Brussels, 28/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - Urban areas have their role to play in the recovery from the economic crisis but they also need to be backed by European aid to maximise their firepower. Eurocities, an association representing 140 large cities in 30 European countries, has used a number of domestic reports to lobby the Commission. It wants the Commission to understand what is best for urban areas in future legislation, in particular the new cohesion policy after 2013. These reports have been submitted to Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn. They focus on cooperation between cities and neighbouring functional areas, a mix of built-up and rural areas, and recommendations on urban regeneration.
Functional areas. Eurocities argues that “highly performing functional urban areas are crucial not just for the local, regional and national levels, but also for Europe as a whole. They are essential drivers of national and European, economic development”. It says the EU should do more to promote the idea of cities where the urban and surrounding areas cooperate. To achieve this end, it suggests a Commission communication or a set of Council recommendations which could facilitate better recognition of and support for metropolitan areas. Eurocities also underlines that the role of urban areas should be fully recognised in EU funding programmes in general and EU incentives, such as pilot projects.
Urban regeneration. European cities state the need to involve residents in planning the regeneration of urban areas and to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy. Money, of course, is of prime importance, and Eurocities suggests making it easier to combine funding from the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund to ensure an integrated approach to regeneration.
In general terms, Eurocities believes that the forthcoming cohesion policy legislative package for 2014-2020, proposed by the commissioner at the start of October, does not disappoint. It says that the urban agenda in the new cohesion policy recognises that Europe has no hope of securing economic recovery without dynamic and globally competitive cites. (MD/transl.rt)