Public Consultation: Commissioner Hahn urges Europeans to help shape a future EU Urban Agenda

Johannes Hahn, EU Regional Policy Commissioner is asking EU citizens to share their views on an EU Urban Agenda - what form it should take and how it should be put into action. The Commissioner is calling for a wide engagement by stakeholders and city dwellers in a public consultation alongside a formal Communication just published by the European Commission. It follows a growing number of calls for more involvement of cities in the design of EU policies and a greater coherence in the way Europe's institutions tackle urban challenges.

The Commission's Communication "The Urban Dimension of EU Policies" describes the situation of cities across the EU and urban policies in the Member States as well as the global dimension of urbanisation. It stresses that an EU Urban Agenda should reflect the EU’s overall objectives and must also complement national policies in the Member States.

Commissioner Johannes Hahn who is responsible for EU Regional and Urban Policy commented: "From pollution to poverty, from unemployment to energy, we cannot confront Europe's challenges or achieve its goals unless we tackle these issues in Europe's cities. An EU Urban Agenda must respect subsidiarity – but where we can improve EU policies, by strengthening the urban dimension, we should do this, as well as giving Europe's cities a bigger role as partners for the EU. Today's consultation is an important step in achieving this."

More information:

Press Release and Memo on Rapid

The public consultation is open until 26 September 2014

Commission Communication: The Urban Dimension of EU Policies

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