Constitutional Space for Cities in Europe: The Role of the European Union and the Council of Europe

The article aims to explore how European cities are considered by the Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Union (EU), whether they have a defined place within subnational governments, and what is the trend of current and future developments with respect to these issues. The purpose of the study is to identify elements that reveal, and may enhance, the constitutional value of cities in the European context. Even if the roles and powers of cities are established by domestic law (national constitutions), the article suggests that supranational legal frameworks may play an important role in impacting the role of cities in Europe. On the one hand, through an increasingly vigorous debate over the last decade, the CoE and the EU have created spaces for cities, by giving subnational entities an institutional arena in which their voices can be heard and considered. On the other, the CoE and the EU have also created a supranational legal framework applicable to subnational entities—and more recently to cities—that adds to the national frameworks and gives subnational entities and cities new relevance.