Living in EU feed

The European data space for smart communities call for pilots is open!

Gabriela Ruseva — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 07:23:50 +0000

The European data space for smart communities call for pilots is open!

Submit your proposal until the 31 August

Gabriela Ruseva 10 July 2024

The European Data Space for Smart Communities launched its first call for pilots in June 2024. The Data Space is an EU-wide action creating a cross-sectorial data space for governments on all levels and their providers to deliver the best possible services to their citizens by enabling interoperability of data. The ultimate goal is to make the best use of data to reach critical goals, including the Green Deal.

Aim of the Call for Pilots

The Call for Pilots aims to advance the development and implementation of data spaces. There will be three rounds of the call in 1) June-August 2024 2) September – November 2024 and 3) December 2024 - February 2025. The projects should build on and evolve the governance and technical blueprint of the data space for smart communities. The blueprint was established by the DS4SSCC preparatory action, which comes out of joint efforts of the Living-in.EU movement.

Scope and Pre-conditions

The pilot consortia must create new data services from the data sharing across at least two heterogeneous areas specified below, but can also include other European Green Deal domains:

Predictive traffic management / sustainable mobility planning.
Data-services related to weather, climate and extreme weather events.
Management of energy flows in a city/community specific context.
Zero pollution actions (e.g. air, water, soil, pollution or waste).
Any other domain falling under the New European Bauhaus initiative (urban design, building management, public services, nature-based solutions, amongst others).

Successful applications must meet specific pre-conditions, indicated below:

At least two local or regional public administrations from different EU member states and/or Digital Europe Programme Associated countries. All entities are subject to restrictions due to security reasons. An entity can only be awarded once as Lead Partner.
Applicants need to bear at least 50% of the project costs as direct co-financing. The maximum co-funding from the programme is 1 500 000 euros per pilot (max co-funding per entity 1 000 000 euros).
Proposals should include cross-sectorial (and -border, if feasible) data sharing, and applicants should be sufficiently digitalised - a data platform, digital twin or emerging data space should already be in place in the city/community. The technical solutions should comply with MIM1, MIM2 and MIM6 and be aligned with the Data Spaces Building Blocks & recommended standards and implementations.
The business case should be sufficiently elaborated, with a clear value proposition.
Proposals should be aligned with ethical principles, demonstrated in the Ethical and Data Protection Self-Assessment and legally compliant.

This approach ensures shared investment and commitment from both the EU and the applicants, reflecting partnership and joint responsibility. Co-financing must be monetary and specified in the pilot budget. All activities must comply with regulations, including state-aid rules and avoiding double funding.

Submissions and Timeline

The open Calls for Pilots are organised in three rounds. The deadline to submit a proposal for the first round is 31 August 2024 at 23:59h CEST.

More information and how to apply can be found on the dedicated Open call for Pilots page and in the Call for Pilots Manual. Watch the recording of the Info Session on the Call for Pilots here.

Call for expression of interest to become an expert evaluator

If you are not planning to apply, but you have relevant expertise and knowledge, consider applying as an expert evaluator to ensure that the call funds quality proposals with real impact. More information on the conditions to become expert evaluator.

Living-in.EU Digital Assembly 2024: registration open!

Michelle Gonzalez Torres — Sun, 30 Jun 2024 08:02:40 +0000

Living-in.EU Digital Assembly 2024: registration open! Michelle Gonza… 30 June 2024

During the European Week of Regions and Cities 2024, the Living-in.EU movement will organise its second EU Digital Assembly in Brussels. The event will be on Wednesday 9 October 2024, from 14:30 to 16:00, in the Committee of the Regions (Jacques Delors building).

You can register to the event on the European Week of Regions and Cities website through this link.

Webstreaming should be available for this session and will be communicated at a later stage.

What is the Living-in.EU Digital Assembly?

The Living-in.EU Digital Assembly is the political advisory body of the Living-in.EU movement. It is co-chaired by Mayor Lluïsa Moret Sabidó, from the City of Sant Boi de Llobregat, and CoR Member Mirja Vehkaperä, Chair of the City Board of Oulu. It meets once per year, and the annual event is the opportunity for all EU mayors, regional presidents, and other stakeholders to debate the political priorities of the movement and to provide strategic orientation in support of the twin green and digital transformation of EU cities and communities.

