Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
At the initiative of Rudi Vervoort, Head of the Government of the Brussels Region, and Ans Persons, Secretary of State for Urban Planning and International Relations, the Brussels Region brought together 40 mayors and elected representatives from European cities and capitals at the Egmont Palace in the Belgian capital, in addition to the European Commissioner Elissa Ferreira, responsible for cohesion and reforms, and Chairman of the Commission Regions Vasco Alves Cordero, Chairman of the European Parliament's Regional Development Committee Yunus Omarji, representatives of European and international institutions, networks and civil associations. To discuss the future of urban policy in Europe.
The high-level meeting culminated in the mayors signing a joint declaration addressed to the European institutions with concrete priorities and recommendations for a strong and ambitious EU urban policy during their next European term, after the elections in June.
“Brussels Declaration”, a joint declaration of cities on the future of the European Union
The “Brussels Declaration of European Mayors” is a key element of the urban policy component of the Belgian EU Presidency.
This declaration was written after a joint construction process bringing together major European cities and all major city networks, and is the result of extensive discussions and exchanges that began in June 2023 at the Brussels Urban Summit organized in Brussels.
Viewed as a summary of the key issues facing European cities and the tools they need to serve as the driving force behind European construction and policies, the Brussels Declaration identifies the political issues facing cities and formulates priorities and recommendations for the attention of European institutions. For their future term (2024-2029).
To date, the Declaration has been signed by more than 40 cities from 19 Member States across Europe. A number of city mayors attended the official signing ceremony, which took place in the prestigious and symbolic Egmont Palace, which is usually reserved for ministerial meetings during the current rotating Belgian presidency of the European Union.
Among them were the Mayor of Helsinki, Johanna Vartiainen, the Mayor of Budapest, Gergely Szilvezter Karacsony, the Mayor of Prague, Bohuslav Svoboda, the Mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb, the Mayor of Strasbourg, Jane Parseghyan, and the Mayor of Tallinn, Mihail. Colvart, the Mayor of Zaragoza, Natalia Chueca, and the Mayor of Braga, represented by Ricardo Río. A large number of mayors from other cities across the EU, as well as city associations, have already expressed their interest in joining the list of signatories.
What cities demand from the European Union
With this declaration, the mayors and European urban networks call for an ambitious European urban policy and present 4 key priorities for cities and 6 recommendations to European institutions for the EU mandate for the period 2024-2029.
4 priorities
Promote the right to affordable, high-quality and sustainable housing;
Combating social and gender inequalities and promoting inclusion;
Combating climate change, ensuring a healthy environment, and restoring biodiversity;
Developing safe, inclusive and sustainable mobility.
6 recommendations
Systematic dialogue and greater involvement of local governments at European level
Improving integration and coordination of urban issues at European level
More city-friendly European regulations
More accessible and city-friendly European financing
Strengthening urban governance
A paradigm shift towards a new sustainable model for cities
This event provided an opportunity to launch an initial constructive dialogue with European institutions on these six recommendations. This dialogue should continue throughout the Belgian presidency of the European Union.
And after that?
It was important that the Presidency on Urban Affairs initiated this event and signed the Brussels Declaration. The Brussels Region now has a common roadmap between many European cities, which they will be able to promote and defend.
More specifically, in the coming weeks and months, Brussels will continue this momentum by encouraging more and more European cities to sign the declaration. The priorities and recommendations will also be conveyed to other events organized during the Presidency, such as the Summit of Cities and Regions organized by the Committee of Regions in Mons in March, or the upcoming conference of the European Forum for Urban Safety (EFUS). In Brussels.
Brussels will also ensure its support for the declaration's priorities in several other meetings organized under the Presidency, at a more technical level, such as meetings of planning agencies, the Urban Agenda Lab, etc.
Finally, signing and following up on this declaration is also a clear signal for the future: cities and networks will closely monitor what the Commission and Parliament do with its recommendations, especially regarding priority no. 1 On the issue of affordable, quality and sustainable housing represents a real challenge for European cities