During this year's European Week of Regions and Cities, the Urban Agenda for the EU Partnership on Security in Public Spaces contributed with a session.

This session provided an opportunity to present the work of the Partnership and served as a platform for exchange about main challenges for local authorities. It also allowed the Partnership to gather feedback and advice on the work ahead. 

The Coordinators Nice, Efus and Madrid provided an overview of the Partnership’s origins and the efforts accompanying its start-up phase as well as the definition of its focus. During its orientation phase, the Partnership decided to focus on three core areas: urban planning and design, technology and managing and sharing public spaces. The approach and main pillars of the Partnership work are expressed in the Orientation Paper.

The panel discussion touched upon the need for multilevel governance when facing these challenges as well as the importance to strike a balance between hard and soft approaches to security.  The Committee of the Region’s Rapporteur on the Urban Agenda for the EU, Kieran McCarthy, as well as Eva-Maria Engdahl (DG HOME) reflected on the importance of ensuring that the Partnership works in close coordination with EU institutions and other key partners.

They both noted how existing Urban Agenda for the EU Partnerships have been able to contribute to shaping knowledge exchange, regulation, and funding regarding their policy field. It was essential in the speakers’ view to ensure that Actions are both implementable and fully implemented.

The discussion was enriched by testimonials by some Partnership members, notably Lille Metropole, Unione della Romagna Faentina, Mechelen and Croatia. They described the Partnership as a unique platform where local authorities can exchange practices and knowledge as well as join forces in tackling common challenges.

For more photos, browse the Flickr picture gallery of the EU Regions Week.