Action on sustainable development requires EU level cooperation

The Finnish members of the Eurocities network and their collaboration partners are concerned about a decline in the network's cooperation on sustainable development. Cities are in dire need of European level coordination and support to their efforts in promoting sustainable development. The Eurocities network should be used as a platform for exchanging experiences and exerting influence.

The cooperation between cities in Finland and across Europe in sustainable development has yielded visible results regionally, locally and globally but less so at the EU level. However, obtaining maximally impactful results requires close cooperation at every level. 

Finland’s six largest cities Espoo, Helsinki, Oulu, Tampere, Turku and Vantaa are members of Eurocities. They have paved the way for other cities as well.

- These six cities exert effective international influence to promote sustainable development. This work is facilitated and enabled by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities (AFLRA). They engage in active and fruitful cooperation with regional operators such as the URBACT Global Goals for Cities network and Nordregio, but this is lacking at the EU level, Senior Adviser Eveliina Kiema-Majanen from the AFLRA says.

Cities play a key role in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) set out in the Agenda 2030. As much as 65 per cent of the SDGs require active engagement by cities. Cities need to cooperate across borders to achieve results within the specified timeframe. 

Eurocities unites European cities

Over 200 European cities from 38 countries are members of the Eurocities network. The network focuses on extensive, long-term issues such as climate change and non-discrimination. The Finnish members are the country’s six largest cities Espoo, Helsinki, Oulu, Tampere, Turku and Vantaa. 

The 2022 Eurocities annual conference will be held in Espoo from 8 to 10 June 2022. 

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