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For more than 75% of EU citizens their city is their home – it is where they mostly live, work, and play. Cities are the major source of European economic activity and of innovation. But the global economy is developing and changing fast and European cities need to rise to new challenges and develop and improve. Our cities are also a major source of greenhouse gases and local pollution and we need concerted action to put this right. We can and we should make cities better places to live and to work in. Our cities can become cleaner and healthier and use less energy. They can be Smart Cities.<br />
The European Commission is expected to invest around €200m to create Smart Cities in the next two years.

The aim is to outline the long-term vision for a modern and open public sector and the way public services may be delivered in an open government setting.<br />
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From left:<br />
Nikolaos Kontinakis, EUROCITIES project coordinator.&nbsp;Cllr Paul Watson, Leader of Sunderland, UK (5th). Stanislaw Szwabski, chairman of Gdynia City Council, PL&nbsp;(6th). Nils Usakovs, Mayor of Riga, LV (7th).<br />
On the Commission side, the event was attended by Mercè Griera-i-Fisa (DG CONNECT), 4th from right.</p>
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40 European cities are now committed to use ICT in the fight against climate change.</p>

A new initiative 'Northern eDimension' was launched by the Council of the Baltic sea and the European Commission at a meeting of the European Union foreign ministers and high level representatives from seven partner countries on 9 April, with the aim to exploit the IT potential of the region.