The EU-funded International Urban and Regional Cooperation Asia & Australasia (IURC AA) programme officially launched its 2025 thematic clusters with an Online Launch Event held on Wednesday, 3 September 2025, gathering cities and regions across Asia, Australasia, and Europe with 197 participants. This event marked the beginning of a new phase of cooperation focused on thematic clustering and pilot project development aligned with EU policy priorities and global urban and regional challenges.
The session opened with welcoming remarks from Lutz Köppen (DG REGIO, European Commission) and Viktorija Kaidalova (Foreign Policy Instruments, EU). Also, Eero Ailio (DG ENER) participated in the interactive discussion, which was moderated by IURC AA Team Leader Pablo Gándara. The speakers emphasized the strategic importance of international city-to-city and region-to-region collaboration, highlighting the EU’s commitment to building resilient, green, and inclusive territories.
As Sandra Marin, Knowledge Management Expert, explained, there are seven thematic clusters for cities (Mobility & Transport, Strategic Sectors, Urban Innovation, Circular Economy, Climate Adaptation, Urban Regeneration, and Social Cohesion) and four clusters for regions (Agri-food, Industrial Modernisation, Clean Energy, and Blue Economy). These clusters form the foundation for cross-continental Communities of Practice, where participating local governments will share challenges, exchange best practices, and jointly shape pilot projects with high visibility and impact.
Each thematic network will follow a structured calendar of weekly online sessions from 3 September to 31 October 2025, including introductory meetings, deep-dive discussions, and peer learning opportunities. The sessions are supported by AI-based live translation and multilingual summaries, ensuring accessibility across IURC AA’s diverse partner base. Coordination is led by paired EU and non-EU representatives.
The process will culminate at the IURC Global Thematic Networking Event in Barcelona, 4–6 November 2025, held in parallel with the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC). The event will convene around 150 delegates from Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and Australasia. Over two days, cities and regions will engage in breakout sessions, pitch ideas, and network across 11 thematic clusters in preparation for pilot project implementation. A closing plenary and curated site visits across Barcelona on 6 November will round out the experience.
The Online Launch underscored IURC Asia & Australasia’s strategic transition from bilateral pairings to a broader, theme-driven multilateral framework—anchored in shared challenges and collective innovation. This next phase reflects a deepening of EU global engagement, advancing regional policy and diplomacy through cross-continental Communities of Practice. By centering cooperation around thematic networks, IURC AA positions itself as a catalyst for high-impact, cross-regional urban and regional transformation.
The full schedule for the weekly online sessions was shared online and will be sent to the IURC pilot cities and regions’ focal points.
The video of the online event can be viewed below: