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MCE Community – The journey continues

Join our 2026 Autumn Programme!

One year ago we have undertaken a strategic renewal of our identity by rebranding our old name of Major Cities of Europe into  MCE Community – Cities and Regions for Innovation, with the aim of marking a new era for cooperation among cities and regions across Europe.

We are guided by the shared vision that Cities and Regions progress across Europe primarily through cooperation, exchange of ideas, experiences, knowledge and planning and by leveraging common investments. These driving forces allow urban and regional areas to solve complex challenges more effectively than isolated efforts.

In this newsletter

  1. Annual Conference – “Grand Tour – Cities and Regions in Action”4–5/11/2026 – Barcelona
  2. Stand at the Barcelona Smart Cities Expo – 3-5/11/2026
  3. Webinar “Electronic Signatures and Seals” – 24/9/2026, 4.00 pm CEST-
  4. Webinar – “AI Agents: From Models to Applications” – 8/10/2026, 4.00 pm CET
  5. Webinar – “Freeland Erasmus+ Project” – 12/11/ 2026, 4.00 pm CET
  6. Special interest group – ISAC for Cities – I4C+ – against Cybersecurity threats
  7. Special Interest Group – Fund for Transition – for more accessible EU funding
  8. Special interest Group- eIDAS – o support the deployment of the EU digital identity in Local Governments


Autumn 2026 – key initiatives

  1. Annual Conference – “Grand Tour – Cities and Regions in Action” Barcelona – 4–5 November 2026 – . Held alongside the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), the “Grand Tour -Cities and Regions in Action” introduces a new peer-to-peer learning format. Participants will work collaboratively on real-life challenges faced by cities and regions, translating practical insights into concrete actions through guided activities and visits within the SCEWC exhibition – information about the event including the programme and online registration at https://majorcities.eu/mce-grand-tour-cities-and-regions-in-action/
  1. Stand of the MCE Community at the Barcelona Smart City Expo 3-5 November 2026.  
     The MCE Community presence at the SCEWC is further enhanced by its stand that will host as co-exhibitors some of our members and a few startups. We will have the opportunity to present together with the co-exhibitors to the wide public of the EXPO the new MCE Community value proposition, the projects of our members, and the proposals of the startups.
    Some few co-exhibitor positions are still available at the MCE Community stand.
    If you are interested in taking this opportunity please contact us at info@majorcities.eu
    info@majorcities.eu

  2. Webinar “Electronic Signatures and Seals” – EU eIDAS regulation – 24 September 2026, 4.00 pm CET
    The eIDAS Regulation has significant implications for all European municipalities and regions, covering topics such as the European Digital Identity Wallet, electronic identification, electronic signatures and seals, and electronic attestations of attributes.
    All EU Member States are required to make these services available to their citizens by 24 December 2026. This webinar will focus specifically on electronic signatures and electronic seals, explaining their practical implications for local and regional authorities.
    More information and registration at https://majorcities.eu/webinars/electronic-signatures-and-seals/
    https://majorcities.eu/webinars/electronic-signatures-and-seals/

  3. Webinar “AI Agents: From Models to Applications” – 8 October 2026, 4.00 pm CET
    Following the webinar on 1/7/2026 about Modern Ai models – large language models.this new webinar will explore AI Agents and demonstrate how AI models are transformed into practical applications capable of performing increasingly complex tasks. The session will illustrate how artificial intelligence is moving from theory to practice and how intelligent systems can be designed and deployed within different organisational contexts. Registration at https://forms.gle/JHBuFYnNnUai3kzP7
  4. Webinar “Freeland Erasmus+ Project” – 12 November 2026, 4.00 pm CET
    This webinar will present the objectives and latest developments of the Freeland Erasmus+ Project https://majorcities.eu/freeland-project/ . The project identifies the educational and urban regeneration needs of young people, teachers and local communities, while selecting the most appropriate tools to address these priorities across different European municipalities and local contexts – Registration at https://forms.gle/QtEUA1M78BuSxvXr8
  5. EU ISAC for Cities – I4C+ – Cybersecurity- Special Interest Group against Cybersecurity threats
    The I4C+ group continues to actively exchange information and collaborate in managing Cybersecurity increasing threats. CIOs and CISOs of member Cities and Regions, plus relevant supporting organisations, exchange personal sensitive knowledge to improve their individual and collective cyber resilience. Current projects include deploying a shared GRC (Governance Risks and Compliance) system and a MISP platform (Malware Information Sharing Platform) for members, plus discussions on major cyber incidents in EU Public Administrations and how to prevent these re-occurring in own administrations.

Local governments are welcome to join the Group – contact info@majorcities.eu

  1. Fund for TransitionF4T – Special Interest Group for more accessible EU funding
    We are progressing in getting in touch with our members by sharing the goals of the F4T initiative and understanding their interests and priorities in EU funding. We are leveraging existing consortia to attract funding opportunities and bring together members with the expertise needed to build strong proposals.

Local governments are welcome to join the Group – contact info@majorcities.eu

  1. eIDAS – Special interest Group to support the deployment of the EU digital identity in Local Governments
     eIDAS brings significant new challenges for local authorities. Technical standards are being developed in line with the European legal framework—and various solutions will become available —it is essential that we first fully understand these changes. Under the eIDAS Regulation, EU member states are required to provide every citizen with a digital wallet by November 2026. The eIDAS Special Interest Group is establishing regular exchanges and collaboration to ensure eIDAS understanding and deployment.

Local governments are welcome to join the Group – contact info@majorcities.eu

We hope these MCE Community initiatives will interest you and that you will join colleagues from across Europe to learn, exchange ideas and discuss practical challenges.

We welcome suggestions for future topics and ideas for MCE Community activities.

For more information, please contact us at info@majorcities.eu