Key findings of EU policy context analysis

2023, November 6. Why is it important to map the policy and data context in the USAGE pilot cities?

Cities and local communities play a pivotal role in realizing the European Green Deal’s ambitions. USAGE pilot cities of Ferrara, Graz, Leuven and Zaragoza are engaged in establishing their urban data spaces to support the data-driven solutions to combat climate change and promote sustainability. A first step to support this process is to understand existing policy and data context within cities. To this end, we took a holistic approach to identify the links between climate challenges, policy processes and the need for evidence (e.g. environmental data and indicators) according to different stakeholders’ perspectives.

Based on interviews with European experts and further desk analysis, we explored the EU policy landscape concerning the development of urban green deal data spaces (UGDDS). One of the goals of this report (D2.1) was to highlight the opportunities offered by EU green deal and data utilization initiatives, and how USAGE pilot cities can harness the advantages of both in tackling climate challenges.  

Findings

As many experts recognize, data spaces in general, and those related to urban climate challenges, are still in their early stages. However, multiple European initiatives provide guidance and resources for cities embarking on this journey (e.g. Covenant of Mayors, EU Missions, Living-in.EU among others).

Our assessment shows that Ferrara, Graz, Leuven, and Zaragoza actively participate in various EU policy actions and networks relevant for establishing their UGDDS. In several cases, this active engagement results in commitments, such as adopting technical standards, pursuing specific policy goals, and developing actions following specific guidelines (for instance by devising an action plan when signing the Covenant of Mayors). Simultaneously, these EU initiatives offer valuable resources including collaboration with other European cities, knowledge exchange with key stakeholders, and access to funding. 

Recommendations

To develop their urban green deal data space, USAGE pilot cities should consider EU policies and other existing initiatives as stepping-stones, and take actions to:

• stay aligned with common requirements and standards for a Common European Data Space, including regulatory changes and interoperability;

• understand the policy implications of its use cases, linking with both European and local level plans;

• share knowledge and contribute insights based on pilot cities’ needs through Community of Practices established by other data spaces (e.g. GREAT, DS4SSC) and EU Missions.

Read this item to get the overview of findings across the four pilot cities of USAGE in which we explore climate challenges, stakeholders’ needs, coordination mechanisms, and data value.