The European Commission has launched this week two consultations in the framework of the Urban Agenda. One addresses Poverty in Urban Areas, while the other addresses the Inclusion of Migrants. The deadline for replies is on 22 August 2017.

The Urban Agenda is an initiative from the European Commission, which has been launched in 2016 with ratification of the Pact of Amsterdam by the Urban Policy Ministers. It is stressing the need for an increasing attention to cities, as an ever-bigger share of the population is living in those urban areas. Twelve priority areas, needing particular attention, have been identified. Among them are the issues of urban poverty, housing and the inclusion of migrants and refugees.

Partnerships have been established for each of the priority areas, involving Urban Authorities, the European Commission, other EU organisations, Member States, experts and different stakeholder organisations. These Partnerships have been working around the questions of better regulation, better funding and better (exchange of) knowledge in their attributed priority area. As a result of their work they have drafted Action Plans, which are now open for feedback.

If you would like to learn more about the Urban Agenda, its priorities and Actions, please consult their website here.

If you would like to provide feedback on the Action Plan on Urban Poverty, please access the consultation. For feedback on the Action Plan on Inclusion of Migrants please consult the background paper. Eurodiaconia members that respond to either of the consultations, are kindly asked to send a copy of their response to the Eurodiaconia Secretariat.