International Urban Cooperation EU Urban Agenda case

IUC CROSS-REGIONAL DIALOGUES: SEVENTH ASIA-PACIFIC URBAN FORUM (APUF-7)URBAN INNOVATION SESSION UI 33 | PENANG – MALAYSIA

EVA BAÑOS DE GUISASOLA, MEMBER OF IUC

WHAT IS THE Urban Agenda?

The Urban Agenda for the EU was launched in May 2016 with the Pact of Amsterdam. It represents a new multi-level working method promoting cooperation between Member States, cities, the European Commission and other stakeholders in order to stimulate growth, liveability and innovation in the cities of Europe and to identify and successfully tackle social challenges. The Secretariat is financed by the European Commission.

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- Objective: to involve Urban Authorities in achieving Better Regulation, Better Funding and Better Knowledge on urban matters

- Promotes a balanced, sustainable and integrated approach towards urban challenges should, in line with the Leipzig Charter on sustainable European cities

- A new working method > multi-stakeholder / multi-level partnerships and governance

3 PILLARS OF EU POLICY MAKING AND IMPLEMENTATION

Better regulation

Better funding

Better knowledge

OBJECTIVES OF THE EU URBAN AGENDA

EFFECTIVE INTEGRATED AND COORDINATED APPROACH TO EU POLICIES AND LEGISLATION

INVOLVE URBAN AUTHORITIES IN THE DESIGN OF POLICIES,

FULL POTENTIAL AND CONTRIBUTION OF URBAN AREAS

TO MOBILISE URBAN AUTHORITIES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EU POLICIES

NOT CREATE NEW EU FUNDING SOURCES, UNNECESSARY ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN

URBAN AGENDA FOR THE EU

The EU's vision of the future global "New Urban Agenda" is based on the understanding that an integrated and place-based approach to urban development, together with a long-term vision, is necessary in order to promote well-managed, socially-inclusive and safe, resilient, resource-efficient and environmentally sustainable, as well as economically-prosperous, cities.

2 last new ones

culture

Pubic spaces

DATES OF LAUNCH OF PARTNERSHIPS

4 launched in 2016 on Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees, Air Quality, Housing and Urban Poverty

4 launched in February 2017 on Circular Economy, Digital Transition, Urban Mobility and Jobs and Skills in the Local Economy

4 launched before summer 2017 on Energy Transition, Climate Adaptation, Innovative and Responsible Public Procurement and Sustainable Use of Land and Nature-Based Solutions.

2 last ones recently launched, security in public spaces and culture heritage

Examples of actions and achievements8

EXMPLE ENERGY TRANSITION PARTNERSHIP

Partners of Energy Transition

Coordinators• Gdansk (PL)• Greater London

Authority (UK)• Roeselare (BE)

• “The objective is to create a far smarter and more integrated energy system, from a European down to a local level, that is zero carbon and demand led”

Overall Vision• Security and Resilience

• Affordability, Fairness and Equitability

• Clean and Sustainable Energy

• “Urban areas generate the majority of our energy demand and are the place where most of our carbon emissions are produced”

Objectives of the Energy TransitionPartnership

Process & MeetingsGdanskSept 2017

TilburgDec 2017

LondonFeb 2018

PamplonaMay 2018

BrusselsJan 2018 UDG

BucharestMarch 2019

DGUM BucharestMay 2019

BrusselsJune 2019

3 Working GroupsWG1: Energy Supply, Generation & Storage y Supply, Generation & Storage

WG 2: Energy Masterplanning

& Management

WG 3: Consumers & Consumption

WG 3: Consumers & Consumption

5 ACTIONS in ENERGY PARTNERSHIP

Action 1: Financing for District EnergyAction 2: Maximising use of waste heatAction 3: Energy MasterplanningAction 4: Energy EfficiencyAction 5: Funding

Public Consultation Process

Country of origin of respondents

Responses by sector

44 February – 4 March 2019• 16 entries/23 separate

comments• 3 individuals• 11 organisations• 2 anonymous

Public Consultation Process: Key findings

• Need for more active role of the European Commission (standardisation, financing of the energy transition, regulatory changes, guidelines)

• More power should be given to cities

• Need for support to cities for developing an Energy Masterplanning

• Need to identify funding for the Deployment Desks

EC Inter-Service Consultations4 February – 8 March 2019

• 8 Pages• 33 Comments• 15 Directorates-General

• Clarification of State Aid rules and relevance• Desirable to further consider cross-cutting

commitments of the energy transition (e.g. with digitaltransition, economic development, blue growth,transport sector, etc.)

• Attention drawn to useful EU research & initiatives(e.g. Horizon 2021-2027, Smart cities, S3P-EnergyPartnership on Sustainable Buildings)

• Attention drawn to relevant EU funding mechanisms(e.g. European Fund for Strategic Investment, InvestEU)

• Consideration of new EU Climate and RenewableEnergy Targets

EXMPLE ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

PHOTO

Member States

Local Authorities

European Commission

Other EU Organizations

FRANCE GENOVA (IT) - Coordinator DG REGIO EUROCITIES

POLAND BARCELONA Diput. (ES) DG CLIMA CEMR

HUNGARY GLASGOW (UK) DG ENV EIB

BULGARIA TRONDHEIM (NO) DG RTD URBACT

LOULÈ (PT)

POTENZA (IT)

SFANTU GHEORGHE (RO)

CLIMATE ADAPTATION PARTNERSHIP

Composition

Stakeholder officially engaged:EEA, JRC, CoMo

GENERAL OBJECTIVES“to anticipate the adverse effects of climate change and take appropriate action to prevent or minimise thedamage it can cause to Urban Areas.

