This blog was written in close cooperation with the Office of Europe and International Strategy from the Directorate of International Relations of the Barcelona Provincial Council, which offers specialised advice to local bodies in the province to promote strategic initiatives at the European level and encourage their participation in European projects.
In the second blog of our series on EU funds and best practices of projects in urban areas, we will present the province of Barcelona. Why did we decide to choose the province of Barcelona as an example of best practices of EU co-financed projects and high absorption level of EU funds? The main reason is that the province was included in the previous programming period and is in the current MFF, one of the most active in Spain successful preparation and implementation of EU co-financed projects is concerned. In the 2014 – 2020 programming period, total of 439 projects were implemented, with €196 million of EU funds being spent in the territory.
We will concentrate on selected examples of projects which can be considered as best practices, co-financed by Urban Innovative Actions (UIA), URBACT, the EU LIFE programme and the European Urban Initiative (EUI). The selected projects are inspiring examples of best practices which can be implemented in other provinces in Spain and other Member States.
Projects implemented under the Urban Innovative Actions
The Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) initiative was implemented in the 2014-2020 programming period. It allocated resources to urban areas to experiment with various solutions to their challenges, based on Art. 8 (‘Innovative actions in the area of sustainable urban development’) of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Regulation, with a total budget of €372 million supporting 86 projects. The initiative assisted cities in co-financing innovative projects, implementing sustainable development strategies and learning from each other. The co-financed projects had to be untested and experimental. They also needed to bring measurable added value and be applicable in various locations across Europe. Building on the success of UIA, the European Urban Initiative was introduced in the 2021-2027 programming period, with a total budget of €450 million.
Homeless people and empty houses. Yes, we rent!
Mataró’s (inhabitants: 129 613 in 2023) social housing stock was inadequate in relation to the demand for housing in this municipality where the rents had increased by 27% in the last three years before the project. However, at the same time, the city had about 3500 vacant privately owned apartments that landlords were not putting on the market because they did not have the resources to renovate them, or feared tenants would not pay.
In this context, the Yes we Rent! project aimed to generate an accessible housing stock for middle-income households through properties that were left empty and off the market. The project was implemented under the UIA initiative between 2018 and 2021, with a total budget of € 3 100 000€ and 80% of the EU co-financing rate.
The goal was to ‘change the rules’ of the entire rental market in the city, in order to reduce residential segregation and housing discrimination suffered by citizens. To achieve this, the City Council offered financial and organisational support for the renovation of empty flats, a guaranteed rental service, and a series of incentives for owners to rent their homes at below-market prices.
Thanks to the project, a tenants’ cooperative (Bloc Cooperatiu) was established allowing residents to access affordable housing. The cooperative manages 60 previously empty flats, which have been modernised and are offered for rent at lower prices. Bloc Cooperatiu has 110 members and more than 300 people on its waiting list.
Yes, we rent! was based on an original and replicable organisational and economic model. The Bloc Cooperatiu cooperative, formed by multiple interest groups and introduced by the project, has become an autonomous and sustainable agent in the housing market.
Projects implemented under the URBACT Programme
URBACT is one of four interregional cooperation programmes covered by Interreg C, aiming to promote exchanges of good practices, knowledge and experience between regions in all EU Member States and partner countries. It represents an especially useful instrument to reinforce territorial cohesion and face existing and new challenges.
URBACT III (2014-2020) aimed to facilitate collaboration between cities across Europe and to advance innovative solutions for urban challenges. Its total budget amounted to €96.3 million, with co-financing of €74.3 million by the ERDF . Its four main goals were: building capacity for policy delivery, improving policy design, enhancing policy implementation, and disseminating knowledge.
URBACT IV (2021-2027) with a total budget of €86.8 million, is co-financed by the ERDF (€79.8 million), the IPA (€5 million) and the NDICI (€2 million). It addresses current EU priorities such as digitalisation, decarbonisation, and gender equality. It also includes a new Network between cities to reinforce the link between the EUI and URBACT.
Years of practice have allowed the development of a URBACT method. Cities that are part of URBACT projects set up multi-stakeholder groups tasked with identifying issues and viable solutions. Proposals are evaluated and selected on the basis of their likelihood of success, in collaboration with other cities. Finally, objectives and actions to achieve them are set out in an Integrated Action Plan.
URBACT fosters networking, knowledge exchange, and skill enhancement. It also promotes the transition of cities towards sustainability, digitalisation, and gender equality. URBACT supports projects characterised by robust local engagement aiming to positively affect the economic, social, and environmental domains.
AgriUrban: The production and consumption of healthy food as a central urban policy
Mollet del Vallès (inhabitants: 51 692 in 2023) has two souls, one rural and the other urban. This fact gives the municipality a unique identity for which the council has decided to implement comprehensive initiatives focussed on eating habits, the health of citizens and the promotion of the local economy.
The Agri Urban project was implemented between 2015 and 2018, under programme URBACT III: Modality Network of Action Plans, with a total budget of € 651 814 for all partners (Mollet del Vallès: € 50 000) and 70% of the EU co-financing rate.
The project aimed to rethink agri-food production in small and medium-sized European cities as a tool to improve the urban future and the quality of life of its inhabitants. Agri-food production is a mature industry that plays a significant role in terms of GDP, employment and environmental sustainability. Therefore, it is essential to boost the growth potential of this sector through innovation, new business models and strategies that recognise the complexity of current food systems and the links between rural and urban areas as a tool to promote regional development.
