European Economic and Social Committee
ECO/386
Future of the EU Urban
Agenda
Brussels, 8 December 2015
PRELIMINARY DRAFT OPINION
of the
Section for Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion
on
The future of the EU Urban Agenda seen from the perspective of civil society
(exploratory opinion requested by the Dutch presidency of the EU)
_____________
Rapporteur: Roman Haken
_____________
To the members of the study group on The future of the EU Urban Agenda
(Section for Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion)
N.B.:
This document will be discussed at the meeting on 15 December 2015 beginning at 10 a.m.
Document submitted for translation: 3 December 2015
Administrator: Ms Polomik
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EN
Study Group on
The future of the EU Urban
Agenda
President:
Mr Palmieri (IT–II)
Rapporteur: Mr Haken (CZ–III)
Members:
Mr Baráth (HU–III)
Ms Bontea (RO–I)
Mr De Lotto (IT–I) (Rule 62 – Mr Reale)
Ms Demelenne (BE–II)
Mr Luca (RO–II)
Mr Ostrowski (PL–I)
Mr Roche Ramo (ES–III) (Rule 62 – Mr Jahier)
Mr Simons (NL–I) (Rule 62 – Mr Mareels)
Ms Tiszbierek (PL–III) (Rule 62 – Mr Smyth)
Mr Vella (MT–II)
Expert:
Ms Dusíková Jindrová (for the rapporteur)
ECO/386 – EESC-2015-05281-00-01-APA-TRA (EN) 2/11
On 28 August 2015, Mr R.H.A. Plasterk, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations of the
Netherlands, acting on behalf of the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union, asked
the European Economic and Social Committee to draw up an exploratory opinion on
The future of the EU Urban Agenda seen from the perspective of civil society
(exploratory opinion requested by the Dutch presidency of the EU).
The Section for Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion, which was
responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on ….
At its ... plenary session, held on … (meeting of ...), the European Economic and Social Committee
adopted the following opinion by ... votes to ... with ... abstentions.
*
*
*
1.
Conclusions and recommendations
1.1
The EU Urban Agenda (EU UA) will directly influence the lives of the 80% of EU citizens
who will be living in towns and cities by 2050. To formulate the most effective provisions
and ensure public acceptance of those provisions it is important to ensure that organised civil
society will be an equal and strong partner in discussions on the EU UA. In order to be
involved in a meaningful way, it is necessary to invest in capacity building for these
organisations and support them in their involvement.
1.2
The EESC sees working in partnerships as an effective way to approach these extensive and
complicated issues. The EESC appreciates, for example, the European Code of Conduct on
Partnership, which was adopted by the European Commission for programming European
Structural and Investment Funds. We would also like to highlight some of the opinions
adopted by the EESC on these issues
1.3
The EESC strongly support the bottom-up process. One of the challenges that the EU UA will
face is how to implement strategies developed by thematic partnerships. It is therefore crucial
to use the bottom-up approach in the course the creation of thematic partnerships and the
elaboration and implementation phase of these strategies.
1.4
Partnership is a principle for modern public services – both vertical and horizontal. The EESC
welcomes the idea of involving partners from outside public administration in the EU UA and
also supports the principle of partnerships, which can bring added value to European policies;
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from our point of view this is always a step in the right direction. The recommendations
outlined in these opinions are still relevant and worth incorporating.
1.5
When developing the new EU UA, we should not forget that horizontal partnerships carry the
same importance as vertical (thematic) partnerships. These will occur on various levels but
mainly on local levels in the respective cities. They are important not only for strategic
thinking but especially for the ensuing implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Only local
development strategies developed by local partnerships with knowledge of the local situation
can incorporate recommendations from the EU level and implement them as positive and
effective solutions.
1.6
As an example of such cooperation, the EESC suggests looking not only at the public private
partnership (PPP) and various models of social enterprise, but also at European programmes
based on partnership such as Equal1 or recent examples of the Community led local
development (CLLD) tool.
1.7
To ensure effective implementation of the new EU UA it is necessary to consider the basic
needs of the partners involved and pay attention, among other things, to:
1) building of capacities (mainly for horizontal municipal partnerships);
2) preparation of methodological recommendations on principles of responsible urban
partnerships.
1.8
The EESC expects to clarify the way how the thematic partnerships will deal with the issues
and challenges of urban development. Horizontal partnerships on the other hand should be
those that implement specific measures in specific urban areas. It is therefore necessary to
ensure good practices are shared. The EESC (together with the CoR if interested) is prepared
to organise annual award for good practice in urban partnerships.
