European cities call for more resources and measures to tackle the social emergency

European cities belonging to the Eurocities network attended an online meeting to address the needs of cities in connection with the next EU budget, as well as to assess the tools presented by the European Commission to respond to the socio-economic crisis caused by Covid-19. The Mayor took part on behalf of Barcelona, which is currently a member of the network’s executive board.

12/06/2020 20:00 h

Ajuntament de Barcelona

During the meeting, city representatives stressed the importance of cities in getting through the crisis as soon as possible, also making a positive assessment of a recovery fund of 750,000 million euros. In this respect, the Mayor, Ada Colau, called on the EU not to adopt measures such as the ones applied during the economic crisis in 20018, as “they increased inequalities which still haven’t managed to be redressed. This time we need those funds not to be conditioned by austerity policies”. Colau also called for cities to get direct access to recovery funds, and for states to be obliged to allocate a percentage of those funds to development policies in cities and metropolitan areas.

According to the Mayor, priorities include housing policies, which play a major role in preventing inequalities in urban areas and act as an economic instrument for generating jobs.

Another aspect she pointed to was the ecological transition and the need for bold policies to speed it up, with the EU involved. Barcelona declared the climate emergency in January.

The Eurocities network is made up of over forty large European cities, its goal being to share ideas, exchange experiences and put together innovative responses to common realities and issues.

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