New Orientations for Democracy in Europe - European Metropolitan Governance

01.02.2004 - 31.07.2005
Assigned research project
In the recent process of building a new European Governance (e.g. the broad discussion upon the European Commission¿s White Paper) regions and cities are recognised as levels that in many areas are the concrete, practical testing grounds of European policies while enabling the most direct relations between political decision-makers and European citizens and hence assuming an essential transmission function. The White Paper reflects implicitly upon the tension between two visions of the future role of cities and regions within a European polity: On the one hand, a vision of cities/regions as possessing their own interests and developing from objects to subjects in EU policy areas. And, on the other hand, a vision of cities/regions as an integrative political force, drawing together the immediate concerns of EU citizens on all policy matters. To develop a clear idea of functional, democratic and integrative orientated tasks and responsibilities of cities/regions and their stakeholders at European level it seems necessary to compare the different perceptions, desires and expectations for the purpose of defining a new strategy of balanced multilevel co-operation. Seen from this perspective, cities are faced with challenges that question their self-image as local political authorities in their current form and call for a widening of the traditional spectrum of municipal tasks. For this reason, the central focuses of research should be the following and will be the matrix for our analysis: Focus 1 (Patterns, strategies and problems of city authorities influencing European policies) deals with current and future/alternative patterns for the formal and informal participation/intervention of cities in the process of European policymaking and policy implementation. This comprises relations and questions as: ¿ Cities as partners of the nation states ¿ Cities as direct actors on EU-level ¿ Cities as initiators of European lobbying platforms ¿ Cities and capacity building for European policy Focus 2 (Citizenship participation for improving metropolitan and European Governance) concentrates on questions of awareness-raising, motivation and mobilisation of the urban stakeholders/population for citizenship participation relating to both urban challenges and to European policy issues. Questions to be analysed are: ¿ Mobilisation of stakeholders for urban governance & European challenges ¿ Empowerment for citizenship participation ¿ Cities as advocates of their population at European level

People

Project leader

Project personnel

Institute

Contract/collaboration

  • EUROPAFORUM Wien

Keywords

GermanEnglish
Politische SystemeGovernance
Europäische IntegrationEuropean Integration
StadtpolitikUrban policy
Regionalpolitikregional policy
PartizipationParticipation

External partner

  • EUROPAFORUM Wien
  • European Institute for Urban Affairs at the John Moores University, Liverpool

Publications