Eurocities Jahreskonferenz 2024

Mitteilungsvorlage
öffentlich
241064
Die Oberbürgermeisterin
Federführung:
02 Amt für Internationals und globale Nachhaltigkeit
Dezernat:
Dez. OB
Eurocities Jahreskonferenz 2024
Beratungsfolge
Ausschuss für Europa, Internationales,
Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und Arbeit
02.07.2024 Kenntnisnahme
Mitteilung:
Vom 29. bis 31. Mai 2024 fand im rumänischen Cluj-Napoca die Jahreskonfe-
renz des europäischen Städtenetzwerks Eurocities statt. Die Konferenz stand
unter dem Motto „Green. Innovative. Resilient.“ Die Stadt Bonn war durch Ma-
scha Gerwin, Mitarbeiterin im Amt für Internationales und globale Nachhaltigkeit
und in dieser Funktion auch Eurocities contact officer, vertreten.
Zentrales Element der Jahreskonferenz ist traditionell die Mitgliederversamm-
lung, die sog. General Assembly. Im Rahmen der Mitgliederversammlung wur-
den der amtierende Präsident Burkhard Jung, Oberbürgermeister von Leipzig,
und der amtierende Vizepräsident, Mathias De Clercq, Oberbürgermeister von
Gent (Belgien), jeweils für ein weiteres Jahr im Amt bestätigt.
Das politische Entscheidungsgremium des Netzwerks, das sog. Executive
Committee, besteht insgesamt aus 12 Mitgliedern. Neben Präsident und Vize-
präsident wurden durch die Mitgliederversammlung vier weitere Städtevertreter
für ein jeweils dreijähriges Mandat ins Exectuive Committee gewählt:
• Ricardo Rio, Oberbürgermeister von Braga (Portugal)
• Dario Nardella, Oberbürgermeister von Florenz (Italien)
• Eirik Lae Solberg, Oberbürgermeister von Oslo (Norwegen)
• Vasil Aleksandrov Terziev, Oberbürgermeister von Sofia (Bulgarien)
Dem Executive Committee gehören darüber hinaus folgende Städte an: Tallinn,
Helsinki, Athen, Barcelona, Nantes und Wien. Jedes Jahr endet das Mandat
von vier Mitgliedern und diese Plätze werden durch die Mitgliederversammlung
neu besetzt. Die Mitglieder des Executive Committee können wiedergewählt
werden und maximal drei aufeinanderfolgende Amtszeiten wahrnehmen.
Durch die Mitgliederversammlung wurden außerdem verschiedene Arbeitsdo-
kumente angenommen, darunter die neue Eurocities Strategie 2030 mit dem
Titel „A stronger network for stronger cities“ (siehe Anlage).
Die nächste Eurocities Jahreskonferenz findet 2025 im portugiesischen Braga
statt, die übernächste 2026 im niederländischen Utrecht.Seite 1 von 16
Seite 2
Anlage/n
1 Eurocities strategy 2030 (öffentlich)Seite 2 von 16
WD 2aSeite 3 von 16
Eurocities General Assembly 2024, WD 2e 2
Contents
Foreword ....................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ................................................................................................... 4
Eurocities strategy 2030 ................................................................................. 5
Our vision ................................................................................................................................... 5
Our mission ................................................................................................................................ 5
Our values................................................................................................................................... 6
Threats and opportunities in turbulent times ................................................. 7
Greater complexity of urban challenges .................................................................................... 7
A new EU mandate ..................................................................................................................... 8
EU enlargement back on the agenda ......................................................................................... 8
City collaborations and urban diplomacy are flourishing .......................................................... 9
Conclusions - shaping our strategic focus in the coming five years .......................................... 9
Goals and strategic objectives: urban transformation for just transition .......10
Turning vision into reality: a stronger network for stronger cities .................12
Solid and transparent implementation plans ................................................14Seite 4 von 16
Eurocities General Assembly 2024, WD 2e 3
Foreword
Dear colleagues, dear friends
A better Europe starts in cities. I firmly believe in this, which is why our collaboration in Eurocities is
essential. I am deeply concerned by the current rise in extremism and populism, which drives
hostilities, increases alienation, disregards women’s and minorities’ rights, and undermines Europe’s
social fabric. In the current turbulent times, we must be firm on the values that unite us, as cities and
for Europe.
