Business in Europe

"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.
The refugee crisis that took Europe by surprise
last year has posed many challenges for the EU's
asylum system, border management and decision-making.
But it is cities that have borne the brunt of the arrival
of more than 1 million people in a single year.
Roughly 70 percent of the European population
and 75 percent of the continent's jobs are concentrated
in cities. Many of the problems governments
have to address – from affordable housing and air
concentrated in cities.
To this list of challenges has been added the
short-term welcoming and long-term integration of
a massive number of refugees. They have all been
included in an Urban Agenda that the European
Commission and member states presented on 30
May.
REFUGEE CRISIS IS TESTING IDEAS
"Member states and cities came to realise that with
all these challenges nobody can go alone. With
this pact we can start working with a consolidated
agenda for years to come," EU regional policy
commissioner Corina Cretu said in an interview
with EUobserver.
The idea for an Urban Agenda was launched by
the commission in 2014 to increase cooperation
between the EU, member states and regional and
local authorities. Almost two years later, the
refugee crisis is testing the idea.
30 — BUSINESS IN EUROPE JUNE 2016