An official signatory ceremony organised

The event is dedicated to Living-in.EU current and potential signatories. If your city/region/member state is interested in signing the "Join, Boost, Sustain" Declaration, please contact Gabriela Ruseva, project coordinator of Go Li.EU project at gabriela.ruseva@eurocities.eu and Rodolphe Doité, Policy and project Manager at ERRIN at rodolphe.doite@errin.eu.

You can find more information on the event concept note here.

Draft Agenda

14:30 – 14:40 Welcome - Chair of the Board Mirja Vehkaperä, City of Oulu, Member of the CoR and Mayor Lluïsa Moret i Sabido, Sant Boi de Llobregat

14:40 – 14:50 Keynote speech Committee of the Regions representative

14:50 – 15:25 Panel discussion – Digital innovation ecosystem with a people-centred approach, moderated by Andre Sobczak, Secretary General of Eurocities

15:25 – 15:50 Exchange with the room and ‘Join, Boost, Sustain’ Declatation’s signing ceremony

15:50 – 16:00 Conclusion European Commission

Info day: Towards networked Local Digital Twins in the EU

Gabriela Ruseva — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 19:41:06 +0000

Info day: Towards networked Local Digital Twins in the EU Gabriela Ruseva 28 June 2024

On 16 September 2024, the European Commission is organising an Info day to present the Digital Europe call for proposals on Networked local digital twins in the EU (DIGITAL-2024-CLOUD-DATA-AI-07-DIGITALTWIN). This online event will be the occasion for the Commission to present the next funding opportunity for Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities.

As part of the new European AI-Office, CNECT.A5 Artificial Intelligence for Societal Good will host the event. There will be the opportunity to network and present your ideas and proposals!

The call is launched on 4 July and will be open until 21 November.

Further information on the call.

Indicative Agenda

10:00 - Welcome and introduction
10:05 - Topic presentation
10:20 - Q&As from the audience
10:30 - Online networking – presentation of participants’ ideas for proposals
11:30 - Conclusions

Please register if you want to attend this event (you will need an EU login to register).

In the process of registration, you need to indicate if you would like to present your idea/statement/intention for a proposal during the networking session. In case you do, please prepare one slide with your idea and consortium.

We will try to accommodate every speaker while keeping time for networking. The Commission may select speakers according to the time available.

AI Act: What Legal Implications for Cities, Regions, and Communities Across the EU?

Viviana Demonte — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 15:01:01 +0000

AI Act: What Legal Implications for Cities, Regions, and Communities Across the EU?

Artificial Intelligence Act

Viviana Demonte 19 June 2024

The Artificial Intelligence Act, a flagship legislative proposal by European legislators, will officially enter into force in August 2024. This Act is pivotal for the European digital strategy, not only because it introduces regulations and obligations for high-risk and general-purpose AI systems (GPAI) for the first time, but also because it underscores the importance of AI systems for European digital innovation.

Public authorities will be among the stakeholders most impacted by this legislation. Cities and regions across the EU are crucial drivers of innovation and will play fundamental roles in this digital transformation. By adhering to the AI Act's stringent guidelines, these entities will help shape a trustworthy and human-centered AI landscape across Europe.

Accordingly, the legal Working Group of Living-in.EU organized an online webinar to discuss the legal implications of the AI Act for cities, regions, and communities across the EU.

Obligations for Deployers and Providers

The webinar offered the opportunity to dive deep into the obligations that will arise for both providers and deployers of AI systems.

Public authorities, which in most cases will fall under the category of deployers, will have to implement various measures, such as the registration of the high-risk system in the relevant EU database, conducting fundamental rights impact assessments prior to the deployment of the AI system, ensuring that the input data is sufficiently representative, and introducing mechanisms to receive requests for explanations on individual decision-making and enable appropriate human oversight.

On the other hand, providers of AI systems will also have to comply with several obligations, such as establishing quality management systems, generating and keeping technical documentation, ensuring conformity assessments, and providing instructions for use.

In some cases, deployers of AI systems could become providers if they make substantial modifications to AI systems or modify the intended purpose of the AI system.

