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VOICE-OVER: The Urban Agenda for the EU brings together cities, member states,
EU institutions and experts to work on the future of cities.
Europe is urbanising more and more.
IVO NESROVNAL: Well, our city is a fairly young capital.
It's only 24 years since we became the capital of Slovakia.
And that means, among other things, that we're still looking for best structures,
lean governing methods and allocating resources and competencies.
MARKKU MARKKULA: Urban Agenda means that we would be focusing more on
how we can make these cities more attractive for our citizens.
YIORGOS KAMINIS: Now, cities are protagonists, in many aspects.
And they have been neglected, institutionally speaking, for so long.
Now it's time to move on with the cities.
VOICE-OVER: Realising the full potential of European cities calls for a joint approach
to share knowledge, to reduce the administrative burden of EU rules,
to make EU funding more accessible.
The Pact of Amsterdam launches this joint approach.
European cities support the Urban Agenda for the EU.
NESROVNAL: I believe that European cities, such as Bratislava,
in two or three, four years ahead
will be more competitive, will be stronger, will be more effective.
EBERHARD VAN DER LAAN: And all the citizens of Amsterdam
have two happy years' longer life,
for instance, by good measures, in terms of the climate problem, mobility
and all the aspects that influence our health.
KAMINIS: Cities can offer new and very inventive and imaginary ways
of involving citizens,
not only in decision making, but also in implementing policies.
MARKKULA: The key message for the whole EU process is
that we need more synergy between different funding instruments
and more, really, conceptualising, getting new things moving.
KAMINIS: If we keep on with the momentum created now about cities,
we can start filling the legitimacy gap of the European Union.
Because we cities can offer new and very inventive and imaginary ways
of involving citizens.
MARKKULA: I'm hoping that we will really boost this kind of bottom-up movement.
VAN DER LAAN: It is all about the citizen. It's not about the institutions,
be it Europe, or national or even local, it's about the citizens.
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