisz (PL) hosting onsite events. Around 150 participants attended the peer reviews 
and represented 12 Member States. 54 participants were urban authorities, which acted either as 
‘cities  under  review’  (10)  or  ‘peer  reviewers’  (44)  (Figure  6).  80%  of  the  urban  authorities 
involved  were  small-  and  medium-sized  cities  (Figure  7)  and  about  half  came  from  less 
developed regions. Most ‘cities under review’ were small- and medium-sized cities and came 
from less developed or transition regions. 

Figure 7. Share of the urban authorities per population size 
participating in peer reviews 

Capacity  building  events17  bring  together  urban  authorities,  managing  authorities,  the 
Commission and other key actors to exchange information and showcase synergies between the 
tools  and  programmes  of  Cohesion  policy  and  the  Urban  Agenda  for  the  EU.  The  events 
contribute to creating a ‘community of urban practitioners’. The process involves annual calls 
targeting managing authorities to express interest in organising events together with the Region 
Hauts-de-France. 

By 31 August 2024, eight capacity building events or sessions were organised in Turin (IT), 
Timisoara (RO), Ljubljana (SI), Zadar (HR), Tourcoing (FR), Budapest (HU), Tampere (FI) and 
Brussels (BE). Around 500 participants, out of which 160 were urban authorities, attended these 
events. 

2.2.2. Supporting knowledge and policies in cities 

Several EUI workstreams support knowledge and policy development capabilities of cities. A 
network  of  urban  contact  points  was  established  across  Member  States18.  During  the  period 
covered by this report, 25 urban contact points were appointed19. Most urban contact points also 
serve as national URBACT points, and coordination is ensured if the two different contact points 
are not located in the same entity. 
Portico20, a new knowledge platform, was set up. The platform aims to consolidate the wealth 
of existing urban knowledge and to tackle the fragmentation of knowledge sources to support 

17  Building on the Urban Development Network of Cohesion policy in the 2014-2020 programming period that 
supported information exchange between cities implementing integrated strategies under the sustainable urban 
development part of Cohesion policy and between cities leading the urban innovative actions. 

18  Terms of reference for EUI urban contact points. 
19  France and Luxembourg have a joint urban contact point while the appointment of Italy is pending. 
20  Portico 

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urban practitioners at all levels. One of its components is the Urban Panorama, which aims at 
guiding  users through  EU urban initiatives, programmes  and  organisations. This  tool will be 
built progressively, and its first edition is already available21. 

The  first  edition  of  an  EU-wide  forward-looking  survey  was  implemented  in  2024.  It  is 
conducted  every  two  years  to  query  urban  authorities  and  urban  practitioners  on  key  trends, 
challenges, knowledge gaps and support needs on sustainable urban development. The results 
inform the Region Hauts-de-France of emerging dynamics and needs of the urban community. 
Concerning the first edition, 364 responses were received from 25 EU Member States with more 
than 70% of the responses from urban authorities22. 
A series of capitalisation activities23 will soon be kick-started in formats of ‘EUI policy labs’ 
and  other  knowledge  products.  The  goal  is  to  support  urban  authorities  and  practitioners  in 
evidence-based  policymaking  and  in  ensuring  the  quality  of  public  investments,  particularly 
under Cohesion policy. Special efforts will be invested in reaching out to small- and medium-
sized  cities  that  have  not  yet  sufficient  capacities  to  access  the  existing  experience  and 
knowledge. 

The Urban Agenda for the EU - the multi-level governance cooperation established by the Pact 
of Amsterdam in 201624 - is supported by the EUI25. A service package was designed and rolled 
out  to  help  thematic  partnerships to  deliver their  action plans, and assistance is  provided for 
setting up new partnerships. The EUI may also support intergovernmental cooperation on urban 
matters26, if such support is requested by one or more Member State(s), and if agreed upon with 
the Commission. 

Several communication campaigns were carried out on innovative action calls, calls for capacity 
building activities, launch of Portico, and calls for the Urban Agenda for the EU partnership 
members. The EUI website was set up and the EUI newsletter was created. This newsletter has 
currently already more than 5 000 subscribers. 

2.3. Governance and other activities  
The governance of the EUI27 was put in place to ensure the steer and operational implementation 
of all the activity streams in an effective and inclusive manner. It provides a mechanism that 
enables synergies between activities and a participatory process of strategic guidance involving 
all the relevant stakeholders and consists of a Supervisory Board and a Steering Group. 

