European Union Regional Report

Summary

The Urban Agenda for the EU - a unique participation process on urban EU matters

Authors: Haris Biskos (EUI-Expert), Alexandru Matei, Jonas Scholze (EUI)

In autumn 2026, the Urban Agenda for the EU (UAEU) will celebrate its 10-year anniversary. This moment marks an important milestone for a unique European instrument that promotes participatory processes to effective urban governance. The Urban Agenda for the EU is an innovative, voluntary multi-level and multi-stakeholder governance initiative on urban policy, developed within the framework of intergovernmental cooperation on urban matters and officially established by the Pact of Amsterdam in May 2016.

The European Union does not possess legal competence in urban policy, which remains the responsibility of the Member States. However, numerous EU policies have direct or indirect impacts on the development of cities. In many cases, sectoral regulations risk being spatially blind and might not fit optimally at local level.

The UAEU provides a framework for cities of all sizes, city networks, Member States, the European Commission, other EU institutions, the Union’s advisory bodies, other European States and selected stakeholders to work together to jointly tackle pressing urban challenges and deliver concrete outputs for the benefit of EU citizens. It strengthens the role of cities in national and EU policymaking helping to better connect the EU and citizens’ needs. At the same time, it serves as a key delivery mechanism at EU level for the New Urban Agenda (NUA) adopted under Habitat III.

At the EU level, multi-level governance is widely promoted through Cohesion Policy to ensure that investments are leading to effective and balanced territorial development. Making multi-level governance tangible has been recognised as one of the key successes of the Urban Agenda for the EU.

The Pact of Amsterdam sets out the objectives of UAEU: to realise the full potential of Urban Areas, to establish an integrated approach and contribute to territorial cohesion, and to involve urban authorities in the design of policies. The UAEU seeks to stimulate action along three “pillars”: Better Regulation, Better Funding, and Better Knowledge.