Urban Agenda for the EU

The 5th edition of the Cities Forum will take place in Torino on 16-17 March 2023. We are pleased to announce that the official website for the event is online. This is the main information portal for interested participants. You can already find online the draft agenda of the event and a brief description of the workshops and thematic sessions. Registration to attend the event on site will open in January on the website. To remain updated on future news, participants are invited to follow our Facebook event #CitiesForum 2023.

On 26 October 2022, the Directors-General on Urban Matters (DGUM) have met in the city of Prague as part of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union. During this meeting the members have approved the composition of two new Urban Agenda for the EU (UAEU) Partnerships that have been officially launched as a result: The Partnership on Sustainable Tourism and The Partnership on Greening Cities. Find out more about them and their set-up through the link below.

The European Urban Initiative (EUI) is now acting as Secretariat for the Urban Agenda for the EU as part of the support provided by the European Commission. Communication on the initiative has started to progressively be transferred to their new platform and the EUI newsletter will now be gathering all relevant urban related developments from the initiative as well as of the Urban Agenda for the EU and its overall development and partnerships. Find out more information below and subscribe to the EUI newsletter to continue following the Urban Agenda for the EU.

In 2021, the Covenant of Mayors Office launched the Policy Support Facility (PSF) to assist local and regional authorities develop and implement adaptation strategies. As part of the EU Adaptation Strategy, the PSF is a two-year programme specifically focused on 12 selected Member States. The programme proposes webinars, workshops, tailored technical assistance by experts, and additional peer learning exchanges for cities and regions. Please check the below link for more information.

The Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI) is an initiative of the European Commission, launched by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation as part of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan 2020. It contributes to the policy objectives of the EU Green Deal, including the 2050 climate neutrality target, and the EU Bioeconomy Strategy. Combining knowledge sharing, technical and financial support, the initiative offers stakeholders across Europe’s cities and regions comprehensive support over the whole life cycle of local and regional circular economy initiatives. The CCRI is funded by Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.

As part of the REPowerEU Plan, the City Energy Saving Sprint is a new joint initiative of the European Commission, the Covenant of Mayors – Europe and the European Committee of the Regions that encourages cities to take measures that will immediately reduce their energy consumption before and during winter. To face this winter’s challenges, the Covenant of Mayors has already published a Repository of energy saving measures and a Toolkit of tips and initiatives replicable across municipalities.

The European Urban Initiative (EUI) has launched a €50 million call to support urban innovation and cities' capabilities to build a sustainable urban development. It will allow for translating into practice of the core values of the New European Bauhaus (aesthetics, sustainability, and inclusion). The call is open for urban authorities to apply until 19th January 2023. More information are available through this link.

The Energy Communities Repository is an initiative on behalf of the European Commission to assist local actors (including citizens and civil society organizations, local authorities and businesses) with setting up and advancing clean energy projects driven by energy communities in urban areas. The Repository will do this by providing to participants direct technical support and administrative advice. Interested actors can apply and find further information on the call clicking on the link below.

The final report on the work of Digital Transition Partnership was finalized and includes links to all actions and deliverables produced by the Partnership members. Please consult the link below to access to report.