The Supervisory Board includes representatives from the Commission, the Region Hauts-de-
France,  and  the  EUI  Secretariat.  It  oversees  the  implementation,  the  progress  made  towards 
achieving the objectives, the development and implementation of activities under each strand, 
the monitoring of results, as well as the financial execution. It ensures that the strategic advice 
of the Steering Group is integrated, where relevant, in operational activities. 

The Steering Group functions as a consultative body. It is informed about and advises on the 
strategic implementation of the EUI, notably on the coherence of activities, and on the priorities. 
The Steering Group is composed of representatives from the Commission, the Region Hauts-

21  Urban Panorama | Portico 
22  The survey report will be published in late 2024. 
23  Activities and/or processes capitalising on knowledge resulting from EUI activities including innovative action 
projects,  capacity  building  activities,  knowledge  actions  conducted,  etc.  Capitalisation  activities  will  also 
provide fora for synergy development with other EU initiatives and programmes. 

24  Pact of Amsterdam 2016 
25  As specified in the Ljubljana Agreement  2021 and its Multiannual Working Programme adopted by  the EU 

Ministers. 

26  Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1058. Support may include technical and/or thematic expertise. No support 

was requested in the period covered by this report. 

27  Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1058. 

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de-France  and  the  EUI  Secretariat,  the  Member  States  from  each  EU  Trio  Presidency,  the 
URBACT  managing  authority  and  the  secretariat,  the  Committee  of  the  Regions  and  two 
European city associations Council of European Municipalities and Regions and Eurocities. 

Three meetings of both governance bodies were organised in the period covered by this report. 
Correlation and consistency with the governance processes of the URBACT IV programme and 
the Urban Agenda for the EU were ensured via mutual participation and information sharing. 

Regarding the financial execution of the EUI, a significant share - more than half of the EUR 
395 million budget28 - was committed to the activities. A first version of the monitoring system29 
was completed, and a dashboard showcasing progress will soon be launched. 
Close  cooperation  was  established  with  the  URBACT  IV  programme  to  achieve  overall 
coordination,  synergies,  and  complementarities,  notably  between  capacity  and  knowledge 
building activities of the two instruments30. Through the URBACT cooperation, the EUI also 
contributed to the implementation of the United Nations Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development 
Goals. 

3.  FIRST RESULTS  
The EUI was co-designed with the key actors31 to support strategy and policy design, integrated 
and participative implementation and urban innovation. 

After the first two years of implementation, the EUI is delivering its first results. The initiative 
is providing an integrated set of services supporting cities of all sizes. Activities have been rolled 
out with interactions built between the EUI strands and with coordination and complementarities 
established with URBACT IV. Moreover, the EUI is combining activities and inputs from the 
Urban Agenda for the EU and is building synergies with other significant EU initiatives. 

Regarding the geographical origins of the 444 urban authorities supported by the EUI during the 
period covered by this report, two thirds are from less developed and transition regions. Most 
beneficiaries (73%) are small- and medium-sized cities and 70% are ‘Article 11 cities’. 25% of 
the supported cities also participate in URBACT affirming enhanced links between the EUI and 
other tools of Cohesion policy. 

Two innovative action calls launched in 2022 and 2023 have been completed resulting in 36 
projects across 16 Member States with an ERDF contribution of over EUR 163 million. Thanks 
to  their  transnational  transfer  partnerships,  a  network  of  85  cities  is  innovating,  sharing 
experience  and  inspiring  Cohesion  policy  actions  on  topics  of  the  New  European  Bauhaus, 
greening cities, sustainable tourism and harnessing talents in shrinking cities. This network will 
soon  be  complemented  by  additional  projects  on  energy  transition  and  technology  in  cities. 
Synergies with the EU Missions, notably with the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, 
and other key EU initiatives have been stimulated as part of the calls.  

28  In current prices 
29  The monitoring system will be progressively expanded and will capture, through its key performance indicators, 

the output, results and impacts of the EUI in relation to its objectives.  

30  The EUI and URBACT complement each other in several ways, e.g. the EUI supports city-to-city exchanges 
of short duration whereas URBACT finances city networks of long duration. These instruments also organise 
joint events and the EUI knowledge platform hosts a range of URBACT knowledge resources. 

