1. N° 124
EUROCITIES FLASH
Mar 2013
an information service for EUROCITIES members
Jobless generation? Excom and forum chairs meet
Y regional policy commissioner
oung people
are being hit
hard by the
recession across
Europe. The 50%
unemployment rates
reported from Spain
and Greece are extremes, but everywhere
the rate of joblessness amongst the
younger generation is high.
As a result many young people are
becoming profoundly alienated from
a system that is failing to deliver for
them. Movements like ‘los indignados’
demonstrate the lack of confidence young
people have both in the economy and in
Johannes Hahn, European commissioner of funding directly to cities watered
politics.
for regional policy, joined our executive down in discussions with member states.
To boost youth employment, member states committee and forum chairs for a meeting on The Parliament has however joined the
recently backed a Europe-wide ‘youth 1 March 2013. Commission in arguing for a minimum level
guarantee’. The commitment will see a new of delegation to cities, such as taking charge
He informed members of his new role of project selection.
job, continued education, apprenticeship
in coordinating urban matters across all
or traineeship offered to under-25s
Commission services in a bid to streamline Finally, members updated Johannes Hahn
unemployed for four months on leaving
activities and avoid duplication of efforts: on progress with partnership agreements and
school or being made redundant.
the directorate general for regional policy operational programmes in their member
Our mayors recently met Commissioner was renamed ‘regional and urban policy’ in states. He has been pushing for a much
Andor to reinforce the role of city October 2012 to clarify the Commission lead greater involvement of Europe’s large cities
administrations in delivering on this to external stakeholders. in the process of determining investment
promise. Not only is the problem of jobless priorities in the next funding period. In some
Johannes Hahn also gave an overview member states positive developments have
youngsters concentrated in cities, but
of the state of play on the structural funds taken place to consult and involve cities, in
it is largely city governments that have
negotiations, in particular the urban others less so.
the leverage to make a difference. Often
dimension. The commissioner has seen
responsible for education and social
his ambitious proposals for delegation
support, for economic development,
housing and urban security, city mayors
are on the front line of the youth Dorthe Nielsen, senior policy advisor: dorthe.nielsen@eurocities.eu
unemployment challenge. Many cities are
already taking action to give young people
opportunities in their municipal workforces
Also in this issue
and using procurement as a powerful lever.
EUROCITIES awards 2013: call for entries 2
The European Social Fund ought to offer
cities additional resources to expand
Member states strike deal on EU budget 4
these actions. But extra funds are
planned for regions where rates of youth
unemployment appear high, irrespective of Culture forum: what’s coming up in 2013? 5
where the absolute numbers are greatest.
So cities with the biggest concentrations of Entrepreneurship and social inclusion 6
young unemployed could find themselves
bypassed.
Our proposals for cleaner air in cities 7
We’ll be pressing for a more sensible
distribution of youth guarantee funds that New proposal slashes TEN-telecoms budget to €1bn 8
supports those cities facing the most acute
challenges.
EU launches new initiative on clean fuels 9
ImpleMentoring launch meeting 10
Paul Bevan Commonwealth Apprenticeship Initiative 11
Secretary general, EUROCITIES
Cooperation platform 2013 12
2. highlights
EUROCITIES awards 2013: call for entries
T
he EUROCITIES awards recognise outstanding achievements by „„ mart living – liveability in an urban
s
our members in the delivery of local activities or practices which environment: new solutions that
improve the quality of life for citizens. The awards are judged make our cities better places, more
in the context of the theme of the annual conference by an attractive and more sustainable
independent jury of five members with expertise in this area. They
The deadline for entries is 24 May
represent the host city, academia, EU institutions, media and the third
2013, a shortlist will be drawn up by
sector. Jury members change every year.
28 June 2013 and the awards will
Our 2013 awards will focus on ‘smart citizens’ in three categories. be presented at a ceremony on 27
We are looking for examples that showcase how local authorities and November 2013.
citizens work together using digital technology.
For more information about the
The 2013 categories are: awards, please contact Nicola Vatthauer
at our secretariat
„„ mart governance - co-creation initiatives for public services,
s
e-government, open data or similar
„„ mart jobs – through citizen-driven innovation, social
s
entrepreneurship and new business development Nicola Vatthauer, communications director: nicola.vatthauer@eurocities.eu
Right2Water initiative European Enterprise Promotion Awards
A number of our member Local authorities and public-private partnerships between public
cities are supporting the authorities and entrepreneurs, educational programmes and
Right2Water campaign. This business organisations in all EU member states, and in Croatia,
European citizens' initiative calls Iceland, Norway, Serbia and Turkey, can now apply for this year’s
on the European Commission to European Enterprise Promotion Awards.
propose legislation implementing
the human right to water and You can apply in six different categories: promoting
sanitation, and promoting the entrepreneurial spirit; investing in skills; improving the business
provision of water and sanitation environment; supporting the internationalisation of business;
as essential public services for all. responsible and inclusive entrepreneurship; and supporting the
efforts to achieve universal access development of green markets and resource efficiency.
