Cities are Europe’s global competitive edge and centers of innovation,
producing around 85% of the EU’s GDP. Under strong city leadership, we can
attract the right talent and investment to achieve a climate of economic
recovery.
Europe's cities are engines of economic activity and centres of growth and innovation. Economically successful and prosperous cities are essential for creating employment, increasing cohesion and strengthening Europe's competitiveness. We work with the EU institutions and directly with member states to promote sustainable economic development and to ensure that all citizens have access to a wide range of high-quality services, including essential public services provided at the local level.
In 2008, the deepest recession in recent years hit the European economy. Beginning in the financial sector, the effects of the recession radiated to all elements of society. Cities have taken the hardest blow, suffering from high levels of unemployment and lower business survival rates, for example. Yet it is cities that are at the heart of the recovery. It is cities that are providing vital services and assistance, from business support to housing advice. As we move to a climate of economic recovery, it is cities again that are key to the EU’s future, offering guidance, funding and infrastructure to support an array of actions that will underpin prosperity.
We also promote the role of functional urban areas, an increasingly important issue across EU member states. Public administrations are adapting to new policy challenges while seeking to find more effective solutions. High-performing functional urban areas are crucial for driving economic development.
Our members also focus on fostering innovation. They work on bridging innovation gaps on the main challenges for cluster management, and the most effective ways of organising clusters.
An important leverage for cities’ economic development is the EU's cohesion policy. We argue for the creation of genuine partnerships in the next round of structural funds. Such partnerships should involve directly elected governments, and in particular the leaders of the major cities, who must be around the table when investment decisions in relation to structural funds are taken. This is crucial for effective multi-level governance, coherent strategies, efficient spending and more value for money.
Several of our working groups tackle these issues, sharing good practices and influencing EU policies and funding programmes towards sustainable integrated economic development.
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