European ministers are due to approve the conclusions on the EU Agenda for Cities at the ‘Cohesion’ Council on Thursday 26 February. They are expected to recognise the importance of “addressing cities’ views in the design and implementation of relevant EU, national and subnational policies, while taking into account the diversity of urban governance systems and respecting the competence of the Member States”.
On Wednesday 18 February, the Member States’ representatives to the Council of the EU (Coreper) approved the draft conclusions following on from the European Commission’s communication presented in December (see EUROPE 13766/16).
According to the conclusions, the EU Council recognises that local and regional authorities implement around 70% of EU legislation, making them “essential actors for achieving EU objectives and ensuring effective implementation”.
The EU Council stresses the need to invest in preparing cities, given that they face major challenges, including housing shortages, social exclusion and the risk of poverty, high energy costs, security concerns, demographic and mobility challenges, as well as the impact and mitigation of climate change, pollution and environmental degradation.
It also encourages “continued efforts to improve access to affordable, sustainable and inclusive housing, while respecting the competence of Member States and promoting close cooperation between them” (see EUROPE 13805/30).
Finally, the EU Council recognises that many cities face disproportionate administrative and financial constraints, which limit their access to EU funding. It highlights the need for “improved EU and national coordination, simplification, digitalisation and capacity building to strengthen urban governance and investment capabilities”.
It calls on the Commission to continue to strengthen the territorial and urban dimension of relevant EU policies and to clearly establish and support the complementarity and coexistence of the EU Agenda for Cities and the EU Urban Agenda while ensuring coherence and avoiding duplication, overlap and parallel structures.
To read the draft conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/ksx (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)