Press Release: Mobilising EU Capital Cities: Commissioner Hahn urges Mayors to lead Europe out of crisis

EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn, hosted the first direct talks between the European Commission and the EU's capital cities on February 282013.

Commissioner Hahn called on the 20 mayors attending to show leadership in the push for recovery and growth. He has argued for a more central role for capital cities as Europe’s economic and social powerhouses. He is also pushing for a more prominent urban dimension in Cohesion Policy and across all EU policies.

The event aims to promote dialogue between the mayors of Europe’s capitals: between themselves, the European Commission and to mobilise them to fulfill the goals of the Europe2020 Agenda for Growth.

Commissioner Hahn has consistently championed the cause of cities, arguing for greater attention to the development of Europe's cities in decision making at a European level: in Cohesion Policy but also for a more prominent urban dimension across all EU policies. How future EU policies and investments will incorporate this will be a key element of the Mayors' round-table discussion.

Commissioner Potočnik will present his ideas around green growth in an urban context; how the energy-saving and innovation potential of environmentally-friendly cities can improve people's quality of life and increase competiveness. The European Commission has made a number of proposals to improve the delivery of investments in urban areas, in the reform of Cohesion Policy currently under discussion. These proposals stress an integrated approach to policy making. The Commission has proposed a greater delegation of powers to cities themselves, and the opportunity for cities to test out new approaches to keep up with new economic, environmental and social challenges.

European Commission: MEMO/13/156: Smart, sustainable and inclusive growth: EU Capital Cities – essential partners for Europe 2020 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-156_en.htm

European Commission: SPEECH/13/166: Building Smarter Cities with Broadband http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-166_en.htm

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