Our new strategy places those values centrally and pushes for a stronger Europe that defends human
dignity, respect for the rule of law, fundamental rights and democratic values; a Europe that can
respond with aplomb to the various threats we are facing, and that leads the world in its pursuit of a
sustainable and inclusive future for all. It is our role to make sure that an empowered Europe is put
to the service of cities and people, and that European policies contribute to ensuring a better quality
of life where it matters: locally.
Our strategy makes it clear that we, city leaders, will not lower our ambitions and efforts to prepare a
sustainable and inclusive future for all. As the level of governance closest to citizens, we understand
the needs and expectations of our citizens and can support them in succeeding in the necessary
transitions. As city leaders, we work with all local stakeholders as well as with other European cities
to design and implement innovative solutions. Our contribution to strengthening democracy and
trust in the role of public authorities is evident.
An empowered Europe needs empowered cities. While we are facing many important challenges, I
am convinced that we can reach our ambitions, because we can rely on a robust strategy, grounded
in a thorough understanding of where cities are coming from, and where we aim to get to by 2030.
We can get there by building on the strong foundations that Eurocities has already created as the
leading network for cities in Europe and a trusted voice for city leadership within the European
institutions. During this political mandate for the EU, we have seen an unprecedented engagement
between EU and city leaders, including our first meetings with a European Commission President, a
common initiative with the President of the European Parliament on relief efforts for Ukraine and
meetings with Prime ministers and ministers of national governments holding the EU Presidency.
Taking this a step further, we need to ensure that city leaders are systematically involved in all
strategic decisions at the European and national levels. Our expertise and experience is in high
demand, but we can and need to do more than implement decisions made by others. We must be
part of all strategic decision-making processes that affect cities, ensuring European policies are fully
informed about the urban reality.
Ever since I was elected President of Eurocities my key priorities have been to use the power of our
network to make sure cities have a stronger impact on EU policies and to defend democracy, which is
increasingly under threat. Our new five-year strategy explicitly recognises these ambitions and
values, setting a clear direction for the future. I thank all members and staff who have been involved
in shaping this strategy and invite you all to approve it at our Annual Conference in Cluj-Napoca to
give a strong signal, one week ahead of the elections of the European Parliament
A better Europe starts in cities; and the work in cities starts with us!
Burkhard Jung, President of Eurocities and Mayor of LeipzigSeite 5 von 16
Eurocities General Assembly 2024, WD 2e 4
Introduction
Dear members,
One year and a half after I started my work as Eurocities’ Secretary General, I am happy to present
our new five-year strategy. Since my arrival, I have listened to the perceptions and expectations of
many of you and tested new ideas. I identified a strong willingness to continue the journey that our
network started five years ago, pursuing our long term vision as the leading urban network. I
discovered also many concrete proposals that could help us to improve our work, its impact and its
visibility. I have worked closely with our Executive Committee and our staff to analyse the trends and
uncertainties in which we operate as well as our resources, strengths and weaknesses. Our new
strategy is the result of this collective work, which will also make it successful!
As we plan for 2030, we can be proud of our tremendous accomplishments over the past five years.
Our membership has grown to more than 200 cities representing over 150 million citizens. We have
boosted our policy advocacy and involvement in EU-financed projects, to the benefit of our
members. With new projects, we have hired new talents, diversified our staff, covered more subjects
and offered more services to members, which in turn has increased our impact on European policy-
making. The Mission for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities, our first-ever meeting with the
European Commission President and our campaign for Ukraine with the President of the European
Parliament highlight this increased influence. They constitute assets to build on for the future.
In turbulent times, it is certainly not the moment to reduce our ambitions. We must be ready to face
an institutional setting at the EU level that may be less willing to listen to cities. This is why, alongside
our important work at the technical level, we need to develop a stronger political community who
will spearhead our advocacy work to ensure we strengthen our impact on the important EU
decisions. In parallel, we should continue boosting our visibility, including through our high-quality
publications evidencing the priorities and needs of mayors and cities, such as our successful
Eurocities Pulse.
