Shaping cities from the ground up: Food and Cities of Equality consultation reports now available
About the consultation process
Between May 6 and June 13 2025, both Partnerships conducted wide-ranging consultations, inviting feedback from a diverse group of stakeholders — EU institutions, Member States, urban authorities, civil society organisations, SMEs, local communities. In total, 33 stakeholders participated, offering valuable insights and identifying key areas for improvement.
This input has been instrumental in shaping the final Action Plans. Thanks to the contributions received, the final Action Plans are better aligned with the real needs of cities and citizens, while also supporting broader EU policy objectives.
The result: action-oriented strategies that are both ambitious and grounded in everyday urban realities.
Food
The Food Partnership consultation received 18 contributions from a wide range of stakeholders—including Member States, civil society organisations, research centres, and local and regional authorities—spanning 10 different EU Member States. This strong geographic and sectoral representation reflects the growing interest in aligning food-related policies with local realities.
The consultation report summarises key themes raised by stakeholders, including proposed revisions to enhance the feasibility, impact and communication of the overall Action Plan. Feedback also addressed specific actions, with recommendations to better align them with broader strategic goals, expand their reach to more target groups, and incorporate key concepts that had previously been overlooked.
Stakeholders highlighted several synergies with existing projects and initiatives and, notably, expressed a strong willingness to support the implementation of selected actions. The Food Partnership will build on this momentum by continuing to inform and actively engage stakeholders throughout the implementation phase, ensuring their contributions remain central as the work progresses.
Read the full Food Partnership Consultation Report
Cities of Equality
The consultation on the Cities of Equality Draft Action Plan attracted 15 contributions from EU institutions, Member States, city authorities, civil society, and research organisations. Stakeholders broadly welcomed the ambition of the three proposed Actions, while highlighting opportunities to strengthen their feasibility and impact.
Feedback called for stronger links with EU and international frameworks, from the Union of Equality strategies to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Stakeholders also emphasised the importance of adopting an intersectional perspective that recognises overlapping forms of discrimination faced by women, migrants, persons with disabilities, young people, and other underrepresented groups.
Concrete revisions were made across the Action Plan as a result. These include treating accessibility as a cross-cutting principle, embedding intersectionality in all Actions, providing adaptable tools for cities of different sizes, and strengthening the capacity-building and knowledge-sharing components.
Read the full Cities of Equality Partnership Consultation Report
Final Action Plans
Both Partnerships have incorporated crucial feedback into their final Action Plans, improving feasibility, impact, and alignment with the real needs of cities and citizens.
These finalised documents were presented at the Urban Development Group (UDG) meeting held in Køge, Denmark, on September 17, as part of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU. The final Action Plans will be officially published following endorsement from the Directors-General on Urban Matters (DGUM) in the upcoming months.