The European Commission adopted on 11 January a Communication (COM(2004)60) setting out its ideas for the Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment due in summer 2005.
In this document, that is being submitted to a widespread consultation, the Communication sets out the problems and challenges facing Europe’s urban areas, focusing on 4 priority themes : urban environmental management, urban transport, sustainable construction and urban design.
The Communication recognises that towns and cities themselves are best placed to develop the solutions to the problems they face and proposes that the EU’s role should be to establish a framework to support them in this task.
The Commission invites comments on these ideas before 15 April 2004.