2.
Introduction: Current situation of the EU Urban Agenda
2.1
By 2050, the proportion of the European population living in urban areas is expected to rise to
80%. The importance of cities is continually growing with increasing integration and
globalisation. For this reason, it is crucial for EU policy-makers to formulate and implement
an Urban Agenda that will promote sustainable urban development measures.
2.2
Cities are not only the place where the majority of EU citizens live and work, but also play an
important economic role. It is therefore important to consider the social and economic aspects
of cities and involve quadruple helix stakeholders such as businesses and social partners,
universities, and civil society, together with government and public administration, in order to
achieve good quality and long term results.
1
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:c10237.
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2.3
The Dutch presidency of the EU has asked the European Economic and Social Committee to
draft an exploratory opinion on the EU Urban Agenda for its presidential term in the first half
of 2016. The Dutch presidency's request has been prompted by the Netherlands' own concern
with high-quality urban development. The Netherlands itself is, in the context of its own
Urban Agenda, already exploring the use of methods and approaches to dealing with urban
development challenges that the EU UA suggests applying. The EU UA can therefore build
on existing experiences to some extent.
2.4
The aim of the EU Urban Agenda is to facilitate cooperation between European, national
and city-level representatives and stakeholders on the sustainable development of urban areas.
In its document on the Urban Dimension of EU Policies – Key Features of an EU Urban
Agenda, the European Commission formulates two objectives. Firstly, it underlines the fact
that the development of cities will determine the future economic, social and territorial
development of the EU. Secondly, it explains that sectoral policies – such as environment,
transport or economic policies developed at EU level – all impact upon urban areas, but that
they are not coordinated.
2.5
The urban dimension of EU policy will be reinforced through new partnerships aimed at
developing particular priorities. These partnerships will focus on:



Better Regulation – improving the development, implementation, monitoring and
evaluation of EU legislation,
Ensuring better access to and utilisation of European funds,
Improving the EU urban knowledge base and encouraging the sharing of best practice and
cooperation between cities.
2.6
The EESC, as a representative of the various groups and interests of EU citizens, sees the EU
Urban Agenda and its implications as an extremely important topic that will influence the
way EU cities function and therefore the quality of life of the majority of EU citizens. The
EESC has dealt with this and related issues in previous opinions. Recommendations outlined
in these opinions are still relevant and worth incorporating.
2.7
We can identify three main types of urban areas and towns in Europe:
a) High-density Urban Clusters (HDUC) with more than 50 000 residents,
b) Small and Medium Sized Towns (SMST) with between 5 000 – 50 000 residents,
c) Very Small Towns (VST) with fewer than 5 000 residents.
2.7.1
Category b) includes thousands of towns all over Europe, with millions of people living in
them. They are urban in character but on a much smaller scale than large towns and cities.
They still serve a hinterland of villages and rural areas, providing a valuable link between
larger urban areas and rural areas, particularly in relation to rural/urban partnerships.
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2.8
The Trio Presidency of Italy-Latvia-Luxembourg has placed its programme in the fields of
Territorial Cohesion and Urban Policy under the general theme of territorial cohesion
included in the Lisbon Treaty as well as the Territorial Agenda 2020, with the specific aim of
improving the way that this objective is carried out. It has been recognised that about half of
the urban population in Europe lives in small and medium-sized towns. In this context, small
and medium-sized towns refer to second-tier towns in the national urban hierarchy with fewer
than 250 000 inhabitants.
2.8.1
This definition makes reference both to size and function, and it is flexible enough to cover a
wide variety of cases across Europe. As agreed in the Declaration of Ministers, announced in
Riga on 10 June 2015, the EESC also considers it important to realise the full potential and
contribution of urban areas of all sizes, including small and medium-sized urban areas, with
the aim of achieving common European and national objectives with full respect for
subsidiarity and proportionality.
2.9
The topic was commented by the European Parliament2 and by the Committee of the
Regions3.
3.
Priority pillars for thematic partnerships
3.1
DG REGIO selected 12 priorities to be dealt with as part of the EU Urban Agenda. Those
priorities reflect four strategic areas for urban development. The EESC understands the
relevance and importance of each of the selected priorities.