Specifically, the Right2Water to water and sanitation.
initiative calls for EU institutions There are two stages to the competition: the national level and
and member states to be obliged The petition needs a minimum the European level. To find out more about the award and how to
to ensure that all citizens number of signatories per apply, visit the link below.
enjoy the right to water and member state in order to be valid.
sanitation; for water supply and
management of water resources To find out more, and to sign,
not to be subject to internal visit the link below.
market rules and water services to
be excluded from liberalisation;
and for the EU to increase its Right2Water: www.right2water.eu More information: bit.ly/HMBkQK
Staff news: interim policy assistant EUROCITIES 2013 Ghent ‘smart citizens’
David Preuss, who has just Ghent | 27-30 November 2013
completed a work experience
placement in our environment
forum, takes over as policy
assistant from Soraya Zanardo
during her six-month research
sabbatical from March to It is people that make cities. A smart city is where innovation and
September 2013. David will technology help to empower the people who live in it, work in it and visit
take on Soraya’s role of it. Our cities are pools of creativity and innovation that city leaders draw
maintaining our contacts with upon to build successful and sustainable cities that can lead the way out of
the Committee of the Regions, recession.
managing the work within our cooperation pillar and
assisting the policy team in general. In the European Year of Citizens, EUROCITIES 2013 builds on the themes
of our last three annual conferences: ‘successful cities: vision and identity'
in Zaragoza; ‘planning for people’ in Genoa; and ‘a new city politics’ in
Nantes.
The conference website, with more information, is due to go live in April.
David Preuss, policy assistant: david.preuss@eurocities.eu
Sinead Mullins, senior communications coordinator: sinead.mullins@eurocities.eu
2 Flash 124 March 2013
3. highlights
Talking urban priorities with EU commissioners
O
n 28 February our president, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, mayor mobility package
of Warsaw, led small delegations of our members to meet due for summer
three European commissioners. 2013 was addressed.
The commissioner
Together with the mayor of Stockholm, she met Cecilia stressed the principle
Malmström, commissioner for home affairs, to discuss multilevel of subsidiarity,
governance and the role of cities in migrant integration. The and that it was
commissioner recognised the significant contribution various city not the intention
authorities are making to integration through the range of measures of the Commission
mentioned in our Integrating Cities Charter - services, employment to impose road
and procurement. She was very interested to receive our Integrating charging schemes on
Cities Report, which she suggested should be presented at the June cities.
2013 meeting of the European Integration Forum. We invited her to
attend our next Integrating Cities event in Tampere on 9 September A group of our Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz and Commissioner Andor
2013, but it is not certain she will be able to attend. politicians from seven of our executive committee cities (Warsaw,
Stockholm, Ghent, Birmingham, Copernhagen, Budapest and Nantes)
The mayor of Warsaw joined the chairs of our mobility (Mannheim), met László Andor, commissioner for employment, social affairs and
environment (Birmingham) and knowledge society (Ghent) forums inclusion. They presented examples of city initiatives to tackle youth
to meet Siim Kallas, European Commission vice president and unemployment and discussed the new youth guarantee fund and
commissioner for transport. The meeting focused on the smart cities youth employment initiative. The commissioner was presented with
initiative and in particular our vision of a citizen-centred approach. our latest publications on social innovation, demographic change
We presented our views on the need for an approach that starts and youth unemployment, and expressed his interest in principle
by identifying needs on the ground and defining the principles for in speaking at our Cities for Active Inclusion event, taking place in
smart city solutions, rather than starting with solutions proposals Brussels on 25 September 2013
themselves. We also discussed the role of the mayor of Warsaw as
our representative on the high-level group on smart cities, set up
by Commissioners Kallas, Kroes and Oettinger. Finally, the urban Vanda Knowles, policy director: vanda.knowles@eurocities.eu
Relaunching working group branding management and city attractiveness
We spoke to the chair of our working group on branding management and city attractiveness, Cesare
Torre (pictured), director of city promotion, tourism and city branding in Genoa, on the relaunch of the
group. The working group has been part of our economic development forum since January 2013.
What are the working group’s objectives for the coming year?
Our aim is to develop a shared understanding of city branding and attractiveness by exchanging
experiences and best practices on improving these.
Specific areas of our work include:
„„ eaching beyond the economy-focused perception of attractiveness to include culture, sport, tourism,
r
creativity, events, quality of life, etc.
„„ etworking cities on areas such as tourism, convention, economic development and foreign direct
n
investment agencies
„„ onnecting with the media and using social networks more effectively to promote city activities, such as events or museum openings
c
„„ sharing ideas on how to promote a renewed image of cities as a result of the economic crisis, such as monthly free local museum visits;
public sports days; city council open days; drawing competitions to gather ideas for the city from schoolchildren; or requesting pro
bono services from professionals to help improve city life
What’s on the agenda for your next meeting (Oslo, 17-19 April 2013)?
The title of our meeting is ‘Integrated city brand management: rethinking organisational models’. It’s a joint EUROCITIES and City
Logo URBACT II project meeting. We’re going to discuss integrated city branding; local partnerships and stakeholder involvement in city
branding; reviewing city branding in a reduced public funding context; and multilevel governance in city branding. We’ll also be finding
out what’s happening around Oslo during a city tour and peer review session.
Can new cities join the working group?
We very much welcome new cities! Please contact us for more information.
