News & Events

Since the launch of the Urban Agenda for the EU with the Pact of Amsterdam in 2016, 20 different Thematic Partnerships have been established, with eight currently active. Each Partnership involves a diverse range of stakeholders, ensuring multi-level governance, cooperation, and coordination across various levels—from EU institutions to national, regional, and local authorities, as well as research institutions, umbrella organisations, and other stakeholders to address key urban challenges.

On the first day of April, eight active thematic partnerships of the Urban Agenda convened in Brussels for the annual "Coordinators and Action Leaders" meeting (CALM), alongside representatives from the European Commission and European Urban Initiative. The meeting aimed to explore ways to promote synergies, collaboration, and joint initiatives among the various thematic partnerships.

How can cities stay ahead of emerging digital trends and strategically plan for future technological innovations? What role does the Urban Agenda play in addressing these challenges? To explore these questions, we collected examples and insights from different Thematic Partnerships, who shared their views on how the Urban Agenda has supported and can further advance the digital transition in urban areas.

Lille Metropole hosted a pivotal meeting of the Food Partnership on 24-25 March, bringing together members to finalise the Draft Action Plan. This gathering also provided an immersive experience in innovative local food practices, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange.

The Building Decarbonisation Partnership is making steady progress in identifying key themes that will shape future strategies for decarbonising the built environment.

Cities Forum 2025, jointly organised by the European Commission (DG REGIO) and the European Urban Initiative (EUI), is now open for registration!

After the official launch at the end of January, the Water Sensitive City (WSC) Partnership continued its activity with an online meeting last week, on February 26. The meeting was attended by 28 participants and focused on refining the thematic scope of the Partnership, based on the topics of interest shared by the partners.

On 6-7 March 2025, members of the Urban Agenda for the EU “Cities of Equality” Partnership gathered in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, for an intensive in-person meeting to finalise the Draft Action Plan.

Tourism in cities is at a turning point. The 18th Sustainable Tourism Partnership Meeting in Barcelona brought together voices from across Europe to confront a reality that is no longer avoidable: tourism, if left unmanaged, risks overwhelming the very places that make it possible. But solutions exist, and they start with rethinking governance, collaboration, and impact.

As cities work to restore and enhance their urban ecosystems, the Greening Cities Partnership is launching a webinar series to support the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. Through expert insights, real-world case studies, and interactive discussions, this series will equip urban planners, policymakers, and practitioners with the tools to drive meaningful urban nature restoration.

It was a full house at Sala Mirador in the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona — a fully booked event with more than 100 engaged participants, including representatives from key local stakeholders, city officials, and experts from across Europe. The energy in the room reflected the urgency of the debate: Can cities continue to absorb the ever-growing influx of tourists without sacrificing their own liveability? How can urban tourism evolve beyond the endless cycle of growth, regulation, and management?
On the side of the Sustainable Tourism Partnership in-person meeting in Barcelona, members of the Partnership along with local stakeholders and experts tackled these questions in a vibrant debate, part of a series of debates organised by the City of Barcelona and the Provincial Council of Barcelona.

The Cities of Equality Partnership hosted an online session on 5 February titled “Public spaces and citizen participation. Highlights and recommendations from a JRC research project”, bringing together experts, policymakers, and urban practitioners to discuss key insights from an ongoing research initiative led by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC).