The new URBACT III will keep the same content but will be more closely linked to the Europe 2020 headline targets. Promoting social inclusion and combating poverty is listed as one of the 5 thematic priorities which will concentrate 70% of the funding (i.e. 73 m € in total). The rise of social exclusion and poverty has been identified as one of the key challenges by cities themselves. During this EU-level Consultation meeting, EAPN stressed the need to use URBACT III to develop cities’ capacities to use Structural Funds in a more integrated manner to deliver on the poverty reduction target as well as to build wider partnerships involving social NGOs to deliver comprehensive, integrated and tailor-made solutions to fight against poverty.
For EAPN and its members, URBACT III represents an opportunity to work more closely with cities in the design and implementation of local urban strategies aiming at fighting urban poverty by developing participative methods and community-led approaches (including CLLD) with some EU funding attached for social NGOs.
For more information, please consult URBACT’s website.
