A permanent network among all cities contracting the National Operational Program “Metropolitan Cities 2014-2020” (PON Metro) is currently under development. The National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI) has already activated this network, and the Development Department (DPS) and the Agency for Cohesion are also collaborating to its formation.

The focus is on urban policy driven by the EU funds, with a particular attention to: 1. key characteristic of the projects to be developed in the context of the PON Metro, , in order to understand on which issues and objectives cities are working, as well as if connections with previous policies have been established; 2. the link between the PON Metro and the definition of Urban Agendas at the local level; 3. the connections between the PON Metro and the cities’ related axis in the Regional Operational Programs (PORs), in other words, the connections between the municipalities and the Regions; 4. the connections between the PON Metro and the metropolitan cities.

Initiatives will be promoted to sustain local governments engaged in the definition and implementation of projects in the context of the PON Metro.
The group is also mapping the initiatives addressed to the cities in the Regional Operational Programs, focusing as well on the relationships between regional policies and urban agendas.

A forum will be promoted at Politecnico di Milano to discuss the role of the urban issues in the EU Programs (POR e PON Metro)..