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Category: Circular Economy

Riga and Bologna Explore Circular Economy Innovation in New Taipei City

A few weeks ago, representatives from the cities of Riga and Bologna took part in a study visit to New Taipei City under the IURC programme, exploring innovative approaches to circular economy, digital governance, and sustainable urban development. The first day of the visit provided valuable insights into New Taipei City's resource management strategies. Delegates visited the Resource Recycling Centre...

EU and Asian Cities Advance Circular Economy Cooperation through IURC Mission to Iskandar Malaysia

Iskandar Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia | 16–19 June 2026 Representatives from European and Asian cities, the European Commission, the EU Foreign Policy Instruments Service, and the IURC Team gathered in Iskandar Malaysia for an advanced cooperation mission dedicated to accelerating collaboration on circular economy, wastewater management and sustainable urban development. Hosted by the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), the mission formed...

Bologna Hosts International Exchange on Repair and Circular Economy under the IURC Programme

From 24–26 May 2026, the Metropolitan City of Bologna hosted the first Advanced Cooperation Mission (ACM) under Community of Practice (CoP) 8: Circular Economy Urban Centres, bringing together representatives from Europe and Asia & Australasia to exchange knowledge and practical experiences on repair culture and circular economy solutions. Delegations from Bologna, Riga, Gangtok and Seberang Perai participated in a series...

CoP #7 Food Policy Overview: Scale-up Efforts in Reducing Food Lost & Waste

The CoP #7 Food Policy and Circular Food Solutions completed two (2) CoP meetings on the 23rd of February and 18th of March. On the 26th of March, they completed the first deep dive webinar on food loss and waste reductions in partnership with Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the IURC programme. Screenshot Screenshot The key outcome of this joint...

From Plans to Action: Indian Cities Drive EU–India Urban Cooperation Forward

EU–India city partnerships are moving from knowledge exchange to implementation—delivering scalable, climate-smart urban solutions across India Across India, cities are beginning to translate international cooperation into real, field-based change—from mountain towns shaping sustainable tourism to industrial cities rethinking waste and mobility systems. Under the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Programme, this shift from planning to implementation is gaining momentum,...

CoP #8: Circular Economy & Repair Hubs Deep Dive

This Deep Dive webinar on the "Adapting the REPair PERspective (REPper) project Towards a Network of Repair Hubs" was organised as part of CoP #8 Circular Economy Urban Centres’ Urban Cooperation Action Plan (U-CAP) activities. Mr. Marino Cavallo, Head of the Department Research, Innovation and Management of EU Projects, Bologna Metropolitan City (CoP Coordinator), welcomed participants and introduced the project's...

IURC Stocktaking Mission to New Taipei and Kaohsiung

On 5-6 February 2026, the IURC team visited New Taipei and Kaohsiung City for a stocktaking mission, strengthening practical cooperation within the IURC CoPs (Communities of Practice). In New Taipei, discussions focused on CoP # 8 “Circular Economy in Urban Centres”, where the city is working with Bologna Metropolitan City, Riga, Sofia, Gangtok, and Seberang Perai, sharing experiences on circular...

Circular Carbon Economy (CoP6) – Research & Innovation: UCAP with proposed Pilot Projects

On 28 January, the five pilot cities from CoP #6 Circular Carbon Economy – Research & Innovation which consisted of EU city/region: Trier – CoP Coordinator and Bremen (Germany) together with a cluster of cities from India (Chennai, Jabalpur, and Cuttack) held their kick-off meeting.  Ms. Elisa Limbacher, CoP Coordinator from Trier warmly welcomed the pilot cities from the Communities of Practice (CoP) and introduced the agenda. Ms....

Smart Circular Cities (CoP 5) (TEAM 1) — UCAP with proposed Pilot Projects

Kick-off meeting on 23 January The Community of Practice (CoP) #5 Smart Circular Cities (Team 1) held its kick-off meeting on 23 January. Ms Jacqueline Chang, CoP Manager, welcomed participants and outlined the main objectives of the session. Mr Oscar Prat van Thiel, Business and Academia Support Expert, provided a short briefing on how he could support the Community of...

Circular Economy Urban Centres (CoP 8)— Completion of UCAP with proposed Pilot Projects

Kick-off CoP Meeting on 16 January  The first Community of Practice (CoP) kick-off meeting for CoP #8 Circular Economy Urban Centres was held on 16 January with Ms. Jacqueline Chang, CoP Manager welcoming participants and requesting camera-on introductions (tour de table) and a warm welcome was delivered by Mr. Pablo Gándara, IURC Team Leader. The first CoP meeting for Circular Economy Urban...