News
An Eu Urban Agenda
Avril 2014
The “Cities of Tomorrow” forum held by the European Commission on 17-18 February 2014 brought together more than 500 European players in urban policy.
It was aimed at discussing the objectives and implementation of a European urban agenda for territorial authorities, a process which follows on from the 2007 Leipzig Charter and which will lead to a communication by the Commission on the subject.
Let us recall that two-thirds of Europeans live in urban areas. The MOT, for example, has identified nearly 60 cross-border conurbations in Europe, representing 25 million inhabitants. The new challenges linked to cities are numerous (infrastructures, waste, housing, energy efficiency, etc.) and European policies in these areas need to address them. The Conference of European Cross-Border and Interregional City Networks (CECICN), which brings together nine networks (including the MOT) and represents more than 500 European cities, supports the idea of incorporating a specific urban dimension into the Europe 2020 Strategy. Its contribution to the debate is focused notably on greater account being taken of stakeholders in urban cross-border areas.
In addition, urban issues are cross-cutting and relate to many different sectoral policies; this is amplified in a cross-border context. The CECICN therefore highlights the need for “integrated territorial approaches”, which are also “multi-level”.
Back to list