You, our members, are our priority and greatest asset. We must continue to reach out more
proactively to potential new member cities while reinforcing engagement with the existing members.
We can build on the initiatives already launched, such as the monthly online meetings, the
appointment of national contacts and the Eurocities Swap. We will also try new ways to strengthen
the links between members, for example, via our upcoming mentoring programme for women
politicians that is one initiative related to our reinforced focus on gender equality.
City governments are faced with ever more complex challenges, and show their expectations for our
network to cover new topics and to deepen others further. We must invest in new ways of working
together to improve the transfer of experiences and knowledge, to deliver results to challenges in
cities and for our members to make better use of a varied offer of collaboration tools. In addition,
seeing the challenges of urban transformation and just transition across Europe, I am convinced that
we must seize opportunities to develop a more substantial offer on capacity-building as a new
service.
Our strategy for 2030 does not require growth for our network on the same scale as over the last five
years. Instead, we can build more strategic alliances with other noteworthy organisations, such as
the national city networks, other thematic European or international networks, and academia. We
are well positioned, well known, and well respected in what we do. Using our resources better, we
can use this credibility to develop our impact and collective power.
Eurocities’ potential for the coming five years is great and our strategy for 2030 is ambitious.
Working together, we will be able to meet the challenges ahead and move the role of cities in the EU
to the next level.
André Sobczak, Secretary GeneralSeite 6 von 16
Eurocities General Assembly 2024, WD 2e 5
Eurocities strategy 2030
The new five-year strategy provides a clear long-term perspective and direction for our network
based on a strong vision and mission, goals and strategic objectives. It builds on our previous strategy
adopted in 2019, emphasising an impact-driven and results-orientated approach in the network. We
have adjusted the mission and vision and added our new values. Our goals and strategic objectives
have been updated in collaboration with our thematic forums and wider membership, considering
ongoing priorities and anticipating forthcoming challenges and opportunities for cities.
This new strategy reinforces the focus on our organisational enablers, setting clear objectives for
developing our network, notably the collaborations with and services to members, our influence and
impact, our outreach, and resources. Multiannual planning and annual work programmes will
support the implementation of the strategy, together with a stable set of KPIs, enabling better
monitoring of the development of our achievements over time. Communication and governance of
our network remain essential to delivering our strategy.
Our vision
We strive for a Europe where cities are at the heart of European, national and regional decision-
making to create a sustainable and inclusive future for all.
Our mission
Eurocities is the leading network of major European cities, working together and with other
stakeholders to make cities places where everyone can enjoy a good quality of life and a sustainable
future.Seite 7 von 16
Eurocities General Assembly 2024, WD 2e 6
Our values
As a network of more than 200 large cities, representing more than 150 million people across 38
countries, from within and outside the EU, our strategy and European collaboration are rooted in our
democratic legitimacy. We strive to make our cities sanctuaries of freedom of expression and
tolerance, recognising the richness of diversity. We believe in a strong European Union that defends
and champions our shared values – human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, justice,
and human rights – in Europe and beyond.
In addition, our organisational values are:
• We are responsible.
o We care about our member cities, our staff, our partners, society, and the planet and
we act accordingly.
• We are professional.
o We are good at what we do, demonstrating the highest degree of proficiency,
transparency, compliance and integrity, learning continually, and adapting quickly.
• We empower.
o We work closely together to share knowledge, support, and inspire each other
through mentorship, encouragement, openness, and trust.
• We are impactful.
o We are committed to bold objectives and driven by the difference we make when we
take initiative and use change as an opportunity.
