Mayors’ Agenda for Cities and the EU: Priorities and Challenges Moving Forward
On October 10th of 2023, the Urban Intergroup hosted an event with Eurocities on Mayors’ Agenda for Cities and the EU: Priorities and Challenges Moving Forward. Cities representatives, Members of the European Parliament, and the incoming Belgian EU Presidency discussed the priorities, challenges, and opportunities for collaboration between cities and the EU in the context of the forthcoming EU elections. Furthermore, it was a great occasion to present the findings of the Eurocities Pulse Mayors Survey, which included the main concerns of the mayors, and recommendations on how the EU can work in a better and closer with the cities.
The summary was created thanks to the curtesy of Eurocities. Please see the full summary on their website: https://eurocities.eu/latest/cities-and-meps-share-vision-for-green-prosperous-future/
MEP Mr Jan Olbrycht (EPP, PL) chair of the European Parliament Urban Intergroup, explained that there are many methods of formal and informal collaboration between cities and the EU, but “we are still missing a clear European Urban Policy.” He explained that efforts have been made to pursue an urban agenda at EU level, including suggestions for a Commissioner to coordinate urban policy and the creation of a special urban unit in the European Commission, but they have not produced the urban focus that is needed. Mr Olbrycht also warned of the growing tendency to make the contradiction between urban and rural areas, rather than recognising the importance of developing them together. “Step by step, Eurocities and its mayors must influence the European Parliament and the Commission, to ensure cities get the expertise and funding they need to tackle issues such as climate change and urban mobility,” said Olbrycht.
Andre Sobczak (Secretary General, Eurocities) began the meeting by presenting the Eurocities Pulse Survey. The survey, which collected the responses of 92 mayors from 28 countries, provides an analysis of the major trends, challenges and priorities that shape urban affairs in 2023. Over half of the mayors surveyed say that tackling the impacts of climate change is their biggest priority, including working together on climate neutrality, implementing the European Green Deal and investing in sustainable transport. Local challenges, including improving transport and housing, ensuring economic recovery and tackling energy poverty are also crucial for mayors.
In the survey, city mayors make it clear that the current resources they are being provided by the EU are not enough to tackle the many challenges they are facing. Many mayors also say they share the priorities of the European institutions, but they feel they are not included in EU decision making processes. The relationship between the mayors with the European institutions it’s usually difficult, but there is a claim from the mayors and it’s to let know to the European institutions that they don’t want only to wait for the solutions from the European institutions and then implement it in the cities, but get involved into the decision making process.
Eurocities expects from the European Parliament more direct dialogue, better access to funding and more flexibility in the European decisions because each city and region is very different, and at the end, to give to the cities more importance in the diplomacy.
Speaking at the meeting, Dario Nardella, Mayor of Florence, stressed that the European elections are taking place at a crucial time for the EU, when significant progress has been made on the European Green Deal and Europe has “showcased immense leadership and unity in combatting war, pandemics, climate and energy crises, and inflation.” He said that the European Parliament and other EU institutions have developed a better understanding of the need to collaborate with cities to address major challenges such as providing housing for all, integrating refugees, and navigating the digital transition.
To further boost collaboration, Nardella explained that a long-term, clear vision should be developed for cities within the EU. He also insisted that a systematic approach should be established to involve cities in shaping and implementing EU policies, and he called for a dedicated EU Vice-President with the mandate to integrate initiatives and policies for cities into a unified and clear framework. Finally, the mayor recognized the support from Urban Intergroup, especially from Mr Olbrycht, in helping cities with finding significant allies. He emphasised the importance of continuation of works of the Urban Intergroup during the next Parliament term.
MEP Marcos Ros Sempere (S&D, ES) stressed that many of the issues highlighted by mayors in the Eurocities Pulse Survey align with those of the European Parliament, particularly issues around the clarity and role of EU initiatives and the importance of sustainable urban transport.