As part of the project, and through the exchange of knowledge and good practices between partners, Mollet del Vallès drew up an Integrated Action Plan focused on boosting the ecological and local agri-food economy and promoting healthy eating habits among residents. Its main goal was to create jobs, stimulate the local economy and look for more sustainable ways to feed inhabitants. Prior to the Agri-Urban project, the city of Mollet had already participated in the URBACT II: Diet for a Green Planet project, as a result of which it became the first Catalan municipality to approve its own food policy. Mollet has become a recognised and awarded example at the European level, as evidenced by the EU Health Award 2020, category Healthy Lifestyles in Cities, conferred on the city by the Directorate General of Health and Food Safety of the European Commission.
Healthy Cities: from planning to action
The URBACT Healthy Cities project was implemented between 2019 and 2022 (total budget: € 750 000; EU co-financing rate between 70% and 85%) in a network of nine European cities, led by the city of Vic (budget for Vic: 258.000 €). The project aimed to deepen the relationship between health and the urban environment, to improve people’s quality of life from an urban planning and city design perspective.
Our health and the environment we live in are closely related. It is estimated that almost 70% of the determinants of our health depend on the space and environment in which we develop our lives; that is to say, the combination between lifestyles, social relationships, and built-natural environment. These factors affect health as understood from a transversal point of view: physical, mental, and environmental health, and are strongly conditioned by the urban planning of our cities. Green areas, connectivity, mobility, or proximity to services are some examples.
Within the framework of the network, the impact of planning on health was assessed, using a methodology grounded on scientific evidence. It also deepened the incorporation of the health perspective in the process and design of urban planning, in order to take advantage of its full potential as a first-rate health tool.The incorporation of health into urban planning is part of the global strategy of ‘Health in all policies’ (WHO), and requires transversal work between the various municipal departments, ranging from Urban Planning, Works, Environment or Mobility, to Health, Sports, or Culture.
Projects implemented under the EU LIFE programme
With a budget of € 5.43 billion in the 2021-2027 MFF, the EU LIFE programme supports actions related to environmental protection, focussing on biodiversity, the promotion of a circular economy, the green transition and the fight against climate change. It is divided into four sub-programmes. The Nature and Biodiversity sub-programme (€ 2.1 billion) is centred on protecting and restoring Europe’s natural environment and stopping and reversing biodiversity loss by means of conservation projects. The Circular Economy and Quality of Life programme (€ 1.3 billion) co-finances projects aiming to reuse resources from waste and improve the management of water, air, noise, soil, and chemicals. The Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation sub-programme (€ 947 million) aims to promote the reduction of pollution, encourage urban adaptation to climate change and raise awareness on the topic. Finally, the Clean Energy Transition sub-programme (€ 997 million) co-finances projects covering the creation of policy frameworks to facilitate the green transition, developing innovative technologies and engaging citizens.
In the 2014-2020 programming period, the EU LIFE programme (budget of € 3.4 billion) included two sub-programmes: Environment (€ 2.5 billion), focussing on environmental governance, resource efficiency and nature and biodiversity and Climate Action (€ 864 million), promoting mitigation and adaptation to climate change and raising awareness.
LIFE RethinkWaste. Rethinking municipal fee systems to improve urban waste governance
The European Waste Directive mandates that by 2035, we must reach a recycling target of 65% and a maximum of 10% of waste intended for controlled deposit since the waste deposited in landfills has a very negative environmental impact. In this context, the LIFE RethinkWaste project aimed to increase the selective collection of waste, reduce waste per capita and raise the recovery rate. One of its goals was also to reduce the average bill for household waste generation. The project was implemented between 2019 and 2023, with a total budget of € 2 764 715 and an EU co-financing rate of 55%.
The most successful European waste recycling experiences, including the LIFE RethinkWaste project, are based on three key elements:
- Implementing more individualised collection systems;
- Creating pay-per-generation systems;
- Having effective communication and dialogue strategies with citizens.
Thus, the municipality of Sant Just Desvern (inhabitants: 48 235 in 2023) implemented a new waste management model based on the idea that citizens’ selective collection habits will improve if a continuous information process is generated, combining technology, gamification, and some economic benefits. A new waste collection service was introduced in Sant Just, based on closed containers with user identification for the Residue and Organic fractions: to be able to open them, users need an electronic card. The collected data enables the administration to evaluate the service, increase selective collection rates and inform inhabitants in a more personalised way to improve their habits. In addition to the new collection model, a Knowledge Generation (GxC) system was introduced. Thanks to the data it collects, it allows more direct and personalised communication and rewards to residents. In the medium and long term, it is planned to implement a model based on generational payment (PxG) approaches, in order to apply the polluter pays principle.
Conclusion
One of the EIPA’s core areas of expertise is related to the programming, implementation and audit of EU policies and EU funds. This blog highlighted interesting examples of best practices of projects co-funded by the EU in the province of Barcelona. Across the province, cities and towns were able to find innovative solutions for commonly experienced challenges in urban areas, such as waste management and the lack of affordable housing. Moreover, interesting initiatives were adopted to promote quality of life, health, and economic opportunities for residents, in cooperation and synergy with European networks of cities. A video prepared by the Office Europe and International Strategy at the Barcelona Provincial Council presents examples of successful projects and important lessons learned. These are excellent cases pointing to the unique possibilities offered by EU funds at the local level, which promote novel approaches to existing problems and the power of learning from each other.