A New European Office & the Role of National Authorities

The governance structure introduced by the AI Act foresees some novelties. National competent authorities will supervise conformity assessments, together with an Advisory Board composed of industries, start-ups, SMEs, and civil society, and a Scientific Panel that will support the implementation and enforcement of GPAI models.

A novelty in the governance structure is the AI Office. Opening its doors in August 2024, the AI Office will regulate GPAI at the European level. It will be responsible for regulation and safety, but also for promotion, innovation, and research.

Regulatory Sandboxes

The AI Act will require Member States (MS) to establish at least one AI regulatory sandbox. These tools aim to support companies and public authorities in developing AI with easy access to authorities in case of questions related to what is allowed or not. The legislation allows MS to jointly develop regulatory sandboxes.

The AI Pact

The AI Pact aims to support providers of AI systems in complying with the regulations arising from the AI Act ahead of the legal deadline. Participants will be provided with a better understanding of the AI Act, responsibilities, and obligations. Moreover, the AI Pact also aims to provide a framework to foster the early implementation of some measures of the AI Act. Organizations interested in becoming part of the AI Pact can still express interest here.

The Example from the Flemish Government

Digital Flanders is committed to embracing the power of AI in a trustworthy manner. In addition to a long-term vision and AI strategy, Digital Flanders is committed to preparing their employees and organization for the changes brought by AI.

A significant example in this regard is given by the Guidelines for Generative AI, which aim to guide public officials in ensuring that GPAI are transparent, accurate, and informative. Currently, these guidelines have been tested on two instruments: Microsoft 365 Copilot and an internal chatbot.

Interested in Knowing More?

The presentations, recording, and useful links are available on the Legal WG dedicated space here.

If you have further questions, or other topics concerning the AI Act that you would like to explore,please share them with viviana.demonte@eurocities.eu and gabriela.ruseva@eurocities.eu. You can also submit your questions to the Slido here by 25 June 2024.

*imagecredits: image retrieved from PPT Presentation of Hans Arents, Digital Flanders*

The Association of Finnish Municipalities Joins Living-in.EU Movement!

Michelle Gonzalez Torres — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 09:12:47 +0000

The Association of Finnish Municipalities Joins Living-in.EU Movement! Michelle Gonza… 12 June 2024

We are delighted to announce that the Association of Finnish Municipalities has officially signed the Join Boost Sustain Declaration, becoming a proud member of the Living-in.EU Movement. This marks a significant step towards enhancing digital transformation efforts across Europe.

Minna Karhunen, CEO of Kuntaliitto, highlighted the importance of this collaboration:

"Digital transformation leverages renewable technology to change operations. Our role is to support municipalities and cities in their digitalization efforts, ensuring they are beneficial for customers and sustainable economically, environmentally, and ethically. Sharing knowledge and experiences internationally accelerates this change by learning from our EU colleagues.

This partnership underscores the importance of international collaboration in achieving sustainable digital transformation. With shared knowledge and experience, we can collectively work towards a future where technology enhances the quality of life for all citizens across Europe. Welcome, Association of Finnish Municipalities, to the Living-in.EU Movement!

The First Edition of the Living-in.EU newsletter is out!

Michelle Gonzalez Torres — Tue, 28 May 2024 16:38:57 +0000

The First Edition of the Living-in.EU newsletter is out! Michelle Gonza… 28 May 2024

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the inaugural edition of the Living-in.EU newsletter! This exciting new publication is designed to keep you updated on all the latest developments, initiatives, and opportunities within the Living-in.EU community.

Read the newsletter and subscribe for future updates.

Stay connected, stay informed, and be part of the change with Living-in.EU Movement!

Unlocking the digital potential of EU smart communities

Lucia Garrido — Thu, 23 May 2024 09:11:45 +0000

Unlocking the digital potential of EU smart communities

Join the Online Procurement Helpdesk

Lucia Garrido 23 May 2024

The European Commission is calling on cities and communities across the EU to express their interest in the Online Procurement Helpdesk for Smart Communities. This forward-thinking initiative is designed to support cities in advancing their digital maturity, particularly those in the early stages of digital transformation. By participating, communities will gain access to a comprehensive suite of benefits aimed at catalysing digital development and enhancing technological readiness.

