10.04.2006
Need for clarity on waste prevention and recycling
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) calls for more policy clarity for investments in waste management. Local and regional authorities are responsible for a significant part of the implementation of European waste legislation. In...read more

07.04.2006
Award and prize money for innovative housing projects
The Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF) is currently seeking entries for the World Habitat Awards 2006 competition. Projects that provide practical and innovative solutions to current housing needs and problems are eligible to enter the con...read more

06.04.2006
Entries sought for “Best Mayor of the World”-competition
City Mayors, the international project for good and strong local government, is seeking nominations for World Mayor 2006. Mayors are judged on their vision, their passion and their skills. Everybody can nominate a mayor for the World Mayor 2006 title...read more

05.04.2006
Handbook on strategic environmental assessment now on-line
A handbook on how to comply with the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive in developing the Structural Fund programmes 2007-2013 is now available on-line. SEA is the key tool for local authorities to "green" their plans and projects wit...read more

05.04.2006
EU's 2007-2013 budget agreed
The European parliament and the EU member states have reached agreement on the European Union budget after three months of talks. The budget for the next seven years has been fixed at 866 billion euros, 4 billion more than agreed by EU government lea...read more

04.04.2006
New rules, more funding for "capitals of culture"
As part of the new rules on choosing the European capitals of culture, cities will have to boost "the European dimension" of their programmes to get the Brussels' funding. Furthermore Brussels plans to tripple the subsidy for the capitals of culture ...read more

03.04.2006
4.3 million euros for local gender equality projects
In 2006, the European Commission has 4.3 million euros available for projects seeking to eliminate inequalities and promote gender equality throughout the European Community. This year’s priority theme is the promotion of gender equality in local dev...read more

03.04.2006
Cohesion funds for networks of knowledge and experience
State Secretary for Finance Alfred Finz participated as representative of the Austrian EU Presidency in the Conference on Urban Development on “Acquis URBAN: From Vision to Action” in Maribor, Slovenia. At the conference the urban dimension to struct...read more

30.03.2006
Final URBACT report "building sustainable urban communities" released
The "Building Sustainable Urban Communities" project focuses on a transnational analysis of the impact of population mobility and diversification on service provision by local authorities.read more

28.03.2006
Debate Europe! – online forum on the future of Europe
On March 27, the European commission launched an online platform for discussing the future of the European Union. The forum is open to all interested citizens. The initiative is part of the Commission´s “PLAN D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate”. Pe...read more

28.03.2006
Final URBACT report "building sustainable urban communities" released
The “Building Sustainable Urban Communities” project focuses on a transnational analysis of the impact of population mobility and diversification on service provision by local authorities.read more

27.03.2006
Urban air pollution problem not to be solved
The European Environment Agency (EEA) published a report on 23 March 2006, that concludes that even in 2030, air pollution from traffic will still be a pressing problem for European cities. Currently, none of the researched cities meet the recommende...read more

27.03.2006
Spring Summit: new youth employment and training targets
At the EU summit of the European Council on 23-24 March 2006, the EU leaders discussed the Lisbon Agenda, the effort to make the European economy the most competitive in the world by 2010. The EU summit largely limited itself to re-confirming existin...read more

24.03.2006
European SMEs feel left out in decision-making process
The vast majority of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe feel they are not consulted enough on the drafting of new policies at local and national level. They feel more involved on the European level, although most SMEs feel better con...read more

24.03.2006
Budget 2007: EP give priority to image-building and enlargement
According to the European Parliament, the EU institutions have failed to convince European citizens that they truly represent their interests and aspirations. Improving existing information services, making them accessible to all citizens and, accord...read more

23.03.2006
Budget 2007: EP give priority to image-building and enlargement
According to the European Parliament, the EU institutions have failed to convince European citizens that they truly represent their interests and aspirations. Improving existing information services, making them accessible to all citizens and, in the...read more

23.03.2006
EU Structural Funds for broadband internet
The European Commission plans to make broadband internet access available to every EU citizen within four years. High-speed internet connections have become an economic necessity across Europe, according to European Regional Policy Commissioner Danut...read more

22.03.2006
European Parliament to open debate on poverty
The European Parliament (EP) has voted by a large majority to adopt a report on social protection and inclusion. Currently, one out of six Europeans live in poverty. In fighting poverty, the parliament has identified two priorities: child poverty and...read more

22.03.2006
Consultation on security in urban transport and rail
The European Commission launched a public consultation on 17 March with particular bearing on rail and urban passenger transport security. The Commission aims to determine and implement a European framework for combating the terrorist threat in the t...read more

21.03.2006
Commission presents guidelines on state aid control and urban regeneration
According to the Commission, current rules offer member states enough leeway to provide targeted state aid to urban regeneration projects, if one knows how to apply the rules. The so called “vademecum”, or manual, provides local and regional authorit...read more