Monday

21st Nov 2016

  1. Focus
  2. Regions & Cities

Dieselgate casts doubt over low emission zones

Many European cities use low emission zones, and some are considering to ban dirty cars. But there are limits to how well the EU standards can be used to determine which cars are clean.

News in Brief

  1. Cyprus leaders aim for map agreement
  2. New three-party centre-left government in Estonia
  3. New three-party government in Denmark
  4. Support for the EU on the rise
  5. Brussels to name public space after murdered UK MP Jo Cox
  6. World tells Trump climate momentum is 'irreversible'
  7. No voters in Dutch Ukraine referendum 'not anti-EU'
  8. EU states give conditional approval to visa-free travel for Ukraine
Vienna: A reluctant cosmopolis

Vienna excels in quality of life surveys due to its local government, but Austria's capital may need to show more openness to foreign influences if its success is to endure.

Brussels 2030

The EU capital has had an awful year. Looking forward, the city needs to urgently make itself a better place for people to live in and visit, starting with its notorious problems with congestion, pollution and bureaucracy.

Cities demand access to EU migration funds

Cities are struggling to deal with the influx of refugees and asylum seekers, but EU funds go to national governments, and mayors complain they are getting no help.

A world without waste

A garbage crisis in Naples, Italy, gave birth to the "zero waste" movement, but is the rest of Europe brave enough to change the way it thinks about trash?

Eric Maurice

'It's our duty to turn the migration challenge into an opportunity'

The arrival of more than 1 million refugees has posed a major challenge for cities. The Urban Agenda launched by regional policy commissioner Corina Cretu is an effort to deal with it.

Back to the Future by Hyperloop

Cars that run on petrol or diesel are meant to be a rarity by the year 2050. Progress is slow. But some Nordic cities have radical visions of how a "Hyperloop" could change that.

Old cities, new shapes

After centuries of development, the European model of cities is trying to put people first.

EU cities try their own 'Ubers'

As some places struggle to deal with the impact of firms like Uber and Airbnb, other cities are embracing the change and seeking to learn.

Europe's rare youthful villages

Some villages in the EU are bucking the trend by attracting young people. But unless there is outside funding and local action, Europe's countryside will be full of ghosts.

Copenhagen harbour swimming

Copenhagen harbour, like many of its kind, used to stink of oil and garbage. Now, people swim in canals around the parliament, passing shoals of fish and jellyfish.

Student villages on the water

Students will soon be able to move into converted shipping containers in Gothenburg. Architects hope to spread their idea of cheap, waterside living across Europe.

Analysis

Juncker's unrealistic promise of free wifi

The commission president said "every European village and every city" will have public internet access in 2020, but the statement was not backed up by any legally binding target.

Danish-Swedish border checks cause stress, delays

Number of people going by train between Denmark and Sweden dropped 12 percent since Sweden introduced anti-migrant ID controls. After 60 years of Nordic free travel, people hate the scheme.

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. European Jewish CongressTakes Part in Building Resilient Communities
  2. UNICEFUniversal Children’s Day: UNICEF Calls for Global Action on Child Rights Violations
  3. Counter BalanceThe EU Bank Cannot be a Key Player in Europe's Response to the Plight of Refugees
  4. International Partnership for Human RightsProvides Evidence of Human Rights Violations and International Crimes in Crimea
  5. Dialogue PlatformThe Failed Military Coup in Turkey & The Mass Purges
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersNew Nordic Climate Solutions at COP22 in Marrakech
  7. Counter BalanceNGOs Call on Development Finance Institutions to Act Against Tax Avoidance
  8. Martens CentreOur Transatlantic 9-11: Europe After Trump
  9. European Free AllianceTrump Victory and Brexit Show Urgent Need of Improving Democracy
  10. Dialogue PlatformTimmermans Points to Gülen Movement as Coup Plotter But Lacks Proof
  11. APEALSteel for Packaging - The Model Material for a Circular Economy
  12. European Healthy Lifestyle AllianceChildhood Obesity Rates Expected to Increase at Least Until 2025

Peter Teffer

Smart cities: helping to improve our lives and save the planet

The smart city, its supporters say, can simultaneously tackle the two challenges most cities face: population growth and climate change.

EU cities want say on refugee policy

Overwhelmed by refugees and let down by national governments, European cities had to step in. Now they want more funding and a seat at the table on migration policy.

Domino effect: Denmark follows Sweden on EU border checks

“May I see your ID?” - five little words on a train platform in Copenhagen on Monday mark the end of 60 years of Nordic free travel, as first Sweden, then Denmark impose new border checks amid the refugee crisis.

Climate host Paris's green goals bogged down by bureaucracy

The French capital, host of climate talks four weeks from now, has set ambitious targets to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption. But a multi-layered regional administration limits the impact of its actions.

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Crowdsourcing Week EuropeLearn From Pioneers of Crowdsourcing, Crowdfunding & Innovation at #CSWEurope16 - 10% Off CSWEU16
  2. EFAErdogan's Attacks on Democracy can no Longer be Tolerated
  3. Access NowBeware: Countering “Violent Extremism” Online Risks Human Rights
  4. EUFORESSecurity and Growth Potentials in the Energy Union
  5. World VisionMosul: Children Arriving at Camps too Terrified to Speak, say World Vision Staff
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersUN Global Sustainable Development Goals, Integration, and Security on Agenda for Nordic Council Session 2016
  7. Access NowBleeding Lives and Money: the Cost of Internet Shutdowns from Turkey to Bahrain
  8. Taipei EU OfficeTaiwan Seeks to Join Fight against Global Warming
  9. ANCI LazioAnci Lazio Definetely has a lot to Celebrate This Year
  10. EU-China ForumDebating the Future of the EU-China Relations on 28 November in Prague
  11. COMECEMigrants: From Fear to Compassion
  12. Birdlife EuropeBusiness as Usual - Juncker Snubs Environment and Protects Broken CAP