The European parliament has been a preliminary force in the development of a european urban policy

It was on the demand of the Parliament that the Community initiative concerning urban areas was taken in 1993, and the Parliament had to put pressure on the Commission and the Member States again, to include the urban initiative in the Agenda 2000. In addition to this, during the current structural fund period, urban policy forms one part of the of the objective 2 programme.

In 1997 the Commission gave a communication on urban policy, and the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the issue. As it happens, the rapporteur of the Parliament, Mrs Napoletano, comes from this city.

The priority demand of the Parliament was that there was an urgent need for a european urban strategy. In this strategy, environmental issues would play a central part. The parliament also stressed the importance of the implementation of sustainable development and put forward a demand for measurable indicators for the urban environment. In the Common Position on the 6th Environment Action Programme the Council now proposes the consideration of these indicators.

The Parliament also underlined the importance of support to local activities in the spirit of Agenda 21. In addition to this, the Parliament pointed out that exchange of experience and knowledge had to be supported and promoted, as well as activities of urban networks and expert groups.

Of the social aspects the Parliament highlighted for example the role of cities and towns in the fight against unemployment and social exclusion.

Urban policy also plays an important role in the competitiveness of the European Union. There is knowledge, culture and skills in the cities, that have to be fully and effectively used through local co-operation as well as the co-operation of urban networks.

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The european urban policy faces many challenges.

One big challenge are globalisation and strained competition. These are followed by structural change and the disappearence of traditional industry and services. On the other hand, globalisation can also bring in new opportunities, such as growth in areas like communication, transport, international commerce, environmental technology, cultural industries, tourism and so on. This provides an opportunity to create jobs and improve the quality of living in urban areas.Another challenge urban areas face is their uncontrolled growth. This can cause many problems, such as the division between "good" and "bad" areas in cities. The bad areas face the threat of social exclusion, unemployment, lack of services and poor public transport. A controlled growth and co-operation on the other hand add to the competitiveness of the european urban areas.

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As 80% of europeans live in urban areas, there is a strong need for a common European Union strategy on urban areas. This is a part of the integration of environmental issues into all policy areas.The Council Common Position on the 6th Environment Action Programme puts forward a thematic strategy on urban environment. In the Council's view this strategy should include the promotion of local Agenda 21, the need to tackle rising volumes of traffic, and to promote public transport and low emission vehicles, and, as mentioned before, the consideration of urban environment indicators.

Planning is the key to most of the problems of the urban environment, planning of transport, living areas, jobs, services - all these are closely linked together. We need to develope sustainable fuels and means of transport, and reduce the volumes of traffic in general. Building light traffic ways, pedestrian streets or car free areas can be of help here, and would in addition, add to the amenities of the city.

Transport is an issue of major importance with regards to climate change, which is the first priority area of the 6th Environmental Action Programme. The Council Common Position identifies the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol as a major aim in this sector. In the Kyoto Protocol, the target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8% by the year 2008-2012 and by 70% in the long term. The European Parliament agreed in the first reading to add mid-term targets as well, 30 to 40% by 2020 and 50% by 2040.

Achieving the targets will require actions in the transport sector, as well as in the energy and industrial production sectors.

To achieve these targets, the Environment Action Programme sees the need for the promotion of public transport as well as the use of more efficient and cleaner forms of transport, the promotion of the development and use of alternative fuels, and, in general, decoupling economic growth and the demand for transport .

- - - - -In addition to transport, noise, air and water pollution and the growing amount of waste are causing problems for citizens. These problems have to be tackled as well.Recently, a directive on noise has been adopted in the European Union, with the aim of reducing the exposition to noise. The Parliament also pointed out the need for the establishment of EU noise standards for emission sources.To tackle air pollution, the European Parliament and the Council recently adopted several directives: on large combustion plants, national emission ceilings and ozone in ambient air. The common overall goal of these directives is that, by 2020, the amount of atmospheric pollutants no longer causes problems for people's health.The starting point of the EU's water framework directive is that the quality of the water systems no longer deteriorates but, on the contrary, water systems are restored. In response to the Parliaments demands, the Council had to agree on the year 2020, after which dangerous substances should no longer be let out in the water.The Parliament has recently adopted a report on the future chemicals policy of the European Union. In the report the Parliament highlighted the importance of substituting dangerous substances and procedures with safer ones, as well as phasing out of the use of dagerous chemicals.

The problem of noise, as well as air and water pollution, are a part of the priority area of environment and health in the 6th Environment Action Programme. Another priority area is the sustainable use of resources and the treatment of waste. The programme proposes a thematic strategy on waste recycling promoting for example the development and transfer of environmentally sound waste recycling and treatment technology.Currently, the Parliament is discussing a follow-up report on the waste water directive. This report points out that a number of cities in Europe don't have the adequate waste water management systems they should have. According to the waste water directive, urban areas of more than 10 000 inhabitants should have been equipped with an efficient collection and treatment system by the end of 1998, but for example Brussels did not meet the deadline, and the first treatment plant to be constructed has been treating one third of waste water at secondary level since the autumn 2000, in other words below the level required by the directive. The second plant is expected to be operational by 2004-2005. This indicates that there is also a need for effective follow-up of the implementation of legislation.

The fourth priority area in the programme is the protection of biodiversity. We don't always realise it, but there is a flora and a fauna that is typical to the urban environment. Large park areas are important recreational areas and add to the amenity of the city. I would also like to mention the importance of preserving the valuable coastal areas and their protection from extensive building.All the priority areas of the 6th Environment Action Programme are important from the point of view of urban areas. Legislation should be developed in all the areas to ensure the well-being of all cities and citizens. For this an urban point of view is necessary: what are the specific urban policy questions that need to be answered? We need a horizontal approach, and that is what we are expecting from the Commission proposal for the thematic strategy on urban policy.

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We often compare urban and rural areas with eachother. Many think that nature, purity and leisure are a part of a rural life, whereas the urban life consists of hurry, dirt and concrete.

I want to preserve the rural idea, but also to show that cities can be developed in a way which takes into account the environmental values.

All the action that is taken should have the needs of people, especially children and the elderly, their needs and possibilities, as a basis. And we have to ensure that citizens are a part of the decision making process - this can guarantee that the urban environment can be of service to all citizens.