EUI Governance
The European Urban Initiative (EUI) is set out in Article 12 ERDF. It is an instrument of the European Commission managed by the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy via indirect management.
The Commission has delegated the implementation of the Initiative to the Hauts-de-France Region. An effective governance structure is established for a transparent and balanced management of EUI.
It ensures the proper strategic steer and advice to the Initiative through a participatory process of the relevant stakeholders, the operational management for the execution of the different work streams, as well as synergies in the intervention logic of the EUI.
The different bodies involved in the EUI governance and implementation are presented below.
European Commission (EC) - Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy
The EC is the central decision-making body for the EUI Initiative, and its overall task is to ensure the strategic quality and effectiveness of the Initiative's implementation.
Entrusted Entity (EE)
The EE is responsible for implementing the Initiative on behalf of the EC. This is the body which ensures the operational delivery of the EUI activities by setting up a dedicated Permanent Secretariat. The designated Entrusted Entity is the Hauts-de-France Region.
Permanent Secretariat (PS)
The EUI PS is responsible for the daily management and implementation of operational activities of EUI. It is the main interface for the EUI and works directly with urban authorities and other EUI audiences and stakeholders. In addition, the PS supports the Urban Agenda for the EU and the Intergovernmental cooperation on urban matters.
EUI Steering Group
The Steering Group is a consultative body that provides strategic advice to the Initiative, relying on inputs from cities on their most pressing needs and future challenges (bottom-up), from national governments, as well as from EU institutions to link EUI with other policies affecting cities at national, regional and EU levels (top down). Besides, it provides for a multi-level dialogue platform for cities, regions, Member States and the Commission, ensuring coordination and complementarities with URBACT IV as well as synergies with the activities of the Urban Agenda for the EU.
EUI Supervisory Board
The Supervisory Board oversees efficient and qualitative implementation of the EUI in terms of overall and specific objectives as well as related activities of the Initiative, also ensuring that the strategic advice of the EUI Steering Group is integrated, where relevant, in operational activities. The Supervisory Board consists of the representatives of the European Commission, Entrusted Entity and Permanent Secretariat.
Accounting Authority (AA)
The Accounting Authority is the body in charge of setting up and submitting certified EUI expenditures to the Commission and organising the ERDF payments and accounts. For EUI, the Accounting Authority is the Province of East Flanders, Belgium.
External Auditor
The external auditor ensures that audits are carried out on the proper functioning of the EUI management and control system and on the expenditure declared. For EUI, this task is carried out by an independent audit company.
Meet the team!
The EUI Permanent Secretariat is located in Lille, France.
Our international team carries out the day-to-day management of the Initiative activities and provides the main interface for support to applicants, project partners and urban stakeholders across Europe.
See who we are, how we work and how to contact us.
EUI in your country
The EUI will rely on a network of Urban Contact Points (UCPs) in Member States, to provide a coherent and integrated approach to knowledge sharing, capacity building, communication and dissemination on sustainable urban development between the EU and national, regional, and local levels.
Operating in each country's national language, UCPs aim at providing information, matching needs and communicating and disseminating EUI activities and knowledge outputs to urban policymakers and practitioners at local, regional and national levels. They also act as an information and knowledge sharing nexus between the actors at national, regional and local levels and the EUI.
The main objectives of the EUI network of UCPs are:
- to increase the number of urban policymakers and practitioners at local, regional and national levels in the EUI activities of sustainable urban development,
- to improve the capacities of urban policymakers and practitioners at local, regional and national levels in sustainable urban development, and
- to incentivise stakeholders, in particular, Managing Authorities, to benefit from the support and opportunities offered by the EUI.
The recruitment of the EUI Urban Contact Points will start in 2023.