On 30 May 2016, the EU Ministers responsible for urban matters adopted the Pact of Amsterdam. Next to the English version, a French and German version is now also available. These can be downloaded at the bottom of the page (by clicking on the "related content").

The Pact of Amsterdam states that European cities, within the framework of the Urban Agenda for the EU, should get more involved with EU legislation, access to financing and knowledge sharing. The Urban Agenda contains proposals for the improvement of existing EU policies. This concerns in the first phase themes such as air quality, urban poverty, housing and inclusion of migrants and refugees, as well as jobs in the local economy, circular economy, climate adaptation and urban mobility.

‘The Pact of Amsterdam introduces a new way of working in which European cities, governments and institutions join forces with urban populations. It will help create optimum conditions for cities to improve urban dwellers’ quality of life,’ said Minister of the Interior Ronald Plasterk at the opening of the ministerial conference on the Urban Agenda for the EU.