We deliver through:
• Advocacy: Representing the voice of cities at the EU and the national level, to ensure the
urban reality is considered in policy, legislation and funding, bringing about change on the
ground
• Insights and foresight: Anticipating, monitoring and reporting back to cities the forthcoming
and latest EU developments, funding opportunities and trends that affect them
• Collaboration: Facilitating the exchange of knowledge, experience, mutual learning, and
policy transfers between cities to inspire and scale up effective urban solutions
• Training: Capacity building for city leaders and experts to effectively engage with the EU, and
to tackle current and future urban challenges
• Partnerships: Maintaining and growing effective relationships with external stakeholders
while adhering to principles of good governanceSeite 8 von 16
Eurocities General Assembly 2024, WD 2e 7
Threats and opportunities in turbulent times
Over the past five years, our outreach, visibility and influence have made a leap forward. The COVID
pandemic, the Russian War in Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis and the growing attention to the
climate emergency have generally increased the recognition of the critical role of cities at the
European level and internationally. A strong political leadership, a clearer strategic direction, greater
results orientation, and boosting our communication capacity have allowed us to seize the
opportunities and increase our impact. In the same period, both our membership and secretariat
have grown.
The network has gone from strength to strength, demonstrating agility and resilience in challenging
times. It is a testimony to the growing need for learning, sharing and working in alliances to tackle
complex problems. Our new five-year strategy is shaped on this solid basis. Looking ahead, several
threats and opportunities will impact our possibilities to reach our vision and, therefore, influence
our choices when implementing our strategy. They include:
Greater complexity of urban challenges
Rising inequalities, climate breakdown, access to health care, homelessness, security threats,
migration movements, and tech disruption: city authorities are increasingly facing tangled,
complicated, and constantly evolving challenges.
The interlinked effects of climate change, pollution and loss of biodiversity are becoming stronger in
cities, which are experiencing more extreme weather conditions more often, such as floods,
droughts, and storms. All these issues have costly impacts on cities' basic services, infrastructure,
housing, human livelihoods, health and the local economy. They necessitate a rethink of urban
design and planning, mobility, buildings, and mid- to longer-term resilience in urban areas.
The COVID pandemic, the energy and the cost-of-living crises have driven up hardship and financial
insecurity across Europe. Access to decent and affordable housing has topped the political agendas
as more people in cities live under or near the poverty level and are at risk of social exclusion,
including women, single parents, children and young people, as well as refugees, and migrants.
Although jobs are available, low wages result in a growing group of working poor. Those factors put
pressure on the already strained public budgets and the local social services.
Local public services are increasingly moving online, which has efficiency gains for citizens and public
administrations but raises new challenges of digital exclusion. The increased production and use of
data can shape well-informed urban policies but also raise concerns about data collection, data
ownership, data protection, and ethical use of data. Similarly, artificial intelligence opens new
opportunities but raises many questions as technology rapidly develops.
Also, Europe’s demographics are changing, with declining birth rates and a growing senior
population. The urban population is slowly growing, notably in mid-sized cities, but households are
becoming smaller, more people are working from home, and people are living longer. In addition, the
share of Europe’s population in the workforce is shrinking. At the same time, many cities attract
migrants and refugees and experience a growing diversity. They support integration while also
dealing with a potential backlash locally. The changes affect public services, housing, the local labour
markets and the local economies.
At the local level, these issues exceed the capacity of any one sector. They require creative thinking,
innovation, and collaboration between government, non-profits, businesses, and citizens. They
require systemic solutions that challenge previous silo-driven policy development and service
delivery. This influences how we organise and prioritise collaborations in our network. We mustSeite 9 von 16
Eurocities General Assembly 2024, WD 2e 8
develop our tools to grow knowledge together, explore the unknowns, pool expertise, and build
capacity.
A new EU mandate
Across Europe, there are concerns about a growing political polarisation driven by the cost-of-living
crisis and increasing inequalities. There is a lack of trust in public institutions at all levels and a sense
of alienation and disengagement, including among young people. The EU and forthcoming national
elections may lead to parliamentary gains for the extreme right-wing, potentially undermining not
only progressive EU policies but the European project itself. Extremist discourses drive divisions
between communities, including urban and rural areas, and threaten fundamental rights, including
for women and minority groups. It can become increasingly difficult to navigate in a more volatile
political environment at EU level, where majorities may become more challenging to form, and
outcomes unpredictable. Reinforced collaboration between progressive voices defending a stronger
Europe and democratic values will be more critical than ever for a Europe which has experienced exit
and loss.
