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Cohesion policy – the driving force in implementing the EU agenda for cities

TA-10-2026-0349 · P10_TA(2026)0349 · PE790.121

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Parliament's resolution welcomes the Commission's 'An EU Agenda for Cities' and says it should complement, not replace, cohesion policy's territorial dimension. It calls for cities to be fully involved in designing cohesion policy programmes and the 2028-2034 national and regional partnership plans, with stronger multilevel governance and the partnership principle. It asks for adequate, predictable and ring-fenced funding for sustainable urban development, raising the ERDF minimum allocation for integrated territorial and sustainable urban development strategies from 8 % to 13 %. It sets out demands on housing, essential services, climate resilience, security, digitalisation, culture, tourism and simplification, and calls for a future EU Cities platform and an annual high-level political dialogue. It asks for particular attention to small and medium-sized cities, island, coastal, sparsely populated, shrinking, border and outermost cities. It calls on the Commission to implement the 'right to stay' principle concretely during the new multiannual financial framework period.

Key points

  1. Welcomes the Commission's EU agenda for cities and says it should complement, not replace, cohesion policy's territorial dimension, respecting subsidiarity, proportionality and partnership.
  2. Welcomes regular targeted dialogues and an annual high-level political dialogue with cities, and calls for simplification and fewer bottlenecks for cities as EU funding beneficiaries.
  3. Calls for cities and local authorities to be fully involved in setting investment priorities, designing cohesion-funded programmes and the 2028-2034 national and regional partnership plans.
  4. Welcomes the mid-term review's flexibility but says it must not endanger cohesion's core objectives; calls on the Commission to develop a common methodology for measuring urban and metropolitan pressure.
  5. Calls for urban greening plans, nature restoration and climate resilience among the urban agenda's priorities, and for urban civil preparedness investments to be eligible under cohesion policy.
  6. Calls for a dedicated urban strand for small and medium-sized cities in the Technical Support Instrument, directly accessible to cities and functional urban areas.
  7. Says the housing crisis is a main political priority; calls for cohesion policy to support affordable, sustainable, energy-efficient housing and for dedicated funding for student accommodation.
  8. Calls for an increased co-financing rate for inter-community projects, Climate City Contracts investments and essential public infrastructure, taking account of beneficiaries and income generation.
  9. Lists essential services cities should provide, including transport, water management, education and childcare, healthcare, social care and employment policies, and calls for adequate investment in them.
  10. Calls for stronger administrative capacity and simpler access to EU funding, including faster reimbursement, the single audit principle, simplified cost options and digitalised reporting.
  11. Calls on the Commission to develop the future EU Cities platform as a one-stop shop covering funding information, technical assistance, capacity-building and urban data.
  12. Calls for the future multiannual financial framework to ring-fence resources for sustainable urban development and to raise the ERDF minimum allocation for integrated territorial and sustainable urban development strategies from 8 % to 13 %.

Who is affected

  • Cities and functional urban areas of all sizes: to be given a structured role in EU policy and easier access to funding.
  • Small and medium-sized cities, island, coastal, sparsely populated, shrinking, border and outermost cities: targeted support and simplified access.
  • Local and regional authorities: involved in designing, implementing and monitoring EU funds where they are competent.
  • Young people, students and vulnerable households: housing measures aimed at affordable and student accommodation.
  • Member states: asked to show greater ambition in allocating resources to cities under future partnership plans and the EU Facility.

Figures and deadlines

  • Around three quarters of the EU's population live in cities and other urban areas.
  • Local authorities implement approximately 70 % of EU legislation.
  • In 2025, young Europeans left their parents' home at an average age of 26,3.
  • Tourism accounts for approximately 5 % of the EU's GDP.
  • The ERDF minimum allocation for integrated territorial and sustainable urban development strategies should rise from the current 8 % to 13 % post-2027.

Legal basis: Articles 2 and 3(3) of the Treaty on European Union and Articles 14, 174, 175, 177 and 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.