Cities discussing community sponsorship programmes for refugees

The global number of displaced persons keeps rising. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has identified more than 1.44 million refugees in need of resettlement in 2020. However, current national pledges will serve fewer than 1% of these refugees. Against this background, community sponsorship programmes are met with increased interest.

Cities discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Roma inclusion

Glasgow signs a strong pledge on minimum income

Glasgow signed a strong pledge on minimum income in June 2020. This is the second pledge from Glasgow, reaffirming the city's commitment to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights, after the first pledge submitted in February 2019 on housing and assistance for the homeless (ESPR principle 19).

Join WG Children meeting online on 10 July

We are happy to invite you to the virtual launch of our EUROCITIES Working Group Children and Young People on 10 July. The meeting will take place online from 10.00 - 12.00 CET.

Take part in EUROCITIES survey: How are cities fighting child poverty?

The COVID-19 crisis has strongly affected children, especially children in precarious family situations, who were affected in terms of schooling, physical and mental health and well-being, and even nutrition (lacking the school lunches). Home-schooling has deepened the inequalities in education and training.

Madrid signs a strong pledge to gender equality

Madrid signed a strong pledge to gender equality in June 2020. This is the third pledge from Madrid, reaffirming the city's commitment to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights, after the first two pledges in autumn 2018 on principle 4 'active support to employment' and principle 11 'childcare and support to children'.

Cities coming together for gender equality

Full gender equality is far from being achieved. On the contrary, the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential of setting back previous progress. It has had a disproportionate impact on women by: increasing the burden of their unpaid work at home; worsening their employment and economic standing; exacerbating the rates of domestic violence against women. The challenges at hand are clear across cities in the EU. This is why cities came together and discussed ways to counter discrimination and...

Riders on the storm

In these challenging times, I feel we are “riders on the storm”, like the Doors sang. The deconfinement measures seem to have brought life progressively back to normal and the numbers look better. However, I think “there’s a killer [still] on the road” and the storm is not over. Actually, I believe the pandemic has only exposed the many storms we were riding on already pre-COVID and made them both more visible and worse.

No EU recovery without a social recovery with cities at the core

Cities are at the core of this pandemic, hardest hit by the crisis and on the frontline of mitigating the impact on people and jobs. Cities are essential partners for a fair and inclusive European recovery and a stronger social Europe. This was one of the main messages shared by EUROCITIES political representatives this morning in an online dialogue with Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights.

Recovery – Mayors call for a new pact between the EU and cities

Cities want to play an active role in Europe’s recovery after the corona pandemic. Mayors of major European cities have offered a 'new pact between the EU and city leadership' to overcome the impacts of the crisis. In meetings with the European Commission’s Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans and Commissioners Paolo Gentiloni and Johannes Hahn on Friday, organised by Eurocities, the mayors proposed to involve city governments more in the EU recovery programmes and demanded direct...