Timewise, our strategy is aligned with the next mandate of the European Parliament and
Commission. Set in a global context of instability and insecurity, the political attention will likely turn
to defence and respect for fundamental values. There is a real risk of reduced ambition on measures
for 2040 to get Europe on track for the long-term goal of a climate-neutral Europe by 2050. As the EU
moves forward with the implementation of the European Green Deal, priorities will likely shift to
competitiveness, green industrial transition, agriculture and rural areas. We will need to highlight
that in these areas, cities are central partners for the EU institutions.
By mid-2025, the debate on the priorities for the next long-term EU budget, the so-called
multiannual financial framework - will intensify and impact EU funding possibilities for cities going
forward. With the need to repay the loans that financed the Recovery and Resilience Facility, a new
approach can be expected to the EU’s own resources and important funding blocks, such as cohesion
policy. In addition, the public deficit rules related to the EU’s Growth and Stability Pact continue to
hamper long-term investment at the local level. We must be vigilant and vocal to clearly position
cities on political priorities and on funding needs very early in the new EU mandate.
EU enlargement back on the agenda
The Russian war continues to ravage Ukraine. The collaboration with the Ukrainian cities will require
a continued high level of agility due to the unpredictable situation related to the war. Still, our
solidarity with the Ukrainian cities remains as strong as ever as our collaboration for sustainable
rebuilding is set to grow, building on lessons learnt from our pilot projects.
The imminent security threats have put the EU enlargement towards the Balkans and the Eastern
partnership countries firmly back on the political agenda of the new EU mandate. Although the
timeline for the accession process is likely to be lengthy, preparation in those countries has started.
It opens new opportunities for a reinforced collaboration with current and new partner cities and
their networks in candidate countries, growing diplomatic relationships between cities,
strengthening local capacities and preparedness for EU membership, and connections with our
network. It will require consideration of the specific support and measures of solidarity needed for
potential new member cities, while closely following the specific needs of our members in non-EU
member countries.Seite 10 von 16
Eurocities General Assembly 2024, WD 2e 9
City collaborations and urban diplomacy are flourishing
A growing number of global, EU and sub-national initiatives address urban challenges, engage city
leaders and urban experts, and recognise the need to tackle significant challenges at the urban level.
The attention to and involvement of cities is growing in the G7, G20, UN, OECD, and at the EU level,
which creates more engagement opportunities but also puts a strain on the agenda of the political
leadership of cities.
In addition, cities are increasingly joining forces and launching collaborations among themselves,
such as alliances related to specific EU developments or new geographical groupings within or at the
borders of the EU. Post-Brexit, many UK cities have revisited their European engagement, and their
commitment to the network remains roboust and highly appreciated. Overall, there is a richer and
more complex European and international environment for collaboration in which cities can
navigate.
This increased engagement comes with risks of fragmentation and competition between networks
and initiatives. At the same time, it has great potential to reinforce the collective power of cities in
the EU and globally. A reinforced collaboration based on mutual interests and complementarities
between city networks and similar initiatives will be essential to achieve this. For Eurocities to
become the leading network of larger cities in Europe, there is an opportunity to step up as the
rallying force between city networks and other partners.
Conclusions - shaping our strategic focus in the coming five years
Our global, European and local context and the factors influencing our work have changed
significantly over the past five years. Our influence at the EU level has grown together with the span
and depth of our work, our network structures are dynamic, and our organisational foundation is
solid. Still, a new challenging context and uncertainties ahead require new approaches and solutions.
Our collaboration structures must be able to respond to the reality of members dealing with new
challenges and greater complexity, often with urgency. We must increase support for capacity
building in city administrations and secure resources for this. We should also double our efforts for a
greater impact at the European level on policies and funding with a challenging political context
ahead. A stronger evidence basis and effective alliances with partner organisations will become
increasingly necessary.
Most importantly, we must be clear about our network's travel direction and strengthen our
membership engagement. This includes the growing political community while expanding our
network and reinforcing city solidarity ahead of a new wave of EU enlargement.
