Join us in Amsterdam for the European Commission technical dialogue "Implementing the EU Anti-Poverty strategy at the local level"
As part of the EU Agenda for Cities, technical dialogues bring together urban practitioners, city representatives and relevant European Commission services to explore how EU policies can be more coherent and impactful at local level. They aim to strengthen cities’ involvement and identify practices and opportunities across thematic policy areas to reduce administrative burdens.
The upcoming event will be the fourth technical dialogue, following previous editions on sustainable tourism, district transformation and affordable housing that were organised by the European Commission and the European Urban Initiative. The dialogue will provide an opportunity for city representatives to discuss city’s contributions to the development or improvement of anti-poverty policy frameworks in their local communities, in line with the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy. Adopted by the European Commission on 6 May 2026, the strategy sets out a comprehensive approach to preventing and addressing poverty across the EU, with the ambition of contributing to the eradication of poverty by 2050.
Supporting the use of the principles in cities
While tackling poverty requires action at European and national level, the strategy underlines that combating poverty is a collective responsibility. Local and regional authorities have a key role to play in developing and implementing effective anti-poverty policies that respond to the realities of their communities.
To support authorities in this work, the European Commission has defined the principles for effective anti-poverty policies. The principles provide a practical framework for considering the multidimensional nature of poverty and for involving the relevant stakeholders and levels of governance throughout the policy cycle, from designing or updating anti-poverty frameworks to implementing, monitoring and reviewing policies.
This technical dialogue will provide an opportunity to explore how these principles can be applied in practice at local level. It is specifically aimed at city officials and practitioners with relevant technical expertise and direct experience in developing or implementing local anti-poverty policies and initiatives.
Identifying the barriers to local action
The dialogue will combine a presentation of the principles for effective anti-poverty policies with practical examples from local authorities. By bringing together European policy perspectives and experiences from cities, the session will aim to support the use of the principles and identify administrative or regulatory bottlenecks as well as barriers to develop or strengthen anti-poverty policy frameworks in their own communities.
The discussion will also build on the work of the Urban Agenda for the EU Partnership on Urban Poverty,, which focused on reducing poverty and improving the inclusion of people living in poverty or at risk of poverty in deprived neighbourhoods, as well as on the experience and outputs of other relevant Urban Agenda for the EU Partnerships.
Part of the Cities at the Core conference
The technical dialogue will take place as a dedicated session on the second day of the Cities at the Core conference, on 18 November 2026 in Amsterdam.
Taking place across Rotterdam and Amsterdam on 17–18 November, the conference marks the 10th anniversary of the Urban Agenda for the EU and the Pact of Amsterdam. It will bring together members of the Urban Agenda Thematic Partnerships, city representatives, EU policymakers and urban practitioners to reflect on a decade of multi-level governance and collaboration, celebrate the achievements of the Urban Agenda for the EU and explore its future role in European urban policy.
The second day in Amsterdam will feature plenary and parallel sessions exploring the future of the Urban Agenda for the EU and its role in addressing urban challenges. The technical dialogue on poverty will offer a dedicated space to connect these broader discussions with the practical implementation of a key new EU policy at local level.
Find out more about the conference and the technical dialogue and register here:
Cities at the Core: 10 years of the Urban Agenda for the EU and the way ahead
Join us in Amsterdam on 18 November to exchange experiences, discuss practical challenges and explore how European anti-poverty priorities can be translated into meaningful local action.