Empowering cities at Cities Forum 2025: spotlight on the Urban Agenda for the EU

The Cities Forum 2025, the flagship urban event of the European Commission, will take place from 17 to 19 June in Krakow, Poland. Co-organised by DG REGIO and the European Urban Initiative (EUI), this biennial gathering will unite up to 800 participants, including urban practitioners and policymakers from across all levels of government to exchange ideas and shape the future of EU urban policy. With the theme “Empowering cities, shaping Europe’s future”, the Forum will address key urban challenges including housing, digital transformation, inclusive growth, and mobility.

What to expect: key topics and insights

One of the highlights of this year’s programme is the session “Unlocking urban potential through European cooperation: the Urban Agenda for the EU”, taking place on Wednesday 18 June from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM. This dynamic panel will demonstrate how the Urban Agenda for the EU (UAEU) drives sustainable and inclusive urban development through concrete actions, collaborative processes, and long-term partnerships.

The session brings together representatives from several Urban Agenda Thematic Partnerships, offering insights on diverse topics such as greening cities, food systems, sustainable tourism, public procurement, and the inclusion of migrants and refugees. Featuring voices from national ministries, local authorities, and the European Commission, the discussion will showcase practical examples of multilevel governance and cross-partnership synergies.

By highlighting the added value of the Urban Agenda in translating EU priorities into concrete actions, the session aims to inspire urban stakeholders to harness European collaboration for transformative change in their cities.

Keynote speakers, representing six thematic partnerships across different generations, will include:

Ms. Ingrid Gojević – Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets, Greening cities partnership, Croatia
Ms. Elisa Porreca – City of Milan, Food partnership, Italy
Ms. Daniela Melandri – President and Executive Director of UniverCities (USE Efficiency Association) Cities of Equality partnership, Italy / Belgium
Mr. Ioannis Pappas, Municipality of Heraklion, Sustainable Tourism partnership, Greece
Ms. Valentina Schippers-Opejko – City of Haarlem, Innovative and Responsible Public Procurement partnership, Netherlands
Ms. Angelique Petrits – DG Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission, Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees partnership

Discover and sign up for the site visits

From tourism and heritage to brownfield revitalisation and citizen engagement—just to name a few—site visits offer a unique opportunity to discover firsthand the best practices and examples of integrated sustainable urban development in action.

Participants already registered for the Forum can now sign up for one of 13 site visits and begin networking via the event platform.

With cities at the heart of Europe’s green and digital transitions, the Cities Forum 2025 offers a critical space to co-create urban solutions for the years ahead.