Why join?

The Online Procurement Helpdesk offers tailored support and consultancy services to guide cities through the development and realisation of their digital strategies. Participants will receive online advisory services to help assess their technological readiness for implementing MIM-compliant local data platforms.

Kavala is one of the first cities that have tested the programme. "Kavala’s participation equipped the city with a comprehensive assessment of its current IT infrastructure's maturity, a tailored digitalisation roadmap, and strategic guidance on its procurement needs," stated Charalampos Papadopoulos, Director of Planning, Development and Digital Services in Kavala, about the programme, highlighting the focus on open standards and interoperability requirements.

Tailored roadmaps and strategies

Moreover, each city will benefit from a customised digitalisation roadmap, which provides detailed guidance on necessary initiatives and procurement requirements to enhance technical capabilities. This initiative also focuses on identifying procurement needs and technical capacities to align with the MIMplus framework, ensuring compliance with the latest EU regulations and facilitating seamless integration for cities and technology companies.

"Our participation allowed us to conduct a profound diagnosis of our current situation. The support and professionalism of the project teams have been impeccable," said Antonio Frances, Mayor of Alcoy, alongside Pedro Ramiro, Smart City Technician, and Joan Gisbert, Innovation Agent. "We have greatly enjoyed the exchange of ideas on topics such as interoperability and system security."

Joining forces and working together

One of the key advantages of joining this initiative is the opportunity to participate in a European peer network that pioneers the advancement of local data platforms and AI-powered digital twins. This network not only enhances visibility but also allows cities to share best practices, successes, and failures, leveraging collective learnings for mutual benefit.

Carmen Lavado, Head of Digital Services and Technologies in Sant Boi de Llobregat, emphasised how the pilot helped assess their digital maturity level, noting, "Participating in this pilot has helped us assess our digital maturity level and understand the necessary steps to bring digital twins to life."

The vendor-neutral and technology-agnostic architectural designs based on open standards provide strategic guidance that ensures interoperability and system security. "Being a pilot within the Local Digital Twin Toolbox has allowed us to benchmark our maturity and align our Digital Twin initiatives across departments," acknowledged Stefan de Smet, CIO in the City of Ghent.

The initiative is part of the broader Digital Europe Programme, which aims to accelerate digital maturity across urban and rural communities in the EU. It specifically targets cities and communities that are at early stages of digitalisation or those in the scaling phases, providing them with access to essential digital tools and expertise available within the EU.

How to participate?

For cities interested in joining, the deadlines for application are as follows. Phase 1, covering April 2024 to August 2024, has a deadline of 17 June 2024, while Phase 2, spanning August 2024 to May 2025, requires applications by 24 March 2025. The estimated duration for procurement services is approximately six weeks, depending on when a city is invited to participate.

Cities with over 20,000 inhabitants are encouraged to take part in this pioneering initiative, which represents a significant step towards ensuring that digital technology is accessible to all EU communities, fostering growth and innovation across the continent.

For more information and to express your interest, please click here.

Net Zero Cities: Needs Assessment Survey for Cities

Mrs Danae Pantelide — Wed, 15 May 2024 07:34:27 +0000

Net Zero Cities: Needs Assessment Survey for Cities

Share your insights and play a crucial role in guiding the development of the Mission Platform initiatives

Mrs Danae Pantelide 15 May 2024

We are glad to announce that the Cities Mission Platform is now extending part of its support to any European city aiming to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest. This is a great opportunity for your city to foster your journey towards climate neutrality!

The Mission Platform, managed by the NetZeroCities consortium, offers customised advice and support to cities, enabling them to achieve their climate objectives. It enhances their capabilities through strategic innovation experiments, leveraging local ecosystems, and fostering connections with various levels of governance.

The support provided is specifically designed for cities throughout Europe dedicated to progressing on their path toward climate neutrality, irrespective of their current level of commitment. Whether your city is actively pursuing ambitious climate goals or is at the initial stages of exploration, the Mission Platform program offers invaluable access to information and support to propel your climate efforts forward.

