The call for partners under the Urban Agenda for the EU (UAEU) is open: new thematic partnership on Food and Cities of Equality.

The Urban Agenda for the EU (UAEU) addresses urban challenges by setting up Partnerships between cities, the European Commission, other EU institutions and bodies, national governments and other stakeholders such as non-governmental organisations.

These partnerships develop action plans that contribute to the three UAEU pillars: better regulation, better funding and better knowledge.

In 2016, the Pact of Amsterdam presented the first 14 urban themes which resulted in an equal number of Partnerships. With the adoption of the Ljubljana Agreement in November 2021, four new themes were added to the existing list of UAEU priority themes:

• Greening Cities
• Sustainable Tourism
• Food
• Cities of Equality

At the end of 2022, Partnerships have been formed for the first two themes: Greening Cities and Sustainable Tourism. 

This year, the UAEU organises a new call to cover the two new themes on Food and Cities of Equality.

The call benefits from the prior preparation of two Ex-Ante Assessment reports on Food and Cities of Equality. These reports play a crucial role in enhancing the efficiency of future multi-level cooperation on these two themes by providing guidance on focus, timing, and activities. It's worth noting that the Thematic Partnership in the future will have the freedom to further shape the particular topics they wish to address, taking into account the recommendations provided in these reports.

The call is accompanied by Background Documents explaining the eligible applicants, the selection process and criteria, as well as the responsibilities for each category of partner. They also provide descriptions of the general themes that the partnerships will focus on.

You can access and download the Background Documents on the webpages of the respective partnerships. 

• Food webpage
• Cities of Equality webpage

Cities (of all sizes), Regions, Member States, Partner States, national city umbrella organisations, and other stakeholders which are interested in joining one or both of the two new Thematic Partnerships on Food and Cities of Equality can show their interest by submitting the following application(s): 

• Apply to become a partner of the Thematic Partnership on Food
• Apply to become a partner of the Thematic Partnership on Cities of Equality.

Applications should be submitted till 29 September 2023 at 18:00 (CET).

After the assessment of applications by external experts and by the Urban Agenda Technical Preparatory Group, a proposed list of selected partners will be presented at the Directors Generals on Urban Matters (October 2023) and/or Informal ministerial meeting on urban regeneration (November 2023), seeking for their decision. The selected partners will be notified by email and will be invited to confirm their availability for joining the respective Thematic Partnership starting November 2023.

Source: Inforegio - Call for Partners: Urban Agenda for the EU Partnerships on Food and Cities of Equality (europa.eu)