IP/07/704

Brussels, 24 May 2007

What can the EU do for your city? Find the answers in the European Commission's new guide

How can European Union policies help towns and cities? How can towns and cities have a bigger say in implementing the policies? Find the answers in the European Commission's new guide for stakeholders, urban managers and anyone interested in urban issues. The guide, entitled "Guide to the Urban Dimension in Community Policies", aims to help all involved to make best use of the opportunities EU policies offer. It identifies initiatives with direct and indirect implications for sustainable development of urban areas and provides a clear overview of the urban dimension of all Community policies over the current funding period, 2007-2013.

"The good governance of urban areas requires quality information. I am convinced that this guide is a key contribution," Regional policy Commissioner Danuta Hübner says in the foreword to the Guide. The Commissioner will present the first draft of the Guide during the informal Council of Ministers of Urban Affairs, 24-25 May in Leipzig, Germany.

The guide puts each policy in context, and specifies relevant financial resources, exchange mechanisms and information sources available.

Part One presents cohesion policy for 2007-2013, through its three financial instruments: the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund.

Part Two describes the urban dimension of Community policies conducted by other Directorates-General: Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities; the Environment; Research; Energy and Transport; the Information Society and Media; Education and Culture; Justice, Freedom and Security; Enterprise and Industry; Health and Consumer Protection; Agriculture; Competition; Internal Market and EuropeAid.

This project was prepared by the Commission inter-service group on urban development, set up in December 2005. It is an up-to-date information tool on EU urban policies. The electronic version of Guide – including around a hundred specific documents and hyperlinks - is now available in English, French and German at the following web address: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/guides/urban/index_en.htm