Brussels, 08/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - The second phase of the URBAN programme (URBAN II), covering 2000-2006, will soon disappear because it is being absorbed into Objective 1 (Convergence - Growth and Jobs) and Objective 2 (Regional Competitiveness and Employment), explained Ana-Paula Laissy, spokesperson for Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hubner to reporters. Laissy said the Commission was preparing a working document on the issue for the Bristol Sustainable Communities Council on 6/7 December (in South-West England) (see EUROPE 9022 and 9031) that will look at how the working document will be followed up in the Member States. The Commission will publish a report in 2006 on the issue. Danuta Hubner has asked her department to check how European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) money can be used to help areas hit by street violence (as experienced in France right now, said Laissy, adding that from 2000 to 2006 the EU invested a total of EUR 756.7 mil in underprivileged urban areas from the ERDF in all 25 Member States, of which EUR 103.9 mil went to 9 programmes in France (including Ile-de-France)).
Part of the European Cohesion Policy, URBAN aims to revitalise underprivileged urban areas, explains a Commission press release. After URBAN I (1994-1999), URBAN II focusses on promoting and implementing innovative development models to ensure economic and social regeneration of underprivileged urban areas. URBAN II also arranges the exchange of information and experience in sustainable urban development in the EU. URBAN II is made up of 70 programmes throughout the EU, covering a total of 2.2 million inhabitants.