News & events

The fifth EUI Peer Review Call, launched in October 2025 and closed on 18 November 2025, attracted strong interest from cities and urban practitioners across Europe. This round invited applications both from cities under review and from prospective peer reviewers, with the aim of shaping the Peer Review events scheduled for spring 2026. The assessment is now finished – and the results are exciting!

The city of Celje, tucked in the Savinja Valley in eastern Slovenia, has spent the past few years quietly reinventing itself. Like many small and mid-sized European cities, it faces demographic pressures, talent outmigration, housing challenges and an evolving economic landscape. But Celje is proving that with curiosity, openness and the right kind of support, even a relatively small city can shape its own future - and inspire others along the way.

From small towns to major cities, a growing number of urban areas are taking advantage of the exciting range of opportunities provided under EU Cohesion Policy. We explore how three cities have drawn on multiple strands of the European Urban Initiative (EUI) and related programmes, such as URBACT to support their sustainable urban development objectives, build their capacities and increase their European visibility.