Online info session: Peer Reviews and City-to-City Exchanges

The Autumn Peer Review call is now open and will run from 8 October to 18 November 2025. Please find more information about the call here: Call for Peer Reviews Autumn 2025. The call for City-to-City Exchanges remains continuously open. To inform and support all potential beneficiaries, an online multilingual info-session was organised on 25 September. You can find the recording of this session below. 

What was our online info session about?

• Detailed information was provided about the content of the Peer Review Call and the City-to-City Exchange Call, as well as the opportunities they offer.
• Participants learned more about the 10 Peer Reviews that had already been organised, as well as the numerous City-to-City Exchanges, with insights shared directly by some of our beneficiaries who had participated in both.
• There was also an opportunity to discuss and share questions, needs, and challenges regarding the application process for these calls.

Content and topics

• The online info-session brought together representatives from EUI, Peer Review and City-to-City Exchange experts-coordinators, as well as Urban Contact Points (UCPs) from various EU countries.
• Participants heard directly from past beneficiaries involved in previous Peer Reviews and City-to-City Exchanges and had the opportunity to ask them about their experiences and the outcomes created in their cities through these activities.
• National-language breakout rooms were organised, allowing for discussions among participants, past beneficiaries, and/or representatives of UCPs.

What is a Peer Review?

As a reminder, a Peer Review is a capacity building activity offered by EUI to support European cities in improving the design and implementation of their Sustainable Urban Development (SUD) strategies, through a process of benchmarking and peer learning.

Each Peer Review involves one ‘city under review’, working with individuals from several other European cities acting as ‘peer reviewers’ to address challenges in developing, implementing or monitoring an effective SUD strategy.

What is a City-to-City Exchange?

As a reminder, a City-to-City Exchange is a capacity-building activity offered by the EUI to support European cities facing a specific implementation challenge related to Sustainable Urban Development. It enables them to meet with another urban authority from a different EU Member State — the ‘peer’ — who has relevant expertise that could help address the challenge, through a short-term, quickly implemented visit.