Cesare Torre, director of city promotion, tourism nd city branding department: ctorre@comune.genova.it
Julie Hervé, policy advisor: julie.herve@eurocities.eu
Flash 124 March 2013 3
4. cooperation
Member states strike deal on EU budget
M ember states reached agreement on
the next EU multiannual financial
framework (MFF) at a summit on
7–8 February 2013. The agreement
is for a maximum budget ceiling of €960
billion representing 1% of EU GNI.
maintained. The agreement also stresses that
financial engineering instruments should be
used more widely to maximise the leverage
effect of the EU budget. Also, the Council has
added a ‘youth employment initiative’ to the
MFF, allocating €6bn for promoting youth
employment. The initiative will be open to all
It reduces the EU budget by 3.5% regions with levels of unemployment above
compared to the current period 25%. premiums, to be added to the regional
with cuts made to both cohesion For the structural funds that deliver
allocations, have been increased in less-
developed regions and in transition regions.
policy (€325bn) and the common cohesion policy, the MFF maintains the
categories of regions proposed by the The proposed budget now needs the
agriculture policy (€373bn). Commission: less developed, transition and
more developed. The balance of allocations
approval of the European Parliament.
Although MEPs have signalled that the
The budget for competitiveness for growth between the different categories has however budget cuts are unacceptable, they can only
and jobs, which finances programmes for been shifted in favour of less-developed, approve or reject the budget, and cannot
innovation, research, education and SMEs, outermost and sparsely-populated northern amend it. Following agreement with the
has received a boost. This is mainly thanks regions. Innovative actions in the area of Parliament, the Commission will put forward
to the inclusion of the new Connecting sustainable urban development are allocated proposals for the specific allocations for
Europe Facility (CEF), which promotes an €330m. programmes such as Horizon 2020, Erasmus
interconnected transport, energy and digital for All and LIFE under the different budget
network. The proposed allocation to the CEF The European Social Fund (ESF) minimum
headings
has however been reduced substantially, from share of 25% of structural funds, proposed
€50bn to €29bn. by the Commission, was not retained in the
agreement; but reference is made to necessary
European Council conlusion and figures:
The Commission’s proposal that climate support for human capital development being bit.ly/125vV60
action objectives should represent at least ensured through an ‘adequate’ share of the Dorthe Nielsen, senior policy advisor:
20% of spending across the budget has been ESF in cohesion policy. Also, unemployment dorthe.nielsen@eurocities.eu
URBAN-NEXUS encourages dialogue Next meeting of working group public services
on urban land use Brussels | 18 April 2013
Gothenburg | 10-11 April 2013 Our working group public services will meet on 18 April 2013
in Brussels. Members will discuss EU legislation on state aid, in
Following two successful dialogue cafes on
particular in the field of cultural services and housing, working
climate change and urban health, the third
with our working group housing.
URBAN-NEXUS event will focus on urban land
use issues. They will also discuss the progress of the trialogue - the
discussions between the Commission, Parliament and Council - that
The event, taking place on 10-11 April 2013 in Gothenburg,
began on 21 February 2013 on the draft directives on procurement
will bring together city experts, researchers and European policy
and on concessions. Our city expert group on procurement is also
makers in an attempt to improve urban planning by integrating
invited to this meeting.
social, sustainability and citizen engagement considerations.
Finally, they will work on the revision of the public services
The dialogue cafe will allow for cross-sectoral networking
regulation for transport services which started with the publication
during study visits on urban development projects in Gothenburg.
of a new draft within the framework of the fourth railway
It will also encourage participants to exchange on case studies with
package. They will cooperate with our mobility forum on this.
the help of Urbania, a digital workshop tool for the compilation of
information, dialogue and development of ideas.
Agenda and registration: goo.gl/4pX5M Marie Ranty, policy advisor: marie.ranty@eurocities.eu
Denisa Naidin, project assistant: denisa.naidin@eurocities.eu
Capital cities discuss Europe 2020 delivery with European Commission
Johannes Hahn, European commissioner for regional policy, invited mayors of European capital cities for a roundtable discussion with
him in Brussels on 28 February 2013 to discuss the role of cities in driving recovery and delivering the Europe 2020 goals. Janez Potočnik,
commissioner for environment, also joined the event and discussed with mayors the urban dimension of the EU’s environmental policies.
Some 20 capital cities (Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin, Bratislava, Brussels, Bucharest, Lisbon, Ljubljana, Luxembourg, Madrid, Nicosia, Rome,
Sofia, Stockholm, Tallinn, Vienna, Vilnius, Valletta, Warsaw, and Zagreb) joined the meeting, which demonstrated Commissioner Hahn’s
recognition of Europe’s major cities as drivers of growth, and his ambition to establish a direct dialogue with those cities. The mayors issued
a joint declaration which stressed the need to keep in mind the urban dimension in EU initiatives across relevant policy areas and welcomed
the Commission’s commitment to an integrated approach.
Dorthe Nielsen, senior policy advisor: dorthe.nielsen@eurocities.eu
4 Flash 124 March 2013
5. culture
Culture forum: what’s coming up in 2013?
W
e spoke to Matteo Lepore
(pictured), deputy mayor of
Bologna and chair of our culture
forum since 26 October 2012.
What are some of the key aspects of being
chair of the culture forum?
For Bologna, the chairmanship is an
acknowledgment of our cultural activities.
More importantly, it signals an exciting
challenge for the future. We consider this a
great opportunity to exchange best practices
and experiences with our partners in Europe,
enhance international collaboration, and
design and expand on our activities, while
funding models should be addressed innovation includes, amongst other things:
keeping in mind the importance of retaining
and developed, including public-private organisational and management innovation;
an international scope.
partnerships, rational use of external social innovation; and service innovation.
