Urban areas, places of challenges and positive opportunities, are becoming major players on the European scene. Cities are at the forefront to deal with contemporary issues, especially the ecological crisis. This is why the European Union (EU) is developing programs to promote sustainable urban development as part of its Cohesion Policy. It is emerging as a new actor in urban policies, not limiting itself to a role of funder by financing projects but accompanying cities through networks for their cooperation.
But the EU has no formal competence to do this: the principle of subsidiarity applies, urban development remaining a national competence. The EU is thus redefining the notion of "public policy": a multi-level governance based on this principle of subsidiarity is being implemented.
So, the aim is here to understand the extent to which the urban dimension of the EU policy is leading to a redefinition of governance methods within European cities. Does the EU really manage to bypass the national level, influence the governance of its urban territories, and directly address cities and municipalities through the implementation of European programs? To what extent does the EU influence the development of a multi-level governance in the European cities?
A comparison of Paris, Berlin and Warsaw, capital cities where all the levels of governance overlap, will lead to analyze the impact of these European policies on territories with peculiar needs and different political systems, and to obtain an overview of the European involvement in urban development.
The EU and its institutions seem to influence the governance of cities by overcoming the paradox of the principle of subsidiarity and its lack of competence in this field. European policies meet needs arising from contemporary issues impacting cities: a phenomenon of transition towards a multi-level governance model is thus accelerating. This is leading to a reconfiguration of the methods of governance of European cities.
Mots clés : Urban policies|Multi-level governance |European Union |Subsidiarity principle |Cohesion Policy
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