Launching event- Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda
The URBAN Intergroup co-hosted a conference “Transition towards sustainable and liveable urban futures” which took place on Tuesday September 29th at the European Parliament in Brussels. During the event Joint Programming Initiative URBAN Europe launched Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda.
Lambert van Nistelrooij, Vice-President of the URBAN Intergroup, in his conclusions underlined that the event was a “very important initiative” especially in the context of the ongoing works on the EU Urban Agenda. He invited JPI Urban Europe to organise in the future at the European Parliament another meeting to show concrete effects of the implementation of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda.
This event was co-organised with JPI Urban Europe (Member State-led initiative set up in 2010 to strengthen European research and innovation in the field of urban development), STOA (European Parliament’s Science and Technology Options Assessment unit) and DG Research and Innovation of the European Commission.
Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) has been developed by JPI Urban Europe “with the ambition to set a scene for and ensure its contribution to a new urban research and innovation paradigm. The SRIA tackles the complexity of urbanisation by bridging the innovation space from strategic research to implementation. It promotes new ways to facilitate urban transition towards sustainable, resilient and liveable urban areas.” JPI Urban Europe
More information about Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA)
More information about JPI Urban Europe
URBAN Intergroup meeting in Strasbourg – September 10th
On Thursday 10th of September the URBAN Intergroup members and partners met at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The main aim of this meeting was to have a follow-up discussion after the plenary vote on the INI report “Urban dimensions of EU policies”. Members and partners debated about the next steps towards the EU Urban Agenda. Ms Kerstin Westphal, EP rapporteur, thanked all the shadow rapporteurs who worked on this dossier and briefly presented its key elements. She underlined that the main goal of EP’s report is to put the Urban Agenda into the European policies.
URBAN Intergroup members believe that thanks to this report cities will be earlier involved in policy making and that the European Commission will better coordinate urban dimension’s issues in its different services. However, during the discussion some droughts have been expressed concerning the political lead of the EU Urban Agenda inside the European Commission. Jan Olbrycht reminded that the URBAN Intergroup is still waiting for the official reply from the EC to the Written Question concerning the coordination within the Commission on the urban dimension. In conclusion of the meeting, members agreed that the Intergroup will send a letter to the Luxembourg and the Dutch Presidency asking for clarification about the future actions which will be taken in order to develop the EU Urban Agenda.
During the next meeting of the Intergroup, on October 29th in Strasbourg, DG REGIO will present State of play of the EU Urban Agenda. Probably on November 26th the Representative of the Dutch Presidency will present the next Presidency’s priorities.
URBAN Intergroup meeting in Strasbourg – June 11th
On Thursday, June 11th the URBAN Intergroup held its monthly meeting in Strasbourg. This month participants discussed the outcomes of the two-day Informal Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Territorial Cohesion and Urban Matters which took place in Riga on Tuesday and Wednesday (9-10th June).
Discussions focused on the Riga Declaration “Towards the EU Urban Agenda” adopted yesterday. Participants wondered what it will bring about and what will be its actual impact on shaping of the EU Urban agenda. The European Parliament’s position on the topic of the EU Urban agenda was also raised and discussed vividly.
More information about the Informal Meeting and media coverage can be found on the webpage of the Latvian Presidency.
Agenda of the URBAN Intergroup meeting 11.06.2015
Riga Declaration “Towards the EU Urban Agenda”
Joint EMI – URBAN survey on the urban dimension of cohesion policy
The negotiation about the shape of the future cohesion policy after 2013 is entering the decisive phase. The specific regulations for structural funds and the Cohesion Fund are currently under discussion at the European Parliament and in the Council; urban related issues are one of the topics of the debate. You can join the discussion by participating in the joint questionnaire of the URBAN Intergroup and the European Metropolitan network Institute (EMI).
To maximize the input from cities, EMI and the URBAN Intergroup invite you all to fill out this digital questionnaire. Have your say and start now (it will only take 5-10 minutes)! Deadline of the questionnaire is 31 May 2012.
RURBAN
RURBAN – Partnership for sustainable urban-rural development – is a preparatory action discussed and agreed among members of the URBAN Intergroup and proposed for the 2011 budget by the Intergroup’s President Jan Olbrycht. The aim of this preparatory action is to develop some partnership models for towns and cities and rural areas surrounding them, to achieve better cooperation between different actors in developing and implementing common urban-rural initiatives based on the integrated approach. The action is implemented in the years 2011 and 2012. Over this period, common challenges and potentials will be identified, the existing urban-rural partnerships inEuropewill be reviewed and best practice examples will be selected. The end result of the action should be a practical guide for un urban-rural partnership that could be used in the next programming period of the cohesion policy after 2013.