The two sections below explain the ambition, approach, and focus in more detail by outlining our
goals and strategic objectives for urban transformation and our plans for a reinforced network,
offering a relevant and powerful platform for cities’ collaborations and impact in Europe and beyond.Seite 11 von 16
Eurocities General Assembly 2024, WD 2e 10
Goals and strategic objectives: urban
transformation for just transition
We are working together to make cities places where everyone can enjoy a good quality of life and a
sustainable, inclusive future. We lead and support urban transformation through principles of
integrated urban development with a place-based, multi-level and participatory approach. We
promote social, environmental and economic sustainability, guided by international and European
frameworks.1
We have identified six goals expressing our ambition for the longer-term impact of our
collaborations. We strive for cities and city governments to be empowered and resourceful, to have
the agency to tackle complex challenges and deliver the urban transformation necessary for a
climate-neutral and inclusive future for people. Our goals are:
The more specific strategic objectives focus our work as we make progress towards our goals. They
offer a scope and direction for our collaborations and will be central to our forward planning,
implementation, and reporting. We will deliver through our different activities, including knowledge
sharing, mutual learning, capacity building and training, policy advocacy and project implementation.
Below, our strategic objectives for 2030 are mapped against the six goals while noting that the
deliverables for many of the objectives will contribute to progress towards several goals:
Empowered cities
• Promote democracy, active citizen engagement and deliberative inclusive participation in public
policymaking
• Strengthen finance for cities, incl. access to funding, innovative finance models and capacity to attract
investments
• Boost skills and innovation capacity in city administrations on current and future urban challenges
• Reinforce urban governance across levels of government and sectors, and collaboration with surrounding
1 This includes the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the New Urban Agenda, and the New Leipzig Charter for the
transformative power of cities for the common good.Seite 12 von 16
Eurocities General Assembly 2024, WD 2e 11
and rural areas
Inclusive societies
• Ensure affordable housing for all, preventing homelessness and tackling urban poverty
• Promote inclusive employment, skills, and education in a changing labour market
• Promote healthy living and well-being, including good mental health
• Ensure universal access to essential public services which are inclusive and affordable
• Ensure reception and integration of refugees and migrants collaboratively with local communities
• Fight discrimination and tackle the intersectionality between all forms of discrimination
• Strengthening women's rights, promoting gender equality and gender diversity
Climate-resilient and healthy environments
• Implement inclusive local climate neutrality plans and actions in cooperation with all stakeholders
• Boost energy efficiency and building renovation as well as production and use of clean and renewable
energy
• Increase resilience and improve preparedness for climate change through adaptation and restoration of
urban ecosystems
• Significantly improve air, water, soil and sound environments by catalysing the transition to a green and
nature-positive urban environment,
• Accelerate the shift from waste generation to the retention of resources in all urban systems
• Mainstream zero-emission mobility
• Secure a modal shift, reducing private car dependency in cities
• Strengthen sustainable mobility connections within and beyond cities
• Boost ambitious, systemic urban food policies and regenerative agriculture
Vibrant and inclusive spaces, buildings and infrastructures
• Promote sustainable local cultural policies and spaces
• Capitalise on culture as a driver for social sustainability, inclusion, and innovation
• Regenerate and design open, safe and inspiring urban spaces and buildings for and with people
• Promote compact cities, avoiding urban sprawl
A prosperous and sustainable economy
• Foster the development, attraction and retention of new skills and talents, tackling current and future
skill gaps
• Boost sustainable approaches to local industry, urban manufacturing and business, including tourism, and
support the growth of start-ups and scale-ups
• Unleash local purchasing power through innovative and responsible public procurement to support local
ecosystems and priorities
• Guide innovation in all urban systems and strengthen innovation ecosystems as well as local innovation
capacities
A people-focused digital transformation
• Reinforce the access to and use of data, incl. B2G and big data, for better-informed public policies
• Promote digital inclusion and defend digital rights, including through the responsible use of AI and other
emerging technologies
• Reduce the ecological impact of digital technologies and infrastructureSeite 13 von 16
Eurocities General Assembly 2024, WD 2e 12
Turning vision into reality: a stronger network for
stronger cities
We need a high-performing, result-oriented and impact-driven network to achieve our strategic
objectives, goals, mission and vision for 2030, while facing the threats and seizing the opportunities
ahead. To this end, we will reinforce the focus on the performance and the management of our
network and the Eurocities Office.