The FOCUS: vulnerability assessments, climate resilience and risk management (including the socialdimension of climate adaptation strategies).” Pact of Amsterdam – Urban Agenda for the EU

NATURAL HAZARDS EVENTS (1980-2013)

EVENTS FATALTIES LOSSES

METEOROLOGICALstorms 1.835 3.336 147.963HYDROLOGICALfloods – mass movements

1.479 4.448 152.767CLIMATOLOGICALheat/cold waves -droughts - fires

689 77.848 91.756

Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2016 - EEA2017Based on data from Munich RE - NatCatSERVICE

(millions EUR)

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

to gather urban needs for better climate adaptation actions, recommendations and policies improvements

to suggest how the Urban Area could benefit of funding policiesconsistent with their real needs on climate adaptation

to suggest both traditional and not conventional communication models on climate adaptation among institutional bodies, communities and stakeholders

WORKPLANSteps and main deliverables foreseen

Graphic by Nicolaas BeetsSpecial Envoy for the Urban Agenda for the EU

Scoping Paper

Orientation Paper

Oct 2017

Draft ActionPlan

20th Jun 2018

Final Action Plan

Dec 2018

ImplemetationJan 2019

June 2020

Kick-offMeetingJul 2017

10 ACTIONSBetterRegulation1 Action

R1. Analysis of national multilevel urban development and planning regulations with focus on climate adaptation

Better Funding3 Actions

F1. Guidelines and toolkits for economic analysis of adaptation projects

F2. Including recommendations for the OPs of the ERDF in order to improve its accessibility for municipalities

F3. A new LIFE for urban adaptation projects

BetterKnowledge 6 Actions

K1. Improving EU municipalities knowledge in the framework of Copernicus Climate Change ServiceK2. Enhancing the urban content of Climate-ADAPTK3. Political training academy on climate adaptationK4. Enhancing stakeholder involvement at regional and local levels

K5. Promote open access on insurance data for climate risk management

K6. Further engagement of national and sub-national government’s associations as key facilitators (and relevant Covenant of Mayors supporters) to best support local authorities in their adaptation process

ACTION PLAN

LINK WITH THE NEW URBAN AGENDAThis Action Plan aligns with a number of its statements (in particular 13, 79, 80 and 101) and leads towards their implementation on the European scale.

• The objective of the Climate Adaptation Partnership is to anticipate the adverse effects of climate change and take appropriate action to prevent or minimise the damage it can cause to Urban Areas and the aim of the Action Plan is to define specific actions that lead to the achievement of greater resilience and improved adaptation to climate change in Europe.

NUA Vision 13 g). Adopt and implement disaster risk reduction and management, reduce

vulnerability, build resilience and responsiveness to natural and human-made hazards, and foster

mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.

• The Climate Adaptation Partnership and its Members strongly share the commitment towards promoting climate change adaptation and the Action Plan is designed with direct inputs from stakeholders who are the actual or future implementers of urban adaptation efforts in order to understand their needs and provide targeted and effective support

NUA Call for action 79. We commit ourselves to promoting international, national, subnational and

local climate action, including climate change adaptation and mitigation, and to supporting the

efforts of cities and human settlements, their inhabitants and all local stakeholders to be important

implementers. We further commit ourselves to supporting building resilience and reducing emissions

of greenhouse gases from all relevant sectors.

• Even though the implementation period of the Action Plan is within the immediate short term, the intended impacts of the Actions are positive long-term changes and shifts in the quality, quantity, efficiency and effectiveness of adaptation planning processes on municipal level; including thorough providing improved support and resources for climate vulnerability and impact assessments and development of adaptation strategies, plans, policies, instruments and on-the-ground measures.

NUA Call for action 80. We commit ourselves to supporting the medium- to long-term

adaptation planning process, as well as city-level assessments of climate vulnerability and impact, to inform adaptation plans, policies,

programs and actions that build the resilience of urban inhabitants, including through the use

of ecosystem-based adaptation.

• The actions mostly focus on the aspects of integration between adaptation planning and urban planning, cooperation and coordination across sectors and governance levels and capacity and awareness-building activities. The Partnership commits to further development of the integration in the future work of the Climate Adaptation Partnership and the subsequent iterations of the Action Plan.

NUA Effective implementation 101. We will integrate disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation and

mitigation considerations and measures into age- and gender-responsive urban and territorial development and planning processes, including greenhouse gas emissions, resilience-based and climate-effective design of spaces, buildings and constructions, services and infrastructure,

and nature-based solutions. We will promote cooperation and coordination across sectors, as well as build the

capacities of local authorities to develop and implement disaster risk reduction and response plans, such as risk

assessments concerning the location of current and future public facilities, and to formulate adequate contingency

and evacuation procedures.

LINK WITH THE NEW URBAN AGENDA

LESSONS LEARNT – INSPIRATION FOR ASIAN CITIES

• Focus more on capitalisation of knowledge and dissemination of practices• Sense of communitity created, involvement of diverse stakeholders, need for trust• National associations could support their members cities and regions• Call to simplify language, and build a comprehensive narrative for better involvement of LRAs• Requires ressources but positive results on lobbying/exchanging with most relevant partners• Added value of multi-level governance and multistakeholder partnerships, close dialogue gap• Low ressources limits both the level of ambition and participation of smaller/medium sized

cities to participate, but they get visibility, networking opportunities, quick EU information• Structures set up allow to continue working beyond the set up duration• Peer reviews possible, training academies for politicians• Flexibility in the approach to define and implement actions

QUESTIONS?We look forward to exchanging with you!Many thanks!

Contact:Eva.banosdeguisasola@ccre-cemr.orghttps://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/urban-agendahttp://www.urbanagendaforthe.eu/

@EUUrbanAgenda