News

08.12.2006
EU Council to adopt rules on awarding public transport contracts
The EU Council of Ministers is getting ready to adopt its common position on the proposal for a regulation on the awarding of public service contracts for public passenger transport. The official decision will be taken at the Transport Council on 11-...read more

08.12.2006
Finnish Y4 wins European Enterprise Award
The Finnish entrepreneurship initiative Y4 has won the grand prize in the European Enterprise Awards. The competition was organised by the European Commission, the Committee of Regions and the Finnish EU Presidency, with the purpose of rewarding init...read more

05.12.2006
Mayor of Melbourne wins 2006 World Mayor Award
John So, Lord Mayor of Melbourne, has been elected World Mayor 2006. Runner up in the 2006 World Mayor contest is Job Cohen, Mayor of Amsterdam. In third place is Harrisburg’s long-serving mayor Stephen Reed, while Jejomar Binay, Mayor of Makati City...read more

05.12.2006
Want to see what future European landscapes may look like? Visit the PRELUDE website
PRELUDE, an EEA scenarios study that explores future European landscapes, has been officially launched in Brussels and on the EEA website.read more

04.12.2006
OECD analyses economic role of cities, US cities still dominate ranking
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published the report ‘Cities: A Challenge for National and Global Economies’. The report studies the 78 largest metro-regions in the OECD, ranging from Tokyo with close to 35 million in...read more

29.11.2006
EEA: Europe ignores challenge of urban sprawl
The European Environment Agency (EEA) stresses that the EU needs policies to "co-ordinate and control" urban planning. The continuing expansion of urban into surrounding countryside, effected with little planning and driven by market forces, is fast ...read more

28.11.2006
New president and vice-president for EUROCITIES
Gérard Collomb, Senator-Mayor of Lyon, France, was elected as new president of EUROCITIES at the EUROCITIES conference in Manchester held on 22-25 November. Wim Deetman, Mayor of The Hague, the Netherlands, was elected as vice-president. Mr Deetman i...read more

27.11.2006
EUROCITIES rewards best city practices contributing to the knowledge economy
On 22 November in Manchester, the cities of Bristol, Dortmund and Vienna received the three EUROCITIES Awards 2006 for outstanding achievements in the field of the knowledge economy. The Awards were presented during the opening of the EUROCITIES Conf...read more

24.11.2006
EC to test regions and cities, additional information on "Regions for Economic Change"
The European Commission has adopted a new initiative "Regions For Economic Change", aiming at testing best practices for economic modernisation and increased competitiveness.read more

23.11.2006
Participate in town twinning!
In the framework of the European Commission's new programme “Europe for citizens” 2007-2013, European municipalities and cities are invited to participate in town twinning activities.read more

22.11.2006
“Local authorities to back up national innovation policies”
Ministers responsible for regional policy held an informal meeting in Brussels on 21 November. The meeting, chaired by Finnish Minister of Regional and Municipal Affairs Hannes Manninen, discussed how to promote innovation and competitiveness through...read more

21.11.2006
EU publishes list of regions and areas eligible for ERDF funding
The Commission decision of 31 October 2006, which draws up the list of regions and areas eligible for funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the cross-border and transnational strands of the European territorial cooperation ...read more

21.11.2006
European cities do away with traffic signs
Are streets without traffic signs conceivable? Seven cities and regions in Europe are giving it a try, with good results.read more

20.11.2006
WHO stresses link between urban planning and health
The World Health Organisation's (WHO) regional office for Europe has published two reports highlighting evidence of how physical activity and sports improve people's physical and mental health. However, participation in sports and other physical acti...read more

20.11.2006
Participate in the Cities for Climate Protection campaign
The Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Campaign encourages cities to adopt environmentally sound policies. It pursues cities to implement measures to achieve quantifiable reductions in local greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and enhance...read more

20.11.2006
German cities richest in Europe, UK cities ranking low
Research by Britain’s Barclays Bank shows that, by GDP, Frankfurt is Europe’s richest city. The southern German city of Karlsruhe is placed second, followed by Paris in third place. Seven out of the top ten cities are German. London, the highest rank...read more

16.11.2006
ENHR calls for papers on sustainable urban development
The European Network for Housing Research (ENHR) and the OTB Research Institute for Housing, Urban and Mobility Studies organise a conference on Sustainable Urban Areas. It will highlight the many aspects of housing and urban issues in relation to su...read more

16.11.2006
AMIDSt launches research on creative industries in European cities
In October 2006, ACRE, a new EU funded international project, has been launched by the Amsterdam Institute for Metropolitan and International Development studies (AMIDSt). The project starts as a result of almost two years of preparatory work.read more

15.11.2006
Europe fails to gauge cultural contribution to economy
While Europe prides in its intellectual and creative past, it has failed to assess the economic value of its cultural heritage and artistic creativity. This is the main conclusion of “Study on the Economy of Culture in Europe” recently published by t...read more

14.11.2006
Thirteen projects compete in final round of the European Enterprise Awards
The European Enterprise Awards competition recognises and awards innovative and creative enterprise initiatives by local and regional authorities throughout Europe. It is open to local and regional authorities in the European Union, Bulgaria, Iceland...read more