What are the culture forum priorities for funds, and innovative fund-raising models. It is a key point in today's economy and we
2013? European funding programmes should are eager to address it. In a second plenary
be refined to meet the new needs of the session, Silvia Costa, MEP (Italy, S&D) and
We strongly believe culture is one of the key cultural and creative sector. rapporteur on Creative Europe, will talk
ingredients for developing and innovating our „„ about culture in the context of the upcoming
New governance models for culture:
cities. With this in mind, and to support cities European funding programmes and reflect on
rethinking governance models is a process
working towards the Europe 2020 objectives, the role of culture in local development.
that many cities and states in Europe
our priorities are: have already addressed. It is now of great The five culture forum working groups will
importance to include cultural strategies in also meet: creative industries; cultural access
„„ nnovation and culture: when dealing with
I
these activities. and entitlement; culture and young people;
culture, innovation should be not only
technological, but also non-technological What’s on the agenda for your next meeting mobility of artists; and resources for culture.
and social. Technology in culture should (Florence, 13-16 March 2013)?
become a means of innovating and If you have not yet registered for the forum,
preserving traditions and cultural heritage; The relationship between innovation and please do so as soon as possible. The 14 March
and we propose content-oriented culture will be high on the agenda in Florence. 2013 morning plenary session will also be
innovations that merge with social streamed live online
innovations. A plenary session will focus on the importance
of non-technological innovation and on the Live streaming: bit.ly/13jOgfg
„„ ew funding models for culture: in these
N innovative solutions that cities have used Julie Hervé, policy advisor:
times of shrinking public funds, new in their cultural policies. Non-technological julie.herve@eurocities.eu
European Parliament: promoting cultural and creative sectors for growth and jobs
The European Parliament’s culture and education committee Urban capital is created
discussed a report on promoting the European cultural and creative at local level and then
sectors as sources of economic growth and jobs on 21 February 2013. reinvested in the area to
Rapporteur Marie-Thérèse Sanchez-Schmid (France, EPP) initiated generate growth. Synergies
this report in response to a communication issued by the European need to be created
Commission in September 2012. between local, national
and European strategies
The cultural and creative sectors already contribute significantly to and competences in order
the European economy. The Commission communication reported to support and maximise
that they account for 3.3% of EU GDP and employ 6.7 million people the impact of the cultural
(3% of all employment in the EU). They have proven to be very and creative sectors.
resilient to the ongoing economic crisis, particularly in terms of jobs
as certain sub-sectors have a higher rate of employment of young Other areas for discussion include several points that we have
people than the rest of the economy. been promoting at EU level: the need for better qualitative and
quantitative data to facilitate evidence-based policy making; support
The rapporteur wants to explore concrete measures that can be for innovation and access to international markets; and improving
put into place to further increase the leverage effect of the cultural opportunities for exchange of ideas and learning points.
and creative sectors.
On the issue of funding, two points were raised. Firstly, the need
She is keen to stress the importance of the local to raise awareness amongst investors of the potential of these
and regional roles, as key competences are being sectors; and secondly, the need to highlight the fact that structural
developed particularly well at this level. funds can and should be used to support the creative industries.
The committee will vote on the report on 18 June 2013.
Julie Hervé, policy advisor: julie.herve@eurocities.eu
Flash 124 March 2013 5
6. economic development
Entrepreneurship and social inclusion
W e are looking for case studies which showcase examples of
cities supporting entrepreneurship with a focus on social
inclusion.
In particular we want to see examples of support
for groups of people who may not normally consider
supporting entrepreneurship, the
importance of this support to the
local economy, and the impact it has
on social inclusion.
Please send us your examples by 22
March 2013. The publication will be
starting their own business, or who face significant ready in June 2013
barriers in getting their ideas off the ground.
If your city has such a project or policy, please use our template
below to tell us about it. Eight to ten case studies will be selected Julie Hervé, policy advisor: julie.herve@eurocities.eu
for a publication to highlight the role that local authorities play in Case study template: bit.ly/YQJ1hf
Economic development forum on city attractiveness
Turin | 10-12 April 2013
The thematic conference of the economic politicians in a panel featuring Piero Fassino,
development forum (EDF) on 12 April 2013 mayor of Turin; Nick Small, Liverpool city
will focus on city attractiveness policies. councillor and chair of the EDF; and Carolien
Members will exchange on how they attract Gehrels, deputy mayor of Amsterdam and vice
tourists, businesses, and workers. Greg Clark, chair of the EDF.
senior fellow researcher at the Urban Land
Institute, will give a keynote speech on Six working groups will meet alongside
‘business friendly cities’. the forum: cohesion policy; entrepreneurship
and SMEs; innovation; integrated urban
Several cities will present their strategies development; international economic
during the plenary session and workshops. relations; and metropolitan areas. Marie Ranty: policy advisor:
Workshop conclusions will be discussed by marie.ranty@eurocities.eu
Relaunch of integrated urban Metropolitan areas working group visits
development working group Rennes Metropole
Turin | 10-12 April 2013 Our metropolitan areas working group visited Rennes Metropole,
Our working group on integrated capital of Brittany, on 11-13 February for a study visit. The city
urban development (IUD) is looking of Rennes works together with 27 surrounding municipalities on
to gather 15-20 interested cities or economic development, research, education, spatial planning,
partners at their next meeting, during transport and housing. Its main objectives are to connect the region
the economic development forum through transport, ensure economic development and preserve
on 10-12 April 2013 in Turin. Sylvia green spaces. Approximately 11% of the metropolitan area is urban
Pintarits from Munich and Michael and 76% rural.
Erman from Stockholm chair the group.