3.2
Inclusive cities
3.2.1
Priority “Jobs and skills in the local economy” - Organised civil society fulfil a number of
roles in the areas of jobs and skills such as employer, educator, trainer etc. The EESC
therefore recommends inviting organisations such as platforms of SMEs, job centres, and
education and training institutions, such as for example: …
3.2.1.1 In this priority we further understand the importance of life-long learning, which is usually
provided not by public institutions but by private subjects, and therefore involving these
organisations is especially important.
3.2.1.2 The EU UA has to deal with the issue of how cities will carry out a survey of the real needs
for expertise in their area. The next step is to inform civil society organisations (CSOs) about
these findings and needs and cooperate to promote the education and training of professions
and skills that are missing in the labour market.
2
3
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+REPORT+A8-2015-0218+0+DOC+PDF+V0//EN
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52013IR6902
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3.2.2
Urban Poverty - Urban poverty is an area in which organised civil society involvement is
essential. CSOs are to a large extent delivering the majority of programmes aimed at
preventing and fighting urban poverty in cities. Therefore the EESC strongly suggests
involving organisations such as: the European Anti-Poverty Network … Their expertise in
this area is essential.
3.2.2.1 In this priority we further understand the importance of …
3.2.3
Housing - CSOs play an important role in representing and working with both sides - owners
as well as users. Their expertise and knowledge should be utilised to achieve the best results
for the EU UA.
3.2.3.1 The EESC suggest addressing organisations such as tenants' association, associations of flat
and house owners, cooperative building societies: International Union of Tenants – IUT …
3.2.3.2 In this priority we see … as a key issue.
3.2.4
Inclusion of migrants and refugees – the inclusion of migrants and refugees is important and
is currently a hot topic. It is necessary to deal with it not only in the short term (providing for
their basic needs), but also - once they are settled - to integrate them into EU society, share
EU values and traditions with them, and incorporate those values and traditions into their
lives.
3.2.4.1 CSOs are key agents in these areas. Churches, social organisations, education and training
organisations, children's groups and parents' groups, etc. play crucial roles. Therefore it is
important to involve as wide a variety of CSOs in discussions on the measures and
recommendations of the EU UA as possible. The EESC recommends addressing
organisations such as: Solidar, …. and including them in discussions.
3.2.4.2 In this priority we further understand the importance of ...
3.2.5
Sustainable use of land and nature-based solutions - The objective of the EU UA in this
area is closely related to changing the attitudes and lifestyles of individuals. Making sure that
changes in cities respect the environment is an area where the involvement of CSOs such as
representatives of land owners, associations of SMEs, and community organisations who are
often behind movements for improving neighbourhoods, is crucial. The EESC recommends
asking organisations such as: …… to get involved in planning and discussions on this priority
theme.
3.2.5.1 In this priority we further understand the importance of …
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3.3
Urban Economy
3.3.1
Circular Economy - For an effective circular economy based on re-use, repair, refurbishment
and recycling of existing materials, it is important to change the way people see waste and
present it as a potential resource. In this regard, education and the information activities of
environmental organisations and education institutions are important. Business innovation
centres and associations of SMEs focusing on this area will be key players in exploring and
implementing new approaches. The EESC recommends contacting organisations such as:
REVES, … and including them in discussions.
3.3.1.1 In this priority we further understand the importance of …
3.4
Green cities
3.4.1
Climate adaptation - Estimating the effects of climate change and identifying appropriate
measures for preventing and minimising the damage it can cause to cities is an area in which
there is an important role for partners such as universities, and research and education
institutions. Furthermore it is the education and informing of ordinary people that is necessary
to facilitate their involvement in and acceptance of relevant provisions. Public administration
at various levels is not able to tackle these issues on its own. The EESC suggests inviting
organisations working on the issues such as: … for discussions on the best ways to proceed.
3.4.1.1 In this priority we further understand the importance of ...
3.4.2
Energy transition - Structural changes in energy systems, such as a substantial shift towards
renewable energy and increased energy efficiency, can be achieved only with the full
involvement of partners from relevant businesses and the support of citizens. In this area it is
necessary to consult with and involve: …
3.4.2.1 In this priority we further understand the importance …
3.4.3
Urban mobility - Sustainable urban mobility is an area where little can be done unless people
themselves are willing to change their ways of transport. NGOs and citizens' groups are most
often the main agents in promoting soft mobility (walking, cycling) and have extensive
experience with various tools and approaches. The EESC therefore suggests involving
organisations who possess this knowledge. For example: … would be valuable partners.
