In any discussion about cities that takes place in Brussels, the ‘Urban Agenda’ for the European Union is sure to be mentioned. Is this agenda a programme with priorities for European cities or an approach to involve cities in the European debate? And did both tracks come together during the Dutch presidency of the European Union in 2016.

The debate about cities has a long history in Europe. Much of what the European Union does affects cities, but cities are often not directly involved in the shaping of initiatives that come out of Brussels. And yet the main societal challenges in Europe such as work, energy, immigration, etc. are frequently metropolitan projects. What is striking is that there is much talk about cities and not so much with cities themselves, while cities are increasingly important for economic growth, sustainability and innovation. Already approximately 67 percent of Europe's GDP is generated in urban areas.

The three goals of the Urban Agenda for the EU

Generally speaking, the European Urban Agenda has three goals. The first is to set the agenda for cities within the European Union. Much of what the EU does is not specifically focused on cities, even though more than 70 percent of Europeans live in cities and cities contribute significantly to the European economy. At the same time, cities are also concentrations of problems. This combination means that cities require extra attention and, for example, easier access to European subsidies.

The second goal of the European Urban Agenda is to ensure better coherence in European policies that affect cities. EU policies are usually generic in nature, but they do have implications for cities. Placing a greater emphasis on the city would make it clear where the problem lies. For example, clean air and cars with low emissions are both regulated by the EU, but the regulations are not synchronised. The result is that cities cannot meet the European air quality standards because the European source-based policy on vehicles takes effect later than the air quality standards. An Urban Agenda should prevent this from happening.

And third, the European Urban Agenda aims to ensure that all the substantive issues that are important for cities are brought together. This type of programme with priorities is probably what first comes to mind when one hears the term ‘agenda’.