Brittany has a strong culture of urban-rural collaboration. Mayors
The group will discuss the necessary conditions for and cross- of all its cities and towns meet four to six times a year to review
sectoral approaches using various cities' experiences and solutions. the strategic objectives of the metropolitan region and maintain
Specific focuses in 2013 will be on densification, carbon neutral regular contact between these official meetings, keeping personal
design of urban areas, large-scale retrofitting and social impact as ties strong.
well as links with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
2014-2020 and smart cities. Outputs of the IUD working group will Our working group met Daniel Delaveau, mayor of Rennes,
include interviews and video clips. and visited a nearby town to discuss urban-rural relations and
cooperation in the metropolitan region with the mayors of some
Members interested in developing inspiring and effective ways of of the surrounding municipalities: Le Rhue, Mordelles, Acigné and
knowledge transfer on IUD are welcome to join. Chapelle-Thouarault. All the mayors are actively and enthusiastically
engaged in cooperation in the metropolitan region.
IUD is a complex issue which overlaps with many other
EUROCITIES themes. Exchanges with other working groups would be The metropolitan areas of Lille, Toulouse, Lyon and Strasbourg
very welcome. also participated in the visit and offered insights into their
respective metropolitan regions from a very practical perspective,
The working group meeting in Turin will focus on densification including governance, transport and housing issues. Working group
and citizens' involvement, and will include a site visit. In June 2013, members gained a much clearer understanding of urban-rural
our working group housing (social affairs forum) will deal with collaboration in Rennes Metropole and in France more generally,
similar issues in Zurich. Although a joint meeting is not possible, while at the same time giving French colleagues new ideas to discuss
the chairs will maintain close contact and encourage cities to use all further.
other opportunities for dialogue.
Dorthe Nielsen, senior policy advisor: dorthe.nielsen@eurocities.eu
Marie Ranty: policy advisor: marie.ranty@eurocities.eu
6 Flash 124 March 2013
7. environment
Our proposals for cleaner air in cities
R
esponding to a European Commission We stress that EU emission source controls
consultation on the review of the EU air must be more effective and stringent. The
policy, we confirm cities’ commitment emissions of new cars, trucks and buses must
to clean air and call for an ambitious be tested under realistic conditions, and
EU air quality policy that engages all levels the EU will need to take action on other
of government: local and regional, national pollution sources related to road traffic,
and EU. construction, heating and shipping. Member
states should commit to more ambitious
While air pollution is often more national emission reduction strategies under
concentrated in cities, many of the factors a stricter national emissions ceilings directive
affecting air quality are outside local (NECD).
government control.
We also point out that EU air quality
We propose more effective legislation must be fair. Local authorities
recognise the efforts already made and being
implemented to address air pollution
cooperation in particular with the should not be held to account for factors
Commission and member states beyond their control, such as long-range
EUROCITIES response to the Commission
to achieve our shared aim of a pollution from outside their territory.
Compliance measures, such as under the consultation: bit.ly/VyyjOO
healthy environment. ambient air quality directive, should also
Michael Klinkenberg, policy advisor:
michael.klinkenberg@eurocities.eu
WHO underlines need for clean air for Over 20 CASCADE mutual learning events in 2013
better health
Experts and officials from 39 European cities will participate in the
networking and mutual learning programme under our CASCADE IEE-
funded project.
The programme started in February 2013 and includes more than 20
networking activities over the year in the three CASCADE thematic areas:
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has highlighted that energy efficient buildings and districts; urban transport; and renewable
air pollution continues to affect citizens’ health in Europe. energy generation and distribution.
The new report presents the first results of the WHO project Participating cities will learn from each other through three types of
‘Review of evidence on health aspects of air pollution – activity:
REVIHAAP’ by:
„„ tudy tours: a delegation of city representatives (from one or several
s
„„ uggesting a revision of the current WHO air quality
s cities) visits another city to interact with key local stakeholders and
guidelines on particulate matter see how local projects on sustainable energy are being implemented
„„ roposing the development of an additional guideline
p „„ entoring visits: a city welcomes two or three ‘mentors’, including
m
for black carbon to better capture the effects of pollution one from another city, who support the local administration in
from road traffic understanding common situations and challenges, exchanging and
exploring new ideas, options and solutions for further improvements
„„ iting new evidence of the long-term negative effects of
c
being exposed to ozone, such as on lung functions „„ ork shadowing: an energy expert from one city will ‘shadow’ a peer
w
in another city to witness first hand how things work elsewhere and
„„ onfirming that short-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide
c
get inspiration for improving their own way of working
can be harmful too
The first study tour took place on 6-7 February 2013 in Milan on
The WHO recommendations will feed into this year’s review
congestion charging and parking management together with experts and
of EU air quality policy.
officials from Nantes and Budapest (for more information see page 9,
mobility).
The latest activity took place on 5-6 March 2013 in Amaroussion, to be
followed by Bilbao, Stockholm, Sunderland and Venice in April. A new
‘cascade’ of innovative mutual learning activities is on its way!
Full report: bit.ly/U7oCHs
Michael Klinkenberg, policy advisor: michael.klinkenberg@eurocities.eu Ioanna Tsalakanidou, project coordinator: ioanna.tsalakanidou@eurocities.eu
Flash 124 March 2013 7
8. knowledge society
New proposal slashes TEN-telecoms budget to €1 billion
A t a summit in Brussels on 8 February 2013, member states
agreed on the next EU budget with a cut from €994bn in
2007-2013 to €960bn in 2014-2020.