3.4.3.1 In this priority we further understand the importance of ...
3.4.4
Air quality - Ensuring good air quality for human health in cities is a particular challenge. The
cooperation of businesses, medical institutions, environmental NGOs, universities and
research institutions and others is essential. Partnerships should therefore seek to involve
organisations such as: …
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3.4.4.1 In this priority we further understand the importance of …
3.5
Smart cities
3.5.1
Digital transition - The objective is to provide better services to citizens and create business
opportunities. The focus will be on: data collection (including ownership), better use of open
data, data management (including the capacity of cities and privacy issues) and digital
services (including new technologies). Partnerships should therefore seek to involve
organisations such as: …
3.5.1.1 In this priority we consider the issue of … to be important.
3.6
Innovative and responsible public procurement
3.6.1
Innovations deserve wider exploration. The potential of cities for implementing innovative
approaches is significant; they can act as forerunners, and not only in the area of public
procurement. However it is important to co-operate with business innovation centres and
business support centres, as well as research, academic and education institutions.
Partnerships should therefore seek to involve organisations such as: …
3.6.1.1 In this priority we further understand the importance of …
3.7
Criteria such as the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with 17 Sustainable
Development Goals, and in particular Chapter 11: "Make cities and human settlements
inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable" should also be included. The EESC adopted a
position on this topic in September 2015.
4.
Thematic (vertical) partnership and horizontal issues among priorities
4.1
DG REGIO suggests creating partnerships consisting of around 15 members, of which 11 will
be representatives of public administration (cities, Member States, Commission
representatives). Other members could include, for example, one representative
of the managing authorities of European Structural and INvestmenets Funds, two experts and
1-2 NGOs.
4.2
The EESC understands that it is important to involve public administrators from various
levels such as the European Commission, Member States, regions and cities. We do however
suggest much greater involvement of target groups (urban residents). It is important that the
future of cities is influenced more by the residents themselves.
4.3
It is really necessary for public administration to be able to see itself from the point of view of
groups and organisations working in urban areas, such as businesses creating jobs and
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income, labour unions representing the interests of employees or NGOs representing the
values of citizens etc.
4.4
The EESC suggest adopting a more balanced representation of individual roles in urban
development when choosing partnerships. If a substantial majority of one group representing
the same view is in any partnership, then the outcomes of such a partnership cannot reflect the
needs of everyone and are essentially dominated by the point of view of the majority. Good
examples of fair proportion are the principles of the LEADER program, where a maximum of
50% of partnership members may come from the public administration.
4.5
A number of priority themes are interconnected and to some extent overlapping. The
implementation of measures identified for dealing with one priority issue, will influence
another or several other issues. It is necessary to ensure that measures implemented to
improve the situation in one priority area will not have an adverse effect on another priority
area.
4.6
The most important element of urban development for the future is open public administration
communicating with the public. It is not possible to achieve strategic goals without the
participation of local citizens and CSOs and their support. It is therefore important to pay
attention to and ensure quality involvement of citizens in the preparation and implementation
of any measure adopted at the level of cities.
5.
THE EESC involvement in the EU UA and process of selecting partners for
partnerships
5.1
The EESC does not have information about the ways in which relevant partners from CSOs
will be identified and/or appointed. The EESC offers its capacities and knowledge of
organised civil society for the selection of representatives of NGOs and social partners for
thematic partnerships.
5.2
The EESC represents citizens of all EU Member States who have an important social status
and are respected as proponents of traditional values. Their expertise can contribute to dealing
with the challenges of urban development. The EESC wishes to express its interest in taking
part in both the steering group and the partnerships of the Urban Agenda.
6.
Partnerships and the participation process
6.1
The EESC strongly supports partnerships as a subsidiarity process. However, partnerships
themselves should be very careful not to become closed discussion groups. One of the
challenges the EU UA will face is how to implement strategies developed by thematic
partnerships. For that (but not only for that) the way partnerships communicate externally will
be important.
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6.2
It is the right of every EU citizen to know, understand and also influence EU policies.
Involving people who want to be involved is the best way to get their support for the
outcomes.
6.3
Involving and consulting citizens cannot be effectively achieved by using only one tool.
Partnerships therefore need to seek and use selective communication and participation tools to
share, communicate and consult. A combination of methods is needed that is able to address
different types of stakeholders, bring different types of input, and allow different levels of
involvement. Partnerships should utilise techniques such as surveys, workshops, focus
groups, and submitting materials for written commentary etc. to receive feedback on their
work.
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