Ros Sempere outlined the importance of EU Cohesion Policy, which he said is the main tool to end inequalities and support the priorities of regions and cities across Europe. While he recognised there have been bureaucratic difficulties with the policy in recent years, he stressed that it remains the best means of fighting inequality in urban areas.
Regarding the development of sustainable urban transport, Ros Sempere said it is one of the most important steps in tackling the climate and energy crises. He highlighted the EU’s proposal for a new Urban Mobility framework, which suggests measures to develop of safe, accessible and emission-free urban transport systems.
Ricardo Rio (Mayor of Braga) spoke about the importance of EU funding in achieving economic recovery in his city, which 10 years ago had an unemployment rate of 15%.
One of the many innovation economic actions adopted by the mayor and his administration was Invest Braga, the first economic development agency to be introduced at local level in Portugal. This was supported by Start-Up Braga, which supported start-ups and entrepreneurs and attracted IT companies to the city. Over 2,000 jobs a year were created, reducing unemployment to 5%, while Braga became the fourth-biggest exporter in the country.
Rio stressed the need to strengthen multilevel collaboration between all levels of the EU and to have the stronger involvement of cities in the budgetary process. He called for innovative EU investment in public-private partnerships at local level to stimulate economic growth, as well as the need for the European Investment Bank to invest in city projects and act as a dedicated advisory hub.
Anna Lisa Boni (Deputy Mayor of Bologna) made it clear that Europe’s cities are ready to work with the European Parliament and all the EU institutions to tackle climate challenges. She explained that in Bologna and in cities across Europe, climate action means working in an integrated way. This includes wide-ranging actions needed to develop sustainable urban mobility, create green and blue public spaces, build zero energy buildings, expand the circular economy and work on social issues, such as making social housing energy efficient, and tackling energy poverty. She said that the EU Mission for 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2023 has helped to speed up innovative climate action in cities, along with the EU Recovery Fund and Cohesion Policy.
MEP Ciaran Cuffe (Greens, IE) stressed that cities “have a very bright future.” He explained that Europe is in the middle of a transformation when it comes to tackling climate change, with cities leading this work, supported by collaboration and funding from the EU. He pointed to the new transportation plan that is being developed in Dublin, a city which has for many years given priority to car drivers, but is now developing initiatives that give space to public transport users, pedestrians, cyclists and those with mobility issues. To achieve this goal, he highlighted the importance of the EU’s Fit for 55 package, with its goal to reduce greenhouse gases by 50%, while he also urged cities to apply to the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility, which has only used 20% of its available funds.
Ann Persoons (European Council Belgian Presidency) presented the priorities of the upcoming Belgian Presidency in relation to urban policy. She explained that the Brussels Capital Region will be in charge of urban policy during the presidency, offering a “unique opportunity” for the views of cities to be heard in the European policy making process. Persoons explained that the Belgian presidency will focus on three key urban policy goals: defending the urban and metropolitan dimension in European policies, confirming the importance of large cities as European partners, and making sure that spatial planning and European governance are recognised as key tools to achieving European objectives.
To achieve these goals, several high-level events are being planned, including an urban policy summit in Brussels on 24 January 2024, which all the mayors of large cities have been invited to attend.
Please find the full text of the Eurocities Pulse and a policy paper on How the EU can work better with cities here and here
Housing for all: a call for a renewed European ambition
On 19 September 2023, URBAN Intergroup, Métropole de Lyon, FEANTSA and Housing Europe organised a special event at the European Parliament in Brussels to put the issues of housing, indecent housing and homelessness at the heart of the priorities of the European institutions.
Jan Olbrycht MEP, President of the Intergroup, introduced the event and highlighted that for many years Urban Intergroup was cooperating with different organisations working on housing, trying to create lobbing in the European Union and trying to persuade other Members of the European Parliament, but also European Commission, that housing is a European problem. Mr Olbrycht reminded that when he was working as reporter on ERDF many years ago, there was also a problem, which we still face – having one unique definition of social housing.