31  The Committee of the Regions, European city networks and consultations of Member States and other urban 

stakeholders. 

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  Fuenlabrada  (ES)  is  experimenting  with  a  new  housing  model  based  on 
intergenerational solidarity and the New European Bauhaus principles. It contributes to the revitalisation 
of  the  city  centre  facing  deteriorated  housing  quality,  high  vacancy  rates  for  both  residential  and 
commercial spaces, and an aging population. Budapest (HU) is confronted with a housing crisis caused 
by high energy prices and is testing an integrated affordable housing service model that embeds the New 
European Bauhaus principles and develops a set of services targeting both public and private stocks. 

 Bologna (IT) is combining information technologies, nature-based solutions, 
and ‘citizen scientists’32 to connect with nature across its neighbourhoods to create a method of ‘adaptive 
green  cells’  tackling  the  urban  heat  island  phenomenon.  Bruges  (BE)  is  testing  blue  and  green 
infrastructure  solutions  to  mitigate  flooding  and  drought  risks  and  to  improve  water  quality,  also  by 
making use of its historic underground water network. 

 Stalowa Wola (PL) is experimenting with the creation of conditions for space 
industry  talents  by  developing  multidimensional  specialisation  for  the  city  involving  a  space  lab, 
academy  and  cluster  representing  a  quadruple  helix.  Haskovo  (BG)  is  testing  the  creation  of  an 
innovative  MedTechHub  mobilising  the  medical  and  digital  sectors  and  providing  services  and 
educational  opportunities,  notably  to  young  talents,  as  well  as  supporting  the  transition  towards  a 
sustainable local economy. 

  Copenhagen  (DK)  is  pioneering  a  data-driven  and  community-focused 
tourism governance for its communities and tourists, by developing a participatory photo-voice app to 
engage,  collect  and  analyse  users’  data  on  their  experience.  Coimbra  (PT)  is  piloting  a  sustainable 
tourism web portal based on Large Language Models, enriched with real data about the destination and 
personalised itineraries for tourists. 

Copyrights: 
©Gettyimages.be/guoya; image 4 ©Gettyimages.be/Annika McFarlane. 

image  1  ©Gettyimages.be/zak00; 

image  2  ©Gettyimages.be/DrAfter123; 

image  3 

Capacity  building  activities  are  delivered  with  a  specific  ambition  to  support  cities, 
implementing  the  investment  share  of  over  EUR  24  billion  from  the  ERDF  earmarked  for 
sustainable  urban  development33.  Whilst  in  the  pilot  phase,  participants  already  consider 
activities having an impact34. 485 urban practitioners have participated in these activities out of 
which almost 60% were urban authorities and two thirds ‘Article 11 cities’. Capacity building 
activities support particularly smaller cities as 76% of cities participating in these activities have 
less than 250 000 inhabitants (Figure 8). 

32  Citizen scientists refer to members of the public. 
33  Based on more than 1 100 integrated urban development strategies. 
34  Based on the feedback received from participants of capacity building activities. 

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Figure 8. Share (%) of urban authorities participating in capacity 
building activities per population size of cities. 

As part of capacity building activities, city-to-city exchanges have covered a range of topics, 
e.g. affordable housing, social inclusion, mobility, climate adaptation, digital transition, urban 
regeneration, tourism and access to funding. Peer reviews have improved capacities of cities in 
stakeholder engagement and cross-sectoral cooperation, in connecting strategies with EU and 
global agendas and with rural areas, as well as with financial support. Capacity building events 
have  addressed  a  variety  of  topics,  e.g.  integrated  strategy  design,  functional  urban  areas, 
integrated territorial  investments  and community-led local  development,  green transition  and 
innovation ecosystems. 

Coordination  and  complementary  actions  with  URBACT  IV  have  been  established.  Cities 
supported by URBACT act as peers in capacity building activities of the EUI. URBACT has 
also collaborated as a strategic partner in the setup of the Portico knowledge platform. Nurturing 
close connections between the EUI and URBACT is necessary to ensure coordinated action and 
synergies. 

