(30 May 2016) – Today, the informal Ministerial meeting on urban matters agreed on the “Pact of Amsterdam”, which sets out the principles of the Urban Agenda for the EU.
At the heart of the Urban Agenda for the EU will be the development of 12 partnerships on 12 identified urban challenges. The partnerships will allow cities, Member States, EU Institutions and stakeholders, such as NGOs and business partners, to work together on an equal basis to find common ways to improve urban areas in the European Union.
Action plans designed by the partnerships will focus on a more effective and coherent implementation of existing EU policies in cities in the fields of environment, transport and employment, for example. They will also focus on easing access to EU funding, promoting combinations of EU funds and enhancing the knowledge base regarding urban matters and the exchange of best practices.
Four pilot partnerships have already started: on the inclusion of migrants, coordinated by the city of Amsterdam; on air quality, coordinated by the Netherlands; on housing, coordinated by Slovakia; and on urban poverty, coordinated by Belgium and France. The remaining partnerships will be launched between the end of 2016 and the summer of 2017.