URBACT IV: European Union support for Cities

This European Territorial cooperation programme will support cities to tackle the green, just and digital transitions, through networking, capacity and knowledge building activities. The purpose is to promote integrated sustainable development in cities, improve city’s policies and improve the effectiveness of Cohesion policy in cities.

The URBACT IV programme will also support transnational networks to improve the capacity of European cities to:

• co-design and implement integrated Action Plans linked to common sustainable urban development challenges;
• adapt and reuse established urban good practices; and
• design investment plans for replicating elements of Urban Innovative Actions.

URBACT and the European Urban Initiative will work in collaboration to provide a coherent offer to urban stakeholders and support to cities for their integrated and sustainable urban development under Cohesion policy.

For the first time in the programme, beneficiaries will include cities from 5 IPA countries (Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Republic of North Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina). The specificities of the IPA cities participating in URBACT will be addressed through a dedicated needs analysis exercise. The cities will receive support related to the design of integrated action plans for sustainable urban development and will have the opportunity to share experience with EU peers supporting the preparation of these countries for accession to the EU.

The first call of URBACT IV will open in January 2023. Cities and other entities that wish to join an Action Planning Network will be welcome to build partnerships and send applications within the following three months.

URBACT IV will also offer several tools to help cities, such as an online Partner Search Tool which will help them in finding partners for their project or contacting people with existing ideas. This platform will be launched on URBACT’s website in the course of October.

If you would like to learn more, Please join the European Week of Regions and Cities’ sessions entitled “Get ready for the new URBACT call for Action Planning Networks!” which will take place on the 11^th of October 2022.

More information on URBACT IV