Perspective brings together 40 European cities to sign the Declaration of European Mayors.

Perspective organised a high-level political event on 24 January as part of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The meeting was crowned by the signing of a joint declaration by the mayors addressing the European institutions with concrete priorities and recommendations for a strong and ambitious EU urban policy during their next European mandate, following the elections in June.

A discussion day on the future of urban policy:

During this event, Perspective brought together more than 40 mayors and elected representatives from European cities and metropolises at the Egmont Palace to discuss the future of urban policy in Europe.

European Commissioner Elisa Ferreira in charge of Cohesion and Reforms, the President of the Committee of the Regions Vasco Alves Cordeiro, the President of the European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development Younous Omarjee, representatives of European and international institutions and 5 city networks were also present.

The objectives of this meeting were as follows:

• To ensure that the urban dimension remains a priority on the European political agenda.
• To ensure ongoing dialogue between cities and European institutions.
• To raise awareness not only of the future challenges facing European cities, but also of their experience and expertise in meeting these challenges.
• To discuss and share lessons from the past and reflect on the future of EU urban policy.

"Brussels Declaration of European mayors", a joint declaration by cities on the future of the EU:

The Brussels Declaration of European Mayors signed on 24 January is a key element of the urban policy component of the Belgian Presidency of the EU, chaired by the Brussels-Capital Region.

Conceived as a synopsis of the major issues facing European cities and the tools they need to act as the driving force behind European construction and policies, the Brussels Declaration sets out the political issues facing cities and formulates priorities and recommendations for the attention of the European institutions for their future mandate (2024-2029).

In order to convey a message that reflects a vision shared by most European cities, Perspective has set up a co-creation process for drafting this declaration.

Various European stakeholders were consulted throughout 2023, in particular through the two preparatory participatory workshops organised by Perspective with European cities and networks.

To date, the declaration has been signed by 36 mayors and deputy mayors from 19 European countries. A large number of other mayors and associations have already expressed their willingness to join the list of signatories.

Perspective and the Brussels-Capital Region now have a clear roadmap for promoting the recommendations and priorities of European cities throughout the Presidency.

Read the declaration