Brussels, 27/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - Jobs, companies and higher education institutes are concentrated in Europe's cities, which are crucial to the EU's competitiveness in a global economy. But problems of social exclusion and spatial segregation are also significant features of city life. These are among the key conclusions of an independent study conducted for the European Commission based on urban statistics gathered under the "European Urban Audit".
The audit was initiated by Directorate-General Regional Policy. It involves 27 National Statistical Offices working together under Eurostat coordination to gather data on more than 300 variables describing the quality of life in European cities. The resulting "State of European Cities report" is the most comprehensive study available on European cities. It builds on a unique collection of urban statistics and provides in-depth analysis of demographic, economic and social data. The main conclusions are: 1) cities are engines of growth: in cities with more than 1 million inhabitants, GDP is 25% higher than in the EU as a whole, and 40% higher than the national average; 2) jobs: an employment paradox is ubiquitous in European cities. Despite concentration of jobs in cities, residents do not always benefit from the employment opportunities; 3) unemployment is highest in deprived areas; 4) the service sector is by far the most developed as a source of employment. In London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid and Rome service sector employment accounts for between 80% and 90% of all jobs; 5) City dwellers are much better educated than those living elsewhere in Europe. The report also notes wide disparities in living space.
According to a Eurobarometer survey on the quality of life in 75 European cities, more than ¾ of people interviewed declared that they were satisfied with the quality of life in their city and a majority of them see the future of their city positively. Nonetheless, they say that that they are very concerned by accommodation costs and pollution.
For further details on these issues: http: //ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/urban2/audit_fr.htm) and (http://www.urbanaudit.org ). (gb)