Small Cities Europe is a new network that brings ambition, visibility, and voice to cities and communities that are too often left on the sidelines of European transformation.
SCE represents:
- Small and medium-sized cities with typically under 100,000 residents.
- Cohesion regions – including post- industrial zones, cross-border areas, and remote towns.
- Suburban, peri-urban, and semi-rural communities – surrounding larger metros
- Municipal alliances, development agencies, regional groupings and community-led initiatives working for local transformation.
SCE Priority Policy Areas:
- Youth, Talent & Demographic Renewal – Combating brain drain and depopulation by investing in local opportunities, youth mobility, civic engagement, and education access.
- Smart, Circular & Social Local Economies – Promoting entrepreneurship, community wealth-building, culture-based innovation, and green jobs tailored to local contexts.
- Territorial Mobility & Digital Inclusion – Ensuring equal access to public transport, digital infrastructure, and services to bridge the urban-rural connectivity gap.
- Resilience & Climate Adaptation for Small Territories – Empowering small cities to access funds and tools for localised responses to climate risks, energy transition, and future crises.
Small Cities Europe is founded on the principle that local realities must inform European decisions. Yet today, small cities and communities are rarely involved in shaping the policies that impact them most — from the Green Deal and Digital Europe to Cohesion Policy, Innovation Agendas, and the EU Budget.
This democratic and territorial gap weakens the EU’s effectiveness, legitimacy, and ability to build truly inclusive societies. By engaging directly with the European Commission, European Parliament, and Committee of the Regions, Small Cities Europe will bridge this gap — ensuring that EU frameworks reflect the needs and strengths of small, diverse, and less-visible territories.
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