Commission provides 20 cities (but not Malta) with funding for innovative security, digital, environmental and inclusion projects
The European Regional Development Fund will finance 20 urban projects with €82m. These projects were put forward by cities under the fourth call for proposals of the Urban Innovative Actions which is implemented by French region Hauts-de-France.
In particular, Piraeus (Greece), Tampere (Finland) and Turin (Italy) will receive grants for projects that will protect and reduce the vulnerability of public spaces, in line with the 2017 Action Plan under the Security Union. The EU funding will also support innovative solutions in digital transition, in responsible urban land use and in the fight against poverty in 17 other cities.
Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, also in charge of Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn said: "No one is better placed than cities themselves to design the solutions that will transform life in urban areas. This is why the Commission has been directly awarding EUfunding to cities so they can test ideas that will make them great places to live in, work and innovate.”
Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos added: “Our public spaces have been targeted by terrorists that see them as soft and easy targets. EU-funding and knowledge-sharing can ensure security by design, while they remain the centres for public life in our cities. The grants we award today are a concrete step forward in that direction.”
Commissioner for the Security Union Julian King added: "With this call for projects under the Urban Innovative Actions, we continue to help cities and local authorities protect public spaces without changing their open character. This support is part of our work towards an effective and genuine Security Union, bringing together actors at all levels to strengthen our resilience.”
Twenty selected urban authorities will have the opportunity to experiment creative, innovative and durable solutions to address the challenges linked to the digital transition, sustainable use of land and nature-based solutions, urban poverty and urban security.
The projects are: • Digital transition: Gavius (Gavà City Council, ES), Wesh (City of Heerlen, NL), Voxpop (city of Lisbon, PT) Dare (City of Ravenna, IT), Rudi (Metropole of Rennes, FR), Diaccess (City of Växjö, SE), Brise-Vienna (City of Vienna, AT) • Sustainable use of land and nature-based solutions: Spire (City of Baia Mare, RO), GreenQuays (City of Breda, NL), Upper (City of Latina, IT), Green Minds (Plymouth City Council, UK), PUJ (City of Prato, IT)
• Urban poverty: CapacityEs (City of Bergamo, IT), EPIU (Getafe City Council, ES), Home and care (City of Landshut, DE), Wish me (City of Milan, IT), A Place to Be-Come, (City of Seraing, BE)
• Urban security: BeSecureFeelSecure (City of Piraeus, EL), TO-nite (City of Turin, IT), Sure (City of Tampere, FI) These projects have not only been selected for their innovativeness but also for their capacity in establishing solid local partnerships with the right mix of complementary partners, in view of testing pilot ideas. Urban authorities and local stakeholders from Portugal to Germany and from Sweden to Greece will start in the next months experimenting at a real urban scale their bold ideas. With this call, Germany has joined the diverse group of 18 member states with at least one UIA city.
Special attention to be paid to the cities of Piraeus, Turin and Tampere that will work on the new UIA topic, urban security. They will address this complex issue with projects that include codesign and community-based solutions as key components and favour a holistic and bottom-up approach, addressing community and resilience.
In the coming months, each selected project will have a dedicated webpage within the UIA website with information on the implementation phase as well as the main learning points captured by UIA Experts.
The Urban Innovative Actions provide EU cities with funding to finance innovative projects, with a total budget of €372m from the ERDF. The Commission works in partnership with French region Hauts-de-France in implementing the programme.
From three calls launched on a yearly basis since December 2015, 55 projects from 17 member states were selected. They are currently testing on the ground innovative solutions on a wide range of urban challenges across all the thematic priorities of the Urban Agenda for the EU (integrating migrants, housing, air quality, urban poverty or energy transition, among others).
In the next long-term EU budget 2021-2027, the Urban Innovative Actions will be merged into the European Urban Initiative, a new instrument combining all urban tools in a single programme for city-to-city cooperation, innovation and capacity-building across all the thematic priorities of the Urban Agenda for the EU.
At the same time, the new single rulebook will allow for easier combinations between EU funds, for example between the European Regional Development Fund and the Internal Security Fund, in order to develop comprehensive urban development plans, encompassing public space safety measures.
20 selected urban authorities will have the opportunity to experiment creative, innovative and durable solutions to address the challenges linked to the digital transition, sustainable use of land and nature based solutions, urban poverty and urban security.