EUtuesta

EUtuesta is a European Union initiative and digital infrastructure platform designed to coordinate smart city efforts, promote data interoperability, and support cross-border urban pilot projects. It seeks to align policies, standards, and funding to accelerate sustainable urban development across EU member states and associated partners.

The project originated from a coalition of member states, city networks, and research institutions aiming to reduce fragmentation in urban innovation. It was formally established in the early 2020s and began active implementation through collaborative calls for proposals, pilot deployments, and the creation of shared tools and repositories.

Governance of EUtuesta is organized around a steering board composed of representatives from EU member states, the European Commission, city networks, and research partners. An executive secretariat coordinates day-to-day operations, program management, and stakeholder engagement, while thematic units oversee funding calls, evaluation, and dissemination of results.

Core activities include funding cross-border pilot projects in transport, energy efficiency, digital governance, and climate resilience; developing common data standards and interoperability services; maintaining an open data portal and API library; and delivering training and capacity-building for municipalities and regional authorities.

Impact and reception of EUtuesta center on its ability to reduce fragmentation and accelerate scale-up of innovations. Proponents highlight improved knowledge sharing and access to resources, while critics point to complex application procedures, potential unequal participation, and concerns about data privacy and governance transparency.

As of its latest iterations, EUtuesta remains an active framework for collaborative urban innovation within the EU ecosystem.