The Living-in.EU movement is a collaborative platform for cities and communities to accelerate their digital transformation the 'European way' (citizen-centric approach, ethically and socially responsible data usage, co-creation with and engagement of citizens, open and interoperable standards). Created by a group of cities, city representative groups Eurocities, Open and Agile Smart Cities (OASC), the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), and supported by the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions, it was launched in December 2019 by the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU.

The aim of Living-in.EU is to work together to scale up the use of data technology to tackle a range of interconnected challenges, including urban mobility, energy efficiency, and digital public services, while ensuring environmental sustainability in line with the European Green Deal. Cities, regions and Member States leaders are invited to join the community by signing the ‘Join, Boost, Sustain’ Declaration, which NGOs, businesses and non-EU cities can also subscribe to as supporters.

Who are we?

More than 110 cities and communities across Europe have signed the Join, Boost, Sustain Declaration, from large capitals to smaller rural municipalities; from digital pioneers, to those beginning their digital journey. Over 100 organisations are affiliated as supporters. These include research institutes, large enterprises, SMEs and not-for profit foundations, who all subscribe to the Living-in.EU principles. We aim for a digital, cohesive Europe where digital transformation improves the well-being of all EU citizens.

What are we trying to achieve?

Living-in.EU sees the city as a hub of digitalisation. Cities create a Local Data Platform, integrating data from across sectors, from both public and private sources for use by all. This allows AI-enabled services to be developed, improving outcomes for citizens, and to work toward deployment of Local Digital Twins.

A major challenge for cities is technology or vendor lock-in, which can come about as a result of seeking solutions to challenges as they arise. Living-in.EU takes an open and interoperable approach from the outset, by ensuring compatibility of data from different sources. Taking this approach from the bottom up, across the EU (and beyond), allows cities to share technical solutions, and creates a huge potential market for SMEs and start-ups. Security, trust and involvement of citizens in design are also key elements.

How are we doing it?

Signatories and supporters are working together in five-subgroups to address common challenges faced by cities and communities. A signatory city can appoint nominee(s) to join sub-group(s): Financial; Monitoring & Measuring; Education & Capacity Building; Legal & Ethics, Technical.