One of the areas affected by the cut is Europe's broadband
infrastructure. The initial budget proposed by the European
The TEN-telecoms report
is currently in trialogue
between the Commission,
Council and Parliament, but
the new budget proposal
means most of the report
Commission would have seen €7bn devoted to broadband networks (which focused on broadband)
and €1.2bn to digital services under the TEN-telecoms guidelines. is no longer relevant. So
The money would have come from a budget of €50bn destined for it is expected that the
the Connecting Europe Facility, a fund intended to foster smart, Commission will informally
sustainable and fully interconnected transport, energy and digital propose restructured
networks. telecoms guidelines in the trialogue, focusing on digital services.
Under the budget now agreed by European leaders, This is dependent on Parliament giving its consent to the EU budget
proposed by member states.
that Connecting Europe fund has been cut to €29.3bn,
with only €1bn to go on ICT and digital projects. See cooperation (page 4) for more information on the budget
agreement
The €1bn that remains for digital services from the Connecting
Europe Facility's funding will be used for digital service infrastructure
like e-invoicing and e-procurement. George Niland, policy advisor: george.niland@eurocities.eu
Commission launches open data portal Financing and policy for smart and
The European Commission has sustainable cities
launched its open data portal, a site
for data held by the Commission, the
Knowledge society forum | Nuremberg
European Environment Agency, and 13-15 March 2013
potentially other EU institutions and
bodies.
The site provides a central point
of access to data held by different
Commission departments, making it easy
to find and retrieve datasets currently
published on a multitude of different value of using open data is estimated Our environment and knowledge society forums meet
sites and portals. This will be followed at approximately €40 billion and this jointly in Nuremberg on 13-15 March 2013, together
later in 2013 by a pan-European open central access point to datasets across with a NiCE (Networking intelligent Cities for Energy
data portal for more than 70 existing Europe will allow users to turn raw Efficiency) roadshow.
open data portal initiatives in the data into the material that hundreds
member states at national, regional or of millions of ICT users depend on, The event will focus on financing and policy for smart
local level. for example smart phone apps such and sustainable cities. It will include discussions on
as maps, real time traffic and weather national and EU funding, as well as city examples on
This will allow users to easily access information, price comparison tools etc. innovative financing mechanisms. Study visits will focus
data from across member states, regions on Nuremberg’s implementation of our Green Digital
and cities with the aim of creating Charter. Interested cities will have the opportunity to
services and applications. The potential sign our Green Digital Charter.
Registration: bit.ly/UUPjxa
NiCE: www.greendigitalcharter.eu
Open data portal: open-data.europa.eu/open-data
George Niland, policy advisor: george.niland@eurocities.eu
Horizon 2020: ongoing trialogue
At the European Parliament’s industry, research and energy (ITRE) committee on 20 February 2013, the Parliament, Commission and Council
gave an update on their ongoing trialogue on the Horizon 2020 report. The Commission focused on its priorities of public participation and
partnerships between the private and public sectors, as well as the need for a well-performing EU R&D sector to compete globally. The Council
raised concerns on implemented/delegated acts while the Parliament highlighted the importance of synergies between Horizon 2020 and the
structural funds, as well as the need to maintain the proposed €80bn budget to drive growth and stimulate innovation.
There will be a third round of trialogue in the coming weeks where one of the main issues to be resolved is that of combining structural funds
with Horizon 2020 funds. Both the Commission and Parliament are strongly in favour of synergies between the two, but the Council is not so
receptive to the idea of influencing how structural funds could potentially be used. From a city perspective, it is important that Horizon 2020
promotes synergies between the structural funds and Horizon 2020 funds which would allow for more flexibility and resources for financing
future projects.
George Niland, policy advisor: george.niland@eurocities.eu
8 Flash 124 March 2013
9. mobility
EU launches new initiative on clean fuels
T
he clean power for transport package, So far the deployment of clean fuels has Following our
published on 24 January 2013, is the been hampered by the cost of clean vehicles, recommendations
new EU strategy with binding targets poor consumer acceptance and insufficient on the clean
to ensure the development of an of recharging and refuelling stations. power for
alternative fuels infrastructure across Europe transport
with common standards for interoperability. The European Commission believes package, issued
it is now up to national (and indirectly ahead of its
The main alternative fuel options today local) authorities, through national policy publication in
are: electricity; hydrogen; biofuels; natural frameworks, to support efficient deployment November 2012, we will develop a response
gas (compressed natural gas - CNG); liquefied by implementing the targets set in the to the specific measures outlined in the
natural gas (LNG); gas-to-liquid; and liquefied package. package to ensure cities’ priorities are
petroleum gas (LPG). respected
More information: bit.ly/W0gBlD
Vanessa Holve, policy advisor: vanessa.holve@eurocities.eu
European Commission proposal for fourth Save the date: mobility forum meeting in
railway package Gothenburg
The European Commission transport of goods and Mobility forum | Gothenburg | 16-18 April 2013
published its latest rail package travelling
Our mobility forum meets in Gothenburg on 16-18 April
on 30 January 2013. It expands
„„ roduce more than €40
p 2013 on ‘transforming cities: new urban mobility challenges,
on past initiatives by calling for a
billion of financial benefits new ways of financing’. More information can be found in the
new open single market for rail,
for citizens and companies members’ section of our website.
strengthening the role of the
involved by 2035
European Railway Agency (ERA)
Vanessa Holve, policy advisor: vanessa.holve@eurocities.eu
for the issuing of certificates „„ rovide for up to 16 billion
p
throughout the EU, and seeking to extra passenger-km
create a network of infrastructure
managers. The package will need to CIVITAS ‘city of the year’ hosts study tour
be approved by the European
More specifically, the Parliament and the Council in the Donostia-San Sebastian | 18-19 April 2013
Commission intends to: coming months. EU governments Registration is open for the next CIVITAS study tour on
will then be expected to open 18-19 April 2013, hosted by the 2012 CIVITAS ‘city of the
„„ ut the administrative costs for their domestic railway markets to
c year’, Donostia-San Sebastian. The city will showcase its
rail companies by €500 million competition by 2019. award-winning comprehensive approach to cycling and public
by 2025 transport (see Flash October 2012).