Panel 1: Employment and housing for “frontline” workers
Nathalie Guri, Eurocities Projects and Knowledge sharing Director, started a discussion with statement that housing costs are rising much faster than people’s income. Most of the EU countries have very limited social housing options and as a result, it has become very common to allocate 50% or more for their income to rent.
Lenka Antalová Plavuchová, Bratislava Deputy-Mayor, gave a statement that situation on housing in Bratislava is very critical. Rental housing is unstable. Bratislava is the second most expensive city in Europe in comparison to the salaries. She stressed that there is a strong need for cooperation between the cities, to learn from each other.
Pierfransco Maran, Milan Deputy-Mayor for Housing and Neighbourhood Planning, mentioned that housing prices in Milan had doubled but people’s income only grew by 5%. He stressed that there should be regulation regarding tourist rented housing as 20-25 % of flats in the centre of Milan are rented by tourists, there need to be a national regulation because there are no tools that the local authorities have to deal with this problem.
Alison Gilliland, Dublin City Councillor, stated that the average rent in Dublin is 2300 euro, which in most cases is 50-60% of people’s salaries. The city is actively building social housing but they also have introduced housing that is not for profit, the rent aims to pay the loans and the maintenance over 40 years. They adopted new legislation that the rent there needs to be 25% below the market rate. Dublin focus also on buying places and introducing tenants in situ, where tenants are in risk of eviction because of landlord’s decision of renovation and increased rent. The city is always looking for new additions to the current buildings (additional floors). Theris new program is called ‘adapt and reuse’, where the aim is to create more accommodation from derelict buildings.
Sergej Kara, Bratislava Social Affairs Department director, underlined that the first step to better housing is to change minds of people, and show that housing is a basic need, it is not an investment, it is a human right. The main point in every change should be communication with people. Bratislava, together with Prague, is working on the new housing policy, after 60 years of stagnation in this topic.
Marie Linder, The President of the International Union of Tenants, presented the International Union of Tenants, founded in Zurich in 1926, which represents 20 million tenants in Europe. She spoke of the housing crisis in Europe, particularly in Dublin, where rents have almost doubled since 2013; in Lisbon, where thousands of people demonstrated in the streets in April 2023; and in Sweden, where landlords want to increase rents by 12% in the cities of Stockholm and Göteborg. The city of Berlin is currently discussing the replacement of heating systems in more than 40 million homes. In order to tackle the housing crisis, Ms Linder is calling for an increase in European funds, but also the possibility of taking funds from each Member State as a gesture of solidarity. Jan Olbrycht responded by pointing out that we need legal solutions, solutions that can then be implemented at national level.
PANEL 2: Poor housing and homelessness
Freek Spinnewijn, FEANTSA Director, pointed out that homelessness is a major problem and that the “European Parliament has always been an ally” on these issues. The rate of homelessness has risen by 10% since 2019.
Renaud Payre, Lyon Metropole Vice-president in charge of Housing, Social Housing and Urban Policy, pointed out that a lot of progress had been made, such as the European platform to combat homelessness, but that an essential step was missing: recognising housing as a fundamental right. Housing is an ecological, economic and social issue. In his view, investors’ involvement in housing should be regulated. Then we need to regulate the housing market and control rents. The creation of European funds would be a solution for social housing providers, as would the creation of a long-term loan. He also proposed independent, self-contained accommodation as a way of eradicating homelessness. He concluded by saying that “we need twofold recognition: cultural and political, otherwise we will be facing headwinds”, and that “we need funding and investment”.
Sonia Fuertes Barcelona Social Action Commissioner, wants to strengthen prevention on three levels: social protection, combating homelessness and helping to consolidate professional projects. She spoke of the need for governance at three levels. Firstly, at local level, because it is closer to the ground; then at national level, particularly with regard to migration; and finally at European level, by finding European solutions.
MEP Estrella Durá Ferrandis, agreed with the main point of the declaration: “housing is a fundamental right”. She referred to the European Parliament report that her group has conducted on access to decent and affordable housing. The report aims to build a stronger social Europe, combat property speculation and make life easier for the homeless. She would like to propose that the European Commission ask the Member States to provide affordable housing and apply these standards. The Member States also need funding, and it is important to coordinate at all levels, taking into account the realities of each country.