The network of national urban contact points is in place and accelerates the demand for EUI 
services across Member States. It serves as a catalyst for all EUI activities and reaches out to 
urban communities, notably to smaller cities and managing authorities. The network has a cross-
cutting function in promoting all the streams of work, and first effects are already visible. Its 
social media community is rapidly growing with more than 400 media campaigns organised or 
ongoing in 2024. The network requires continued and dedicated support to effectively deliver 
its services due to multiple activities offered by the EUI. 

The knowledge platform Portico provides urban practitioners with the much-needed access to 
knowledge and information about EU initiatives. It hosts more than 1 600 knowledge resources 
and  animates  a  community  of  almost  2 000  urban  practitioners.  A  component  containing 
promising and successful urban practices and originating from projects supported by Cohesion 
Funds across the European Union will also soon be available on the platform. With its Urban 
Panorama under development, Portico aims to create gradually a tool that interconnects users 
with  appropriate  European  initiatives  and  actors  based  on  their  needs.  Efforts  need  to  be 
continued to expand the platform, and particularly its Panorama tool, to keep the momentum 
and to develop towards the EU gateway to urban knowledge. 

First capitalisation  activities implemented in format of policy labs are under way, and in the 
initial  phase,  the  Region  Hauts-de-France  teamed  up  with  URBACT  IV,  and  co-organised 
successfully  a series of ‘city labs’ on the topics of energy transition  and local  food systems. 
Regarding territorial impact assessments, the Region Hauts-de-France is currently investigating 

11 

 
 
 
the types of support activities. Given the important role of cities in delivering EU and national 
policies, regulations that recognise differentiated needs of territories are central for sustainable 
urban development. Since a range of tools and methodologies for territorial impact assessments 
has been developed by key European actors in the field35, the goal is to build on existing tools 
and roll out activities early 2025 responding to the needs of cities. 

Support to the Urban Agenda for the EU is yielding results with new partnerships ongoing, and 
others  to  come.  Since  2022,  the  EUI  has  supported  the  establishment  of  four  thematic 
partnerships  on  ‘greening  cities’,  ‘sustainable  tourism’,  ‘cities  of  equality’  and  ‘food’.  Two 
additional  partnerships  ‘water  sensitive  city’  and  ‘building  decarbonisation,  integrated 
renovation programmes, local heating and cooling plans’ should be in place by the end of 2024. 
The expected impact of supporting the Urban Agenda for the EU is the increased capacity of all 
the actors involved to work in the multilevel governance cooperation environment. 

A  range  of  communication  activities  has  been  set  in  motion.  Through  various  social  media 
platforms, the EUI has reached more than 28 000 followers. The registered participants to the 
EUI  events  totalled  over  3 000  participants  in  the  period  covered  by  this  report.  Substantial 
efforts were invested in the promotion of the 5th Cities Forum edition in Turin in 2023 at which 
the  EUI  was  officially  launched  and  in  preparations  for  the  forthcoming  6th Cities  Forum  in 
Kraków in June 2025. 

4.  CONCLUSIONS 
Europe  cannot  succeed  in  its  objectives  without  its  cities.  The  European  Commission  will 
continue working with urban authorities to provide support for cities. In this context, the EUI is 
acting  as  an  integrated  tool  and  support  mechanism  for  cities  of  all  sizes  across  the  EU.  It 
supports  cities  with  concrete  actions  such  as  provision  of  peer  learning,  expertise  and 
knowledge,  and  funding  for  innovation  to  support  the  objectives  of  Cohesion  policy.  In  this 
context, it assists cities in responding to the many challenges they face. 

The implementation of the EUI will be continued with the demand-driven approach where the 
needs of cities remain at the forefront in view of strategic and operational choices and which 
strives to provide the most relevant support to its beneficiaries. Continuous attention is paid to 
ensuring an effective feedback loop with cities and urban practitioners through the network of 
national urban contact points and interactions within the initiative’s streams of work. 

The EUI will continue cooperating closely with key organisations and networks in the urban 
field as well as enhancing synergies with other significant EU initiatives. Maximum efforts will 
be invested in boosting the take up of its service offer by cities of all sizes across Member States. 
Feedback will be collected from the beneficiaries in 2025 through the mid-term assessment. The 
EUI is committed to delivering a strengthened and coherent policy action in the EU, and this 
includes contributing to the forthcoming European policy agenda for cities. 

35  E.g. ESPON, EU Joint Research Centre and intergovernmental actors. 

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