We will consider the impact of
„„ facilitate the entry of new the package for cities and discuss
operators into the market Participants will learn about five successful CIVITAS measures
it at our next mobility forum in on a bike tour of the city: extension of infrastructure for bikes
„„ mprove railway services
i Gothenburg. and pedestrians; public bike scheme; vertical transport network;
and increase choice for the safe districts, 30km zones and road safety measures; and
More information: bit.ly/YuFwij enhancement of public transport management.
Vanessa Holve, policy advisor:
vanessa.holve@eurocities.eu
Registration and draft agenda: bit.ly/UGQ1z5
Milan hosts first CASCADE study visit Yannick Bousse, project coordinator: yannick.bousse@eurocities.eu
On 6-7 February 2013, a delegation of experts and officials from Nantes
and Budapest, as well from transport expert Koucky & Partners AB, ECOMM 2013: registration open!
participated in a study visit to Milan.
Gavle | 29-31 May 2013
Milan presented its municipal congestion charge system, ‘Area C’. The
On 29-31 May 2013, the winner of
congestion charge is a fee charged to vehicles entering the city centre
the 2009 European Mobility Week
and is applied to an 8.2 km² zone. In its first year of operation, the system
award, Gavle in Sweden, will host the
helped reduce traffic volume by 31%, PM10 and NOx emissions by 18%
European Conference on Mobility
and CO2 emissions by 35%. It has also raised €20.3 million for investment
Management. The conference will focus on ‘Smart choices
in public transport and the bike sharing system.
require easy access – making sustainable transport a part of
every day life’.
Participants were also guided through Milan’s innovative parking
management system, which makes use of ITS technologies to better
Participants will learn about dealing with land use planning
monitor and manage the central city parking and loading zones.
and mobility, how to encourage a cycling boom and save
money with mobility management.
The study tour was organised in the framework of the CASCADE IEE
project and it was the first of more than 20 networking and mutual
The full programme and registration are available on the
learning activities to be carried out by the end of the year.
ECOMM website, below.
C ASCADE: www.cascadecities.eu More information on: www.ecomm2013.eu
Ioanna Tsalakanidou, project coordinator: ioanna.tsalakanidou@eurocities.eu Yannick Bousse, project coordinator: yannick.bousse@eurocities.eu
Flash 124 March 2013 9
10. social affairs
ImpleMentoring launch meeting
O ur ImpleMentoring project, which began in November 2012
and runs for 18 months, enables European cities to address
implementation gaps in migrant integration policies and
practices.
Project partners gathered at our offices on 26-27 February 2013 for a
two-day launch meeting. Two representatives from each partner city
- Aarhus, Athens, Copenhagen, Dublin, Genoa, Ghent, Lublin, Malmo, required skills for mentors and mentees, action-development planning
Manchester, Milan, Oslo, Riga, Rotterdam and Tampere - attended the and implementation of change.
event, which was hosted by EUROCITIES together with Migration Work.
Day two was spent in breakout sessions for the four mentoring scheme
We presented our Integrating Cities Charter and the aims of our project, clusters, led by Migration Work facilitators. Partners had the opportunity
which promotes the charter. Johan Bern from European Commission to present their cities' needs and identify gaps before discussing the
DG home affairs briefed partners on the Commission’s approach to project’s benchmarks
integration. This was followed by a training session on mentoring skills,
given by Simon Güntner, a former EUROCITIES colleague who is now
professor for social sciences and social policy at Hamburg University More information: www.integratingcities.eu
of Applied Sciences. Themes included the transfer of good practices, Thomas Jézéquel, project coordinator: thomas.jezequel@eurocities.eu
Engaging local communities to Commission advocates increased social investment
promote inclusion The European Commission has
launched a new initiative to support
Katowice | 24-25 April 2013 human capital development and
The next social affairs forum will focus on promoting has made the case for maintaining
social inclusion through neighbourhood approaches in investment in people despite budget
Katowice on 24-25 April 2013. cuts. The social investment package
(SIP), published on 20 February
Participants will examine Katowice’s experiences in 2013, consists of a communication, a
local activation projects and engaging citizens in local recommendation on child poverty and
initiatives. seven working documents.
The forum will look in particular at: Its main objective is to support the
redesign of social policies that invest in
„„ eighbourhood and territorial aspects of social
n human capital throughout a person's lifetime.
inclusion programmes
„„ romoting citizenship and local democracy through
p This support for investment in people is crucial for cities as it
cooperation with, and initiatives from, local
residents
will have an impact on most of the EU initiatives and funding
„„ tackling social disadvantage through
priorities in the area of social affairs.
comprehensive and innovative approaches The SIP promotes best practices and provides guidance to member states for
social investment, in particular through
Participants will have the opportunity to visit
Katowice’s most successful local activation, citizenship „„ ncreasing the efficiency and effectiveness of social protection systems through
i
and local cooperation projects. They will also hear mutual learning, identifying efficiency gains and addressing the low benefit
about other cities’ experiences at the speed networking take-up
session.