We will do this, with three explicit ambitions for our network:
1. Strengthen our impact
As a new EU mandate starts, we will build on achievements towards a systematic and
mandatory involvement of cities when decisions on policy or finance affecting them are
taken. Our most substantial assets will be an engaged political leadership reinforcing our
policy advocacy work as well as knowledge and evidence of what cities need going forward.
For our members, we also want to ensure that our activities contribute to lifting capacities
and inspire and offer solutions to tackle urban challenges. This will require revisiting our
working methods, ensuring agility and productive outcomes.
2. Be the European go-to network on urban matters
We will invest in our relationship with existing and potential members, our communication
tools for members, and new tools that ensure a more efficient overview of membership
engagement and development. Also, we will expand our network and outreach through a
comprehensive communications strategy, including the visibility of our flagship publications
and events. Overall, we want to strengthen our credibility and thought leadership, becoming
the main point of contact for EU policymakers, media, and other stakeholders for anything
urban.
3. Ensure talent management, financial sustainability and good governance
The performance of a strong network depends on professional and engaged talents, healthy,
sustainable resources, and transparent, effective decision-making processes. With the
growth of our organisation over the past five years, we need a sharper focus on our financial
outlook and governance. We want to diversify our sources of revenue further to ensure our
financial sustainability while meeting the demand for high-quality services for members and
assessing new approaches to our membership fees. We also want to ensure legitimacy,
transparency and agility in a bigger team of staff and city members. We will explore new
tools and adaptations of our internal procedures that provide better information for our
decision-making processes.
We have identified 16 organisational enablers of both strategic and operational importance to
deliver on the three ambitions:Seite 14 von 16
Eurocities General Assembly 2024, WD 2e 13Seite 15 von 16
Eurocities General Assembly 2024, WD 2e 14
Solid and transparent implementation plans
The success of a strategy lies as much in the quality of its vision, mission, goals and strategic
objectives that can embark all stakeholders as in the solidity of its implementation. In parallel to the
joint work with our members on what we want and what we should achieve, we have also invested
in making sure that we can achieve what we aim for. The main elements include:
➢ Multiannual planning for activities, resources and budgets
➢ Annual work programmes for Eurocities Office
➢ A stable set of transparent and clear key performance indicators (KPIS)
➢ Regular progress reporting
The Eurocities Office has established a macro-planning that identifies outcomes and milestones for
each of the organisational enablers over the next five years, the necessary human and financial
resources needed to implement them and the expected additional incomes or savings. This has
allowed us to propose a mid-term financial plan that shows that the necessary investments to
implement the different actions will be at least compensated by new income or savings.
Based on a sound assessment of what we need to improve or change in our organisational
management over the next five years, we will define clear targets and key performance indicators
(KPIs) for the organisational enablers and report on them to our members.
As regards our goals and strategic objectives, the delivery has strong ties to our forums, working
groups, and the implementation of our externally financed projects. We will produce similar
multiannual planning and apply an easy-to-follow traffic light system (red-yellow-green), monitoring
our progress on implementation. An important measure of results and impact will be the added
value the activities generate for members. This can be challenging to quantify but will be monitored
through satisfaction surveys of the membership and qualitative means.
In addition to the longer-term perspective, we will continue developing our annual work
programmes and publish regular reporting on progress, which will offer transparency in how we are
moving forward with the implementation of our strategy, on achievements and possible needs for
adjustments based on regular assessment of risks and opportunities. The past five years have taught
us that defining and implementing a clear strategy must go hand-in-hand with agility and capacity to
adapt to a changing context and seize new opportunities to ensure the resilience of our network.
Agility also remains important in our structures and ways of working. We need to continuously assess
the effectiveness of our forums and working groups, ensuring they respond to the membership's
needs while focusing on delivering results and impact for and with members. We also need to
increasingly take forward new ways of collaboration between members, responding to new urban
challenges and policy advocacy needs at the EU level, where the ability to move fast is becoming
essential.
The continuous discussion about our strategy, its implementation and its adaptation constitutes an
ongoing opportunity to strengthen the engagement of our members in our network, both at the
political and technical levels.Seite 16 von 16