Help the Mission Platform understand how to best support your journey toward climate neutrality.

As cities embark on the journey towards climate neutrality under varying conditions and at different stages, the Mission Platform experts need to assess your needs in order to tailor their support. To do so, they have developed a needs-assessment survey that is currently open until 17 May. By sharing your insights, you will play a crucial role in guiding the development of the initiative, ensuring the support is tailored to meet the unique needs of each local communities.

Fill in the survey here to shape the Mission Platform offer.

Filling in the survey will take about 25 minutes. This survey isn't just another task on the to-do list – it's a chance for your cities to actively shape the direction of our support activities!

Additionally, please keep in mind that the first opportunity to engage is already available through the Twinning Programme, with his second call for application launched last April and open until 31 May. The Twinning Learning Programme is designed to support replication and learning, by matching Twin Cities to cities participating in the Pilot Cities Programme. Twin Cities will benefit from Pilot Cities experience in testing systemic approaches to decarbonising one or more emissions domains, including the deployment and/or scaling up of Research & Innovation solutions.

If you missed the information, we encourage you to visit the Twinning Learning Programme webpage here.

We encourage you to engage with the Mission Platform to unlock tailored resources and guidance, accelerating your city's path towards sustainability and reaping the benefits of targeted support! If you want to be contacted directly by the Mission Platform for further engagement opportunities, please provide your contact details here.

For any questions, please contact: infocities@netzerocities.eu

OASC Summit 2024: Connecting Local Digital Ecosystems Through Interoperability

Saara Valtasaari — Tue, 14 May 2024 13:26:08 +0000

OASC Summit 2024: Connecting Local Digital Ecosystems Through Interoperability Saara Valtasaari 14 May 2024

Are you ready for 2 super inspiring days on local digital transformation, focusing on interoperability? Then join us at the Open & Agile Smart Cities & Communities (OASC) Summit 2024 on June 3 and 4 in the vibrant city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The meeting venue is Meet Tuesday, 690 Weena, 3012 CN Rotterdam.

What you will get:

Inspiration

The OASC Summit is not just an event, it’s a platform for you to actively participate and share your ideas and questions with peers, experts, project leaders and the OASC team.
Our Summit is all about interaction and engagement, with speed workshops and project pitches.

Digital vibes

OASC is all about digital transformation and interoperability, making data flow seamlessly.
But that’s easier said than done.
It requires knowhow, a mindset, tools, standards, definitions and much more.
To help you find your way in this, we have some fantastic speakers to get you kickstarted:

Ms. Cristina Bueti from the United Nations International Telecommunication Union
Ms. Andrea Halmos from the Interoperability team with the European Commission
Ms. Christina Yan Zhang from The Metaverse Institute
Mr. Julián Rojas, from the Ghent University and Imec

The best view of Rotterdam

To top off the first day, we invite you to a delightful dinner at the iconic Euromast, courtesy of OASC and the City of Rotterdam. This dinner is for you to relax, network and share experiences with some nice food.

Come join us in Rotterdam, you can register here.

We look forward to welcoming you there!

Living-in.EU at the 10th European Summit of Regions and Cities 2024

Michelle Gonzalez Torres — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 15:46:16 +0000

Living-in.EU at the 10th European Summit of Regions and Cities 2024 Michelle Gonza… 11 March 2024

The European Summit of Regions and Cities is back for its 10th edition, coinciding with the European Committee of the Regions' 30th anniversary. From March 18th to 19th, Mons, Belgium, will host this dynamic gathering where local and regional leaders will discuss democracy, sustainable development, EU enlargement, and the aftermath of the Ukraine conflict.

The Living-in.EU movement will be present with its stand, highlighting its dedication to supporting cities and regions in their journey toward digital transformation. Through the provision of diverse digital solutions, tools, and guidance, Living-in.EU enables the reuse and scaling of technologies tailored to the needs of cities and regions. Attending the conference will afford us the opportunity to engage with numerous stakeholders.

With global challenges in focus, the summit aims to unite perspectives worldwide. It's a chance for meaningful collaboration, steering Europe towards a more inclusive and innovative future. Discover more!

Event Details:

Dates: March 18-19, 2024
Location: Mons, Belgium