Official launch of the Compact Cities Partnership
Meeting highlights
The meeting was opened by Tim Caulfield, Jonas Scholze and Alexandru Matei, who welcomed the members of the Thematic Partnership on behalf of the European Urban Initiative (EUI).
Anton Schrag, representing the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), presented a high-level overview of the Urban Agenda for the EU, outlining its scope and governance framework, while also highlighting DG REGIO’s involvement in supporting and coordinating the partnership activities.
Alfonso Alcolea, representing the Directorate-General for the Environment, also emphasized the importance of this partnership and its potential to create synergies with other programmes and initiatives. The meeting continued with presentations from the Dutch and Romanian coordination teams, representing respectively the Municipality of Leiden and the North-West Regional Development Agency. Both coordinators introduced their organisations, outlining their respective backgrounds, motivations, and interests in leading the Compact Cities Partnership, as well as their experience and strategic priorities related to the topic.
Following these presentations, the other partners were invited to briefly introduce their organisations. They shared their motivations for joining the Partnership, highlighted relevant expertise and ongoing initiatives, and outlined their expectations regarding the Partnership’s work and outcomes. The session introduced the main working processes of the Partnership, alongside the support and operational framework of the Urban Agenda for the EU Partnerships.
Participants were also informed about the indicative timeline for the coming years, outlining the next steps and milestones.
Next steps for the Partnership
Following the official launch, the Partnership has moved into its initial working phase. The priority is the development of the Orientation Paper, a strategic document that will define the Partnership’s main challenges, objectives, and working approach, drawing on the results of the Ex-Ante Assessment.
This document will provide a shared reference point for structuring future activities and guiding the overall direction of the Partnership.
In support of this process, the first in-person meeting will be scheduled shortly, and the dates for the next two online meetings have already been set for 26 February and 13 March 2026. The meetings will aim to further refine the Orientation Paper and align on forthcoming steps.
In parallel, a shared collaborative workspace has been established to enable continuous exchange and co-creation among partners, supporting the collective development of ideas and inputs for the Orientation Paper.
Further updates on the Partnership’s progress will be shared as the work advances. In the meantime, the full list of members is available on the Partnership’s page.