Metropolitan challenges in the post 2020 European Union

The 7^th Report of Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion emphasises that metropolitan areas across Europe are gaining relevance as hubs of welfare and opportunities and drivers of innovation and productivity. Metropolitan areas have become laboratories for solutions to some of the most pressing challenges linked to globalisation. They play a crucial role in fighting the causes and consequences of climate change, managing the disruptive impacts of technology and mitigating the effects of growing inequalities linked to financialisation processes. However, in most of Europe, the lack of efficient metropolitan governance structures, political recognition and access to funding undermines the ability of cities to respond to these challenges. 

The new Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2021-2027, currently under negotiation, will provide the European Union (EU) with a new sense of direction and determine the overall size of the budget, the balance between policy areas and the requirements attached to funding opportunities. To what extent will the role and contribution of metropolitan areas be part of these discussions? Further, the capacity of metropolitan areas to deliver a wide range of policies (e.g. on mobility, climate change, research and inequalities) will also determine the development of the Strategic Agenda of the European Council. 

Aware of the growing importance of metropolitan areas, the European Commission is proposing a post-2020 Cohesion Policy that strengthens the urban dimension of regulations for territorial development. In particular, it foresees to dedicate 6% of European Regional Development Funds to sustainable urban development and to a new networking and capacity-building programme for urban authorities (the European Urban Initiative). Similarly, the revision of the Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities (2007), which will be adopted this year, presents an opportunity to enhance institutional coordination and a multilevel governance framework that includes metropolitan areas. 

To what extent do these windows of opportunity sufficiently address the needs of metropolitan areas? The seminar will examine this question by focusing on two of the main challenges European metropolises face at this moment: firstly, how metropolitan areas can contribute to, and have a voice in, European climate governance in the form of the newly launched European Green Deal; and, secondly, how they can tackle growing socioeconomic inequalities that concentrate in urban areas. The objective is to assess how EU policy frameworks and financial assistance are supporting metropolitan areas in the effort to tackle these challenges. The seminar will also elaborate recommendations on new EU tools and policies that can potentially improve the support provided to metropolitan areas.