As the second phase of the International Urban Cooperation programme (IUC) (2016-2020), IURC aims to lead and develop a form of decentralised international urban and regional cooperation in the fields of sustainable urban development and innovation, in key partner countries and regions in line with the external dimension of “Europe 2020.”
Based on the capitalisation of results and lessons learned from the previous phase, the new programme optimises the added-value of international cooperation, transforming IURC into a Global Network of reference for urban & regional innovation.
“IUC is about more than signing agreements, is about practical implementation of concrete focused projects. Is a functional platform of cooperation between stakeholders from business, governments and research institutions where they get together to implement actions and make a difference for the future”
– Rudolf Niessler, Principal Advisor for International Relations, DG REGIO, European Commission.
“This exceptional project has united us, we can have a dialogue with countries on the other side of the planet. We recognize that, despite geographical and cultural differences, we have common problems for which we find the same solution: consideration for ourselves, for nature, for the environment in which we live”
– Bratislava (Slovakia)
The EU programme, financed under the Partnership Instrument and jointly implemented by the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments and the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission, will contribute to the objectives of the New Urban Agenda, the Agenda 2030 (SDGs), the Urban Agenda for the EU and the political objectives of the European Cohesion Policy through city-to-city diplomacy and collaborative regional efforts to overcome common challenges.
Visit the IUC (Phase I) Websites
Stay in the loop!
Updates, unmissable events and news from the IURC Programme.