MEP Kim Van Sparrentak stated that the EU can make a real difference to social housing. In her view, the EU must take action to combat the financialisation of housing, in particular through greater transparency. She hopes that negotiations can be reached during the Spanish Presidency.
PANEL 3: The financialisation of housing
Ian Brossat, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of housing, emergency accommodation and refugee protection described the difficulties of housing, in particular the problem of the city’s small surface area, which makes it impossible to build new housing. This difficulty is all the more acute with the recent development of short-term tourist rentals such as Airbnb. He mentioned the strategies adopted by the City of Paris to regulate these platforms, which have led to a series of abuses in which investors have bought flats and entire buildings in order to transform them into year-round tourist rentals. One of the solutions has been to limit the number of days a property can be rented on Airbnb. The idea is to say yes to occasional rentals but no to year-round rentals. In his view, regulation is essential in the most popular tourist cities in order to protect accommodation.
Emily Marion Clancy from the city of Bologna presented the five strategies of the Bologna’s housing plan, which are:
1. Three new social housing complexes for a new idea of housing (Lazzaretto, Ravone and Stamoto);
2. Five new models of collaborative public housing – regenerated buildings dedicated to co-housing and cooperative-housing;
3. Three programmes for the renewal of public housing – Zero vacancy programme, the fight against energy poverty and social inclusion measures;
4. New governance for social housing – Incentives, a social housing fund and a social housing agency;
5. Attracting and retaining national and international talent – Talent landing in Bologna.
She also presented a plan for new governance for social housing, including a municipal alliance for a national housing policy:
1. Framework and resources for public and social housing;
2. To enable municipalities to take advantage of vacant public buildings and brownfield sites (e.g. former military barracks, unused railway land) for social housing purposes;
3. Refinancing the national rent subsidy fund and the national rent arrears fund;
4. A national law giving cities the power to regulate short-term rentals;
5. Structural measures and resources allocated to emergency housing, homelessness and housing first programmes.
Therefore, with the “Housing for All” declaration, the city of Bologna is calling for housing to be a human right and for the EU to take action:
– By regulating the involvement of private investors in housing;
– By regulating the housing market to prevent speculation through rent control laws;
– Putting in place a “Next Housing EU plan” to support investment by affordable social housing providers across Europe and the operational needs to provide care services;
– Promoting the only way to end homelessness: the provision of independent housing and adequate support services, regardless of people’s circumstances.
MEP Kateřina Konečná spoke on the issue of platforms but also on the need to find a compromise on this housing issue. She thanked the report on short-term rentals. She welcomed the fact that the report gave policymakers access to data on short-term rentals. In her view, platforms should be held accountable for data sharing.
Conclusions
Christophe Collignon Minister for Housing, Local Government and Urban Affairs, Wallonia is convinced that housing is a fundamental right, an element of fulfilled citizenship, and that the right to housing is enshrined in the Belgian constitution. The main points he raised were:
– A reminder of the need for financial resources;
– Collective responsibility for the ecological transition. Putting housing at the top of the agenda;
– The example of Wallonia’s housing stock, in particular the Walloon public housing stock of 110,000 homes, representing 800 million euros thanks to an EIB loan to renovate a quarter of the stock so that public housing is optimal and the public can benefit from housing worthy of the 21st century;
– Development of new housing with the European recovery plan for exemplary housing. Use public-private partnerships to manage housing. Enable local authorities to control land. Supporting homelessness plans.
– Conclusion: he is convinced that we need to take the problem to heart, implement a Marshall Plan and enable as many European citizens as possible to be well housed.
MEP Fabienne Keller spoke about gentrification and single mothers. Social diversity is a source of well-being for everyone. Within the budget committee, of which Jan Olbrycht and Fabienne Keller are members of, they are trying to put more money into housing, as with the recovery plan, in the Green Deal for example.
More on the Declaration here.
