In June, the European Commission published a summary of the main messages put forward by stakeholders in their response to the public consultation on the key features of an EU Urban Agenda. According to the responses, the majority of stakeholders believe that Europe can help cities to address common challenges and, in turn, cities can contribute to achieve the priorities of the European Union (EU).
With the informal Ministerial meeting on urban matters agreeing on the Pact of Amsterdam on 30 May 2016, the wheels of the EU Urban Agenda have now been set in motion. The main aim of this initiative is to improve the implementation of EU and national polices by getting cities involved. Indeed, when it comes to translating policies into concrete action, cities have a major role to play. at this stage, four partnerships have so far been launched. These cover air quality, housing, urban poverty and the inclusion of refugees and migrants.
