Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear Mayors,
Dear participants,
It is a great pleasure to be with you today.
Your presence today is a very important moment for our common work.
Today, close to 340 million Europeans live in urban areas. That is around 75% of the total European population.
I know very well the importance of your work.
Since the beginning of my mandate, I put great importance to cities, towns and municipalities.
I have met with many local representatives in Brussels and in my visits to the Member States.
We have organised the Cities forum in Krakow, and I chose to have my first implementation dialogue with elected local representatives.
And of course, holding the European Week of Regions and Cities over the past three days, where I hosted a High-level session on Europes urban future.
Cities play a key role. You are on the front line, facing numerous challenges.
From extreme weather, earthquakes, to the record wildfires this summer.
Such events put great pressure on our citizens, our economies, and our way of life.
In crisis, you are the first to provide support to citizens.
And you remind everyone that moving to a more resilient and sustainable economy is not just an EU project – it is a shared effort.
It involves European institutions, Member States, regions, cities, and our citizens.
Europe needs to improve peoples lives by investing in transport, affordable housing, and the energy transition.
Cities are central to achieving this.
Cities are vital for turning our strategies into action.
And they are also engines of Europes competitiveness – attracting investment, driving innovation and creating jobs.
The work of the Covenant of Mayors is living proof of this.
You have created the largest network of its kind worldwide, showing how European cities can lead by example on the global stage.
The urban dimension has always been very strong in cohesion programmes.
With its place-based approach, it ensures that actions from energy, to transport, and the environment reflect local realities.
Between 2021 and 2027, cohesion policy is mobilising more than 110 billion euro for energy transition, sustainable urban mobility, climate adaptation and environmental protection.
And significant resources are dedicated to integrated urban development strategies, designed and implemented by cities themselves.
But cities, especially of smaller size, often face challenges concerning financing, high administrative burden and lack of expertise to address problems.
Cohesion policy has already delivered visible and tangible results, but we need to adapt and further improve our efforts.
We cannot stand still.
The world is changing, and we must change with it.
This is why I proposed the mid-term review of cohesion policy, adopted last month.
We have identified five new priorities where Member States and regions, on a voluntary basis, can choose to reprogramme funds.
It responds to the new challenges we face like competitiveness, defence, and of particular relevance to cities affordable housing, the energy transition, and water resilience.
The mid-term review and the forthcoming European affordable housing plan can provide support to you.
They are important initiatives to help you respond to the needs of your citizens.
I encourage you to discuss with the relevant partners in your countries.
It important to act now and use the opportunities offered by the current programmes to face these new challenges.
Cities can benefit from many other EU instruments.
This is why one of my top priorities is to launch the new EU Agenda for Cities before the end of the year.
The Agenda for Cities will cover cities of all sizes, including towns and municipalities.
The Agenda will have two main goals:
First, to simplify access to EU support for urban areas.
The EU currently offers many different initiatives to support cities.
But it can be difficult to navigate, especially for smaller cities, and those limited in budget, or technical abilities.
With the Agenda for Cities, we are simplifying initiatives and tools to make it easier for all cities to access EU support.
Second, to strengthen multi-level governance and cooperation.
Cities must not only be implementers of EU policies – they must also have a stronger voice in shaping them.
We are improving inclusive governance and collaboration between the EU, Member States, regional and local authorities.
Because I firmly believe that it is only by working together that we can deliver results – improving the daily lives of citizens.
In conclusion,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Cities are key partners in achieving our shared European goals.
We will build on the Covenants work.
And with an ambitious EU Agenda for Cities, we will strengthen the role of cities – giving you a voice in EU policies.
Let me close with a simple but essential message:
Europe needs its cities, and cities need Europe.
Our efforts must be united – across all levels of governance.
My message is clear: to work with cities, and to make EU support simpler, more accessible, and more impactful – for cities of every size.
I look forward to continuing our work together.
Thank you.
