News

24.10.2007
EU Blue Card to attract highly-skilled workers to the European Union
Europe is experiencing an increasing shortage of highly-skilled workers, especially in the field of engineering and informatics. At the same time, the European Union's population is ageing rapidly. Attracting well-educated immigrants has therefore be...read more

24.10.2007
“The EU has been extremely successful when it comes to immigration”
“The EU has been extremely successful when it comes to immigration.” This is the opinion of Gregory Maniatis. Mr. Maniatis is a Senior European Policy Fellow at the Migration Policy Institute based in Washington (USA). He consults to the European Com...read more

22.10.2007
European smart cities – New scientific ranking instrument for European middle-sized cities
Scientists from the Technical University (TU) of Vienna in cooperation with the University of Ljubljana and the TU of Delft developed a new ranking instrument to have a good look at European “middle-sized cities“ with populations under 500,000. The r...read more

17.10.2007
European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) marks the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
Today, the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) joins with thousands of initiatives to celebrate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. On this occasion, EAPN will present its new report assessing the progress made in the EU strategy t...read more

16.10.2007
Immigration and European borders: cities and regions in the front line
Effective management of the EU's external borders must involve cooperation between all authorities at all levels, both European and national, regional or local. Yesterday, in adopting an opinion prepared by Ian Micallef, the Committee of the Regions ...read more

03.10.2007
"The Paris region is loosing its attractiveness and competitiveness because of lacking interurban cooperation"
"The Paris region is loosing its attractiveness and its competitiveness; firstly because of lacking political consensus and secondly because of missing intercommunal structures". This is the opinion of Michel Micheau, director of the ‘Cycle d'Urbanis...read more

03.10.2007
Urbanisation leads to higher crime numbers
Crime has been on the increase in the world's cities and now has affected more than half of urban residents in developing countries, UN-Habitat, the UN agency for human settlements, said in a report. The report ‘Enhancing urban safety’ found that glo...read more

01.10.2007
EC opens consultation on future cohesion policy
At the Cohesion Forum, which took place in Brussels on 27 and 28 September, Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hübner launched a public consultation on the future of the European cohesion policy. Hübner urged the forum participants to reflect on how...read more

27.09.2007
EP backs EU 'Blue Card' for highly qualified immigrants
The European Parliament backed plans for a new EU 'Blue Card' for highly qualified migrant workers as part of a strategy for dealing with legal and illegal migration on 26 September. This Blue Card should make it easier to attract knowledge workers t...read more

26.09.2007
EUROCITIES wants to know what your city needs for sustainable urban development
The Eurocities led URBAN MATRIX project is conducting a survey amongst urban professionals to assess what knowledge and information local authorities need to improve the sustainability of their cities and towns. The concise survey will provide necess...read more

26.09.2007
EC outlines urban mobility agenda
On 25 September, the European Commission adopted a Green Paper on urban mobility. "Towards a new culture for urban mobility” opens the debate on key issues of urban mobility: free-flowing and greener towns and cities, smarter urban mobility and an ur...read more

24.09.2007
Handbook for local governments on services directive published
The European Commission has published a handbook to give technical assistance to local and regional authorities in the implementation of the "services directive".read more

21.09.2007
Local government urged to participate in consultation on EU budget reform
Local and regional governments are asked to participate in the consultation on the future of EU finances launched by the European Commission, on 12 September 2007. Adoption of the consultation paper in view of the budget review marks a first public s...read more

19.09.2007
“For safer cities, a wide spread multiculturalism must be developed”
In order to make Europe’s cities safer places to live, local communities must adopt “a more cosmopolite sense of community. The tendency towards defensiveness and perception of others as a menace should be avoided.” This is the opinion of Rossella Se...read more

18.09.2007
The world’s most polluted cities of 2007
U.S.-based Blacksmith Institute, an independent environmental group, in partnership with Green Cross Switzerland, today issued their Top Ten list of the world's most severely polluted places. Overall, the Top Ten sites lie in seven countries and affe...read more

14.09.2007
500 European cities support CEMR charter on local gender equalities
500 cities, regions and municipalities have now signed the Council of European Municipalities and Regions’ (CEMR) Charter for equality of women and men in local life. The Charter aims to promote the balanced participation of women and men in the deci...read more

13.09.2007
EMCDDA seeks members for its Scientific Committee
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is looking for scientists to become member of its Scientific Committee. The Scientific Committee plays a major role in the EMCDDA’s efforts to reach scientific excellence. Amongst o...read more

13.09.2007
Europol supports EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland
The Austrian interior ministry and EUROPOL will closely collaborate to ensure the safety during the European soccer championships EURO 2008. The event takes place in Austria and Switzerland in the coming summer. Amongst others, EUROPOL will support t...read more

13.09.2007
EC establishes European Security Research and Innovation Forum
The European Commission has established the European Security Research and Innovation Forum (ESRIF). The ESRIF held its first meeting on 11 September 2007. The Forum is to promote cooperation in the field of security research. It brings together stak...read more

10.09.2007
“Cities must permanently reallocate road space in favour of walking, cycling and public transport.”
Europeans are becoming more and more aware of the impact of transport on the environment. At the same time, there is a large gap between people’s awareness and their actual behaviour. “For the moment, our cities are built to give priority to car traf...read more