European Cities Conferences

The European Cities Conference (ECC) is an international city conference of the City of Vienna that deals with complex urban challenges. Twice a year a two-day conference on current issues of municipal administration and services of general interest takes place. Experts meet in Vienna to discuss with their counterparts from the urban institutions in Central and Southeastern Europe, to take along new impulses and strategic goals for implementation in the respective municipal administrations and cities, in the spirit of a lively dialogue on "Government2Government" projects.

ECC "Digital Humanism and Digital Ethics in Practice: Local Authorities and Public Services"
What are the practical ways in which digital ethics can be implemented in local and regional government and in public services? Which methods, practices and regulatory frameworks are needed to ensure that the digital transformation is people-centred, inclusive and responsible? The European Cities Conference "Digital Humanism and Digital Ethics in Practice: City Administrations and Public Services" brings together international experts from the fields of administration, research, politics and civil society to discuss practical approaches and experiences. Other key themes of the conference include awareness-raising and training initiatives for public authorities, citizens, educational institutions and opinion leaders, as well as the responsible use of artificial intelligence. Legal and regulatory frameworks, quality standards and guidelines for AI applications in the public sector will also be addressed. The conference will also address issues of transparency, open data, accountability and algorithmic fairness – for example, in the context of public participation in data collection and data classification. In addition, the conference will explore participatory approaches such as citizen science and examine how digitalisation is transforming public services. Platforms, data access, cloud infrastructures and AI applications are increasingly becoming the foundations of public services. The conference will highlight the impact on democratic participation, citizens’ access to and control over new digital and cognitive infrastructures, and the growing dependence on large technology companies.

14. - 15.9.2026
ECC "Digitalization – Secure & Sovereign"
European metropolitan areas are confronted with a growing range of challenges as digital transformation accelerates. Issues such as IT security, resilience and digital sovereignty have gained significant importance. Complex threat environments and digital dependencies necessitate coordinated approaches, joint action and close cooperation across multiple levels of governance – from the municipal level to the European Union. In this context, the European Cities Conference “Digitalization – Secure & Sovereign”, held on 20 and 21 November 2025, provided a forum for discussion on key aspects of the digital future of cities. Experts and decision-makers from Vienna and its partner cities exchanged perspectives on strategic approaches, best-practice models and potential avenues for cooperation. Central topics included the protection of critical infrastructure, the management of cyberattacks and the pursuit of greater transparency and digital independence.

20. - 21.11.2025
ECC "Shaping together: Democracy and participation in European cities"
Vienna is the European Capital of Democracy 2024/25 and will serve as the center of a diverse program focused on democracy and participation for one year. The European Cities Conference on January 30 and 31, 2025, provided a space for exchanging experiences, mutual learning and looking beyond one's own horizons. Experts and decision-makers from the City of Vienna and its partner cities discussed best practices, collaborations with different target groups and the right tools for democracy and participation.

30. - 31.1.2025
ECC "Thinking major events in a networked way"
In the course of the dynamic development of urban areas, major European cities are constantly facing new challenges, particularly in the planning and implementation of major events. The complexity of such events requires a networked mindset and close cooperation between event organizers, civil protection organizations and the city administration.

20. - 21.6.2024
ECC "Health Services in transition – Public Health"
The Covid-19 pandemic, which was also classified as a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO for three years, represented a major challenge for the public health authorities of all countries. As part of the European City Conference in November 2023, the City of Vienna Health Service looked back on the pandemic together with experts from other European cities and discussed what we can take away for the future in terms of knowledge from the past years.

27. - 28.11.2023
ECC "The City as an Employer"
During the European City Conference "The City as an Employer" in April 2023, the City of Vienna and its partners from the Network of Cities analysed the opportunities and current challenges faced by city administrations in the field of human resources. Well-functioning city administrations are a major asset for the quality of life in cities. On the first conference day, 26 April 2023, the development of the labour market, demographic change and the resulting impacts on the public sector were discussed in expert presentations, and also the recruitment, promotion and management of employees were discussed in international panels, with best practice examples being presented as well. During the subsequent get-together, participants had the opportunity to participate in an informal exchange. The second conference day, 27 April 2023, was dedicated to the new requirements of the world of work and how we can shape them together. We took a look at modern working models, trainee programmes and talent management, new findings from psychology and behavioural economics, as well as the possibilities of international knowledge exchange.

26. - 27.4.2023
ECC "Interconnected Help"
At the European Cities Conference "Networked help" on October 24th and 25th, 2019, the City of Vienna and its partners from the international communication network exchanged views on the very important cooperation between professional and voluntary organizations and the city administration. Other key topics included measures to raise awareness of the potential dangers of everyday life and the right behaviour in emergency situations, as well as the invaluable importance of volunteers for society. At the end of the conference, a delegation composed of representatives from other partnering cities across Europe visited the "Vienna Safety Festival" in front of Vienna City Hall. The festival represents the largest exhibition on safety and public health in Austria with participation from "Die Helfer Wiens" (The Helpers of Vienna) and all Viennese emergency services. Once again the main focus lied on the mutual exchange of knowledge between key actors at home and abroad.

24. - 25.10.2019
ECC "Digitisation"
What will the European municipalities look like in the year 2030? In the context of the European Cities Conference on June 18th and 19th 2019, the City of Vienna wanted to look into the future with its partners and speak about essential aspects of digitisation.

18. - 19.6.2019
ECC "Sustainable development goals"
The implementation of the sustainable development goals of the United Nations (UN) on a local and a communal level – that was the topic of the European Cities Conference from October 9th to 10th in Vienna. The topics ranged from UN organisations in Vienna to the European Commission to the numerous representatives from the Central and Southeast European dialogue cities. The first conference day was dedicated to building bridges between the participating cities and the United Nations headquarters in Vienna, followed by a visit to the UNO headquarters. Additionally the presented SDG projects of the UN organisations that are resident in Vienna rounded off the understanding for the UNO and the sustainability agenda. How the goals will affect a sustainable development of the cities and which meaning these goals will hold for the future of the cities was discussed on the second conference day. The conference was organised by the City of Vienna and its Eurocomm-PR cities network with support of the United Nations in Vienna.

9. - 10.10.2018
ECC "Data protection"
At the beginning of March 2018, the European Cities Conference series invited experts on the subject of data protection to Vienna. In the Wappensaal (coat of arms hall) of the Viennese town hall a general idea about the topic with discussions about technological solutions to the law enforcement of data protection was offered on the first day. Concrete examples about the business location Vienna, as well as open data initiatives from the Western Balkans were presented. The workshop on the second day triggered a very detailed and constructive discussion about the technological and organisational implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation in the individual cities and regional authorities, and the qualification of the employees was a central topic.

5. - 6.3.2018
ECC "Share Economy"
Currently everyone is talking about "shared economy". How can public administrations and municipalities play a part in this topic, which advantages and challenges need to be considered? The ECC focuses on this topic on March 7th and 8th.

7. - 8.3.2017

European Cities Conferences

ECC "Digital Humanism and Digital Ethics in Practice: Local Authorities and Public Services"

ECC "Digitalization – Secure & Sovereign"

ECC "Shaping together: Democracy and participation in European cities"

ECC "Thinking major events in a networked way"

ECC "Health Services in transition – Public Health"

ECC "The City as an Employer"

ECC "Interconnected Help"

ECC "Digitisation"

ECC "Sustainable development goals"

ECC "Data protection"

ECC "Share Economy"