„„ upporting activation policies to include more people in the labour market
s
Report: bit.ly/W0emzF „„ ddressing extreme poverty, such as homelessness and material deprivation
a
Mirte Kortbeek, social policy researcher:
„„ upporting innovation and social policy experimentation
s
mirte.kortbeek@eurocities.eu
„„ mproving the governance of social policy at EU level
i
Dates for your diary The package also aims to gather evidence on the effects of social policies.
Our annual awareness-raising training for city staff The seven working documents deal with issues such as the follow up of the
new to their posts will be held at our offices in Brussels active inclusion recommendations, the contribution of the European Social Fund
on 24-25 June 2013. Invitations will be sent in March. to implementing the social investment package, the third biennial report on social
services of general interest and strategies to tackle homelessness.
Our Cities for Active Inclusion final event will
take place in the Committee of the Regions on 25
September 2013. More details will follow in due course.
Caroline Greene, communications executive: More information: bit.ly/158KeEw
caroline.greene@eurocities.eu Anna Drozd, policy advisor: anna.drozd@eurocities.eu
10 Flash 124 March 2013
11. city news
Cities in action: Commonwealth Apprenticeship Initiative
G lasgow launched its Commonwealth Apprenticeship Initiative
(CAI) in 2009 as a free recruitment service to match young
people with apprenticeship opportunities. The initiative targets
young people in their last year at school who are unlikely to
enter into formal higher education and are therefore at a higher risk
of unemployment. Instead, apprenticeships offer young people an
alternative route into the workforce by equipping them with a new
set of skills.
The city engages both with the young people – through school
fairs, information stands and parents’ meetings – and the employers,
who are assisted with every aspect of the recruitment process.
Apprenticeships can be an appealing option for employers, especially
given the current financial crisis, as they offer a cost-effective means
of training up a new pool of experienced employees to meet future
workforce needs. The employers also receive financial grants from the
city when recruiting through the CAI. This has led the city to broaden its approach, launching a
Commonwealth Jobs Fund in 2010, targeted at 18-24 year olds; a
The initiative is part of Glasgow’s long-term strategy to improve the graduate fund in 2011 in an attempt to keep expertise within the city;
city’s workforce in view of its hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games. and a youth fund in November 2012.
The statistics are encouraging: since its launch in 2009, the scheme The project was shortlisted for the 2012 EUROCITIES innovation
has helped more than 2,000 young people enter employment through award. Read more in the case study at the link below
apprenticeships, and with a dropout rate of just 9.9%, most have
completed their programmes to the full. Businesses are responding Full case study: bit.ly/XQ00lA
positively, with 97% of the 852 that have been engaged so far Rose Montgomery, communications executive:
expressing an interest in recruiting through the CAI again. rose.montgomery@eurocities.eu
Residents enjoy free public transport in Tallinn
On 1 January 2013, Tallinn became the for every 1,000 residents registering (through Some Tallinn residents are concerned as to
largest European city and the first European the personal income tax system). whether the city will be able to maintain the
capital to provide free public transport to its quality of the network, but it has certainly
residents. The initial results of the move are Almost 8,000 additional residents have proven popular so far. A vote has revealed
encouraging: the usage of public transport already registered, and the city estimates that 75% of the city’s population supports
in Tallinn has already increased by 10% while that these registrations have already had a the scheme and as one resident explains:
traffic in city centre has reduced by 15%. significant impact on the city’s tax base.
In addition to providing mobility to
“Free public transport is good.
Many major cities are seeking ways to
reduce traffic levels in the city centre, turning unemployed and low-income residents, free People will have more possibilities
to measures such as congestion charges or public transport has brought new passenger to travel around and if it improves
building new roads. However, the Estonian
capital decided that offering free public
groups into the city centre in the evenings
and weekends. This will boost the local
city traffic, then I’m all for it!”
transport to its 423,000 residents would be economy, as these citizens are likely to spend So far, the largest European city to
the most effective means of confronting the their free time and money consuming local introduce free public transport was the
challenge. goods and services. Aubagne urban district in southern France,
home to some 100,000 inhabitants.
The city council was already subsidising To cope with the new demand, Tallinn
70% of the costs of public transport use, but invested in 70 new buses and 15 new trams.
this new initiative is adding an additional It also put into place a series of deterrents
€12 million to the city’s annual transport to private car use, including expansion of
expenditure. The city will get some of the exclusive bus lanes barring private vehicles,
money back though, with the national increased parking charges and expanded
government offering a bonus of some €1m paid parking areas. More information: bit.ly/Z5LLtr
If you have some news about your city you’d like to share, contact Rose Montgomery (rose.montgomery@eurocities.eu)
Meeting in Brussels?
EUROCITIES offers prices for EUROCITIES „„ interpretation booths „„ special conditions on
meeting rooms in an members. request
„„ projection facilities
ideal location, a stone’s
„„ half day rentals
throw from the European „„ capacity for 75 people „„ complimentary WiFi
accepted
institutions, with special
„„ catering services
Contact and reservation - Olivier Baeselen, finance, HR and office manager: +32 (0) 2 552 08 8 2 meetingrooms@eurocities.eu www.meetingroomsinbrussels.eu
Flash 124 March 2013 11
