The European Urban Initiative (EUI) is a European Commission program running from 2021 to 2027, with a €450 million budget from the European Regional Development Fund. Its permanent secretariat is headquartered in Lille, France, where a team of about 100 staff manages daily operations, applicant support, and public inquiries across Europe. Delegated to the Hauts-de-France Region for implementation, EUI consolidates prior efforts like Urban Innovative Actions and Urban Development Network.
Launched to succeed 2014-2020 cohesion investments—€115 billion total, including €17 billion for over 980 city-led sustainable urban strategies—EUI targets cities of all sizes. It funds up to 80% of projects with €5 million maximum per initiative, enabling experiments in integrated sustainable development, capacity-building, and knowledge-sharing on EU-relevant challenges. Governance emphasizes transparency via a balanced structure linking cities, peers, and URBACT IV networks.
Current projects include city-to-city exchanges, where beneficiary cities collaborate with expert peers on issues like local social cohesion—Lille Metropole partnered in a 2016-2020 precursor. Recent calls seek peers for territorial competitiveness and integration in regions like Hauts-de-France. EUI fosters multi-level Urban Agenda cooperation without direct urban renewal, prioritizing scalable innovations over broad regeneration.