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short description | The European Urban Initiative is an essential tool to support cities of all sizes, to build capacity and knowledge, to support innovation and develop transferable and scalable innovative solutions to urban challenges of EU relevance. |
program objectives | In times of rapid urbanisation, Europe is increasingly facing dire urban challenges ranging from the global health crisis and the rise of digitalisation to societal inequalities, demographic changes, climate change and environmental degradation. To face these pressing challenges, EU cities must transform and adapt themselves, pushed to develop their creative and innovative potential, within the limits of their competencies, funding and capacity. In this transformative perspective for cities, the European Urban Initiative (EUI), funded by the European Union, supports urban areas of all sizes with innovative actions, capacity and knowledge building, as well as policy development and communication on sustainable urban development. The legal basis of the European Urban Initiative is included in Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 on the European Regional Development Fund and on the Cohesion Fund2 (hereinafter ’the ERDF/CF Regulation’) that provides for the main content and strategic framework of the initiative. The overall objectives of the EUI are
The initiative is aimed to offer coherent support to cities to overcome the current fragmented landscape of manifold initiatives, programmes and instruments in support of cities under Cohesion policy. As part of its strategic approach, the EUI shall cover all urban areas, including large, small and medium-sized cities (‘cities of all sizes’) as well as functional urban areas. It shall support the Urban Agenda of for the EU, and upon request from one or more Member State(s), the EUI may support the intergovernmental cooperation on urban matters. In this context, the goal is to generate additional effective interconnections and synergies between the activities of the EUI and of the Urban Agenda for Europe and the intergovernmental cooperation.
The European Urban Initiative includes two strands:
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Expected results | Under the first funding approach, innovative and experimental measures and projects in sustainable urban development are funded. Thematically, these must be closely linked to current challenges agreed by the Commission, Member States and city associations within the framework of the EU Urban Agenda. In addition, the transfer of already tested innovative solutions to other cities is to be promoted. In the second strand, knowledge on sustainable urban development will be shared and used. Therefore, the cooperation of the cities participating in the networks will be supported, for example through peer learning activities. This will also further develop the EU Urban Agenda and support intergovernmental cooperation on urban issues. A network of urban contact points will be established in EU Member States to facilitate work at local, regional and national level. |
Regions / countries for funding | EU Member States |
eligible entities Partners |
Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Other, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Research Institution incl. University, Education and training institution |
Mandatory partnership | Yes |
Project Partnership | As part of its strategic approach, the European Urban Initiative addresses all urban areas, including large, small and medium-sized cities ("cities of all sizes") as well as functional urban areas. |
Additional information
Topics | Administration & Governance, Institutional Capacity & Cooperation, Arts & Culture, Cultural Heritage, Tourism, Circular Economy, Natural Resources, Digitalisation, Digital Society, ICT, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy , Rural & Urban Development/Planning |
Relevance for EU Macro-Region | EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region |
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) | |
Contact | European Urban Initiative (EUI) Permanent Secretariat +33 (0)3 61 76 59 34 info@urban-initiative.eu Website |