Poland's EU Presidency: Driving sustainable urban transformation
Cities Forum 2025: Empowering Cities, shaping Europe's Future
One of the key focus on urban dimension during the Polish Presidency will be the Cities Forum 2025, organised in cooperation with the European Commission. This major event, which will take place in Krakow on 17-19 June 2025, will bring together urban stakeholders from across Europe to share perspectives and solutions on the future of cities in the EU, while contributing to the EU policy agenda for cities. As host city and country, Krakow and Poland embody the spirit of progressive urban development that the Cities Forum seeks to promote, showcasing innovative approaches to sustainable and inclusive urban growth.
EUI’s commitment to Sustainable Urban Development in Poland
EUI supports sustainable urban development in Poland, particularly through its Capacity Building activities and its support to innovation.
The EUI Capacity Building event in Poznań on 2-3 April 2025 aims to equip Polish city authorities with the knowledge and skills needed to improve urban resilience and crisis management. To this end, the event addresses various types of challenges, such as environmental and geopolitical issues. The event will address a range of risks, including environmental challenges, geopolitical shocks, and energy and cybersecurity threats.
EUI will also be present at the URBACT City Festival in Wroclaw, to discuss its Capacity Building offer in order to highlight the value of peer learning and exchange.
Polish cities have already been represented in capacity building activities. In 2024, Pleszew and the Kalisz-Ostrowska Agglomeration were 2 of the cities under review to attend the Peer Review organised in Kalisz, and several other representatives of Polish cities have attended this format as peer reviewers.
In addition, the city of Rybnik was the beneficiary of a City-to-City Exchange, whereas Poznań was the peer city in such an exchange focusing on the city of Szombathely (HU).
EUI is also proud of the active involvement of several Polish cities and supports two Innovative Actions projects in different cities: one in Krakow and another in Stalowa Wola.
- SPACE 4 TALENTS (Stalowa Wola) aims to attract and retain talent by promoting the space industry. This initiative promotes cooperation between the public, educational, scientific and industrial sectors, positioning Stalowa Wola as a hub for young professionals.
- Sustainable Cultural Tourism Hub (Krakow) aims to improve the sustainability of tourism by addressing overtourism and social tensions. By focusing on a central but under-explored area of Kraków, the initiative aims to balance tourism growth with the preservation of local culture.
Connect with Poland's urban community and best practices
With over 100 members from Poland, Portico, the EU’s one-stop shop for cities, offers a wealth of knowledge on metropolitan areas, talent attraction and retention in cities, and sustainable cultural tourism in Poland.
Interested in accessing all resources, information, news, and contacts on urban development in Poland? Visit the Portico country page, where everything related to Poland’s urban landscape is brought together in one place. Interested in accessing all resources, information, news, and contacts on urban development in Poland? Visit the Portico country page, where everything related to Poland’s urban landscape is brought together in one place.
Stay updated on EUI opportunities in Poland
EUI is also active at the Polish national level in Poland through the Urban Contact Point, who provides ongoing support in the national language to urban policy makers and practitioners at local, regional and national level.
Explore the Polish page, get in touch with the contact person for Poland and don't miss any EUI opportunity during the Polish presidency!
UAEU in Poland
The Urban Agenda for the EU (UAEU) promotes multi-level governance, and Poland is actively contributing with 19 organisations involved in its thematic partnerships. This involvement includes local, regional and national levels, demonstrating the UAEU's collaborative approach.
For example, the City of Żory is currently involved in the Food Partnership, working on sustainable urban food systems. At the regional level, Silesian Voivodeship is actively involved in the Culture and Cultural Heritage Partnership, recognising the value of cultural heritage and the necessity to sustainably manage Europe’s historic urban environment. At the national level, the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy plays a key role in the Greening Cities Partnership, supporting nature-based solutions in urban environments.
Through these initiatives, Poland continues to help shape better regulation, funding and knowledge to advance sustainable urban development across Europe. If you would like to learn more about the activities of the UAEU, please click here.