News & Events

How can cities become sustainable, inclusive and beautiful at the same time? Across Europe, the Urban Agenda for the EU Partnerships are helping translate the New European Bauhaus (NEB) vision into concrete urban action through integrated, place-based approaches.

Three partnerships, Building Decarbonisation, Greening Cities and Water Sensitive City, provide a closer look at how NEB values are being applied on the ground.

The Urban Agenda Partnership for the Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees gathered in Paris from 10 to 12 March 2026 for its sixth Plenary Meeting, hosted by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and attended by 25 participants from 17 member organisations.

What makes a tourism destination truly sustainable?
Is it the number of visitors it attracts or the quality of experience it creates for both residents and travellers?

The Urban Agenda for the EU Partnership on Building Decarbonisation recently organised a series of three webinars presenting the results of external expertise supporting the Partnership’s desk research work on relevant topics. The webinars focused on key enabling conditions for accelerating building decarbonisation in European cities, covering governance models, funding and financing mechanisms, and the alignment between Local Heating and Cooling Plans (LHCPs) and National Building Renovation Plans (NBRPs).

Across Europe, cities are rethinking what tourism should look like in the decades ahead. The question is no longer simply how to attract visitors, but how tourism can support thriving neighbourhoods, resilient local economies and a better quality of life for residents.

In 2026, the Urban Agenda for the EU celebrates 10 years since its launch under the Pact of Amsterdam, a milestone that marks a decade of closer cooperation between cities, Member States and EU institutions. As part of this anniversary year, a two-day event entitled “Cities at the Core: 10 Years of the Urban Agenda for the EU and the Way Ahead” will take place, highlighting the achievements of the past decade and exploring the future of EU urban policy.

The Urban Agenda for the EU Partnership on Greening Cities has released two new tools to help towns and cities deliver nature-positive action: a policy readiness self-assessment guide to strengthen Urban Nature Strategies, and a monitoring and evaluation framework supporting implementation of Article 8 of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.

Cities are powerful drivers of food system transformation, yet their role is often underestimated. Urban authorities have the capacity to make food healthier, more sustainable, and fairer. Through actions ranging from local markets to public food services such as school meals, cities can lead the development of resilient food systems that benefit both urban and rural areas.

To strengthen this role at the European level, the Food Partnership has just released a Food Policy Statement calling for a stronger and more structured involvement of cities in EU food policymaking. Read the article to discover the key priorities for action.

The Compact Cities Partnership was officially launched on 30 January 2026, during its first online meeting. The event brought together over 70 participants, including representatives from local, regional, and national authorities, as well as European umbrella organisations and EU institutions.

As part of the implementation of its Action Plan, the Sustainable Tourism Partnership has released two practical outputs under Action 2, aimed at empowering local authorities and destination management organisations (DMOs) in supporting the green transition of tourism SMEs.

The Urban Agenda for the EU (UAEU) celebrates its 10th anniversary this year! Since its launch in 2016 alongside the Pact of Amsterdam, 21 Thematic Partnerships have been established to tackle crucial challenges for sustainable urban development. Nine of these are active, including the most recent partnership on Compact Cities, approved in December 2025.

The EU Directors-General Responsible for Urban Matters (DGUM) met on 5 December 2025, to discuss strengthening the strategic vision for urban development, regulatory frameworks, and improving investment conditions to better support cities across Europe. The meeting also provided an opportunity to review progress on ongoing initiatives under the Urban Agenda for the EU (UAEU). Following this meeting, the Compact Cities Partnership was formally endorsed via a written procedure and is expected to begin its activities in January 2026.