Networks and cities' news

SPARK ULG Continues Building Stronger Links with the Local Business Community in Kavala

The Municipality of Kavala organised the 2nd URBACT Local Group (ULG) meeting of the SPARK network, hosted by the Kavala Trade Association, bringing together representatives of local businesses and municipal staff to continue the collaborative work initiated during the first ULG meeting.

SPARK: Rethinking public procurement as engine for local resilience

AUTHOR: Sabina Reichert, LEAD EXPERT FOR URBACT TN SPARK

On paper, the municipality of Kavala (Greece) looks like many other medium-sized European cities. Back in 2018, it had a relatively solid budget, a tourism-driven economy, and a long list of goods and services to buy every year to keep the city running. Yet officials noticed a worrying pattern: local companies were losing public contracts, larger firms from outside the city were winning more tenders, and no one could clearly say how much of the city’s spending was actually supporting the local economy. 

SPARK Partners Prepare for the ADAPT Phase During Online Network Meeting

On 23 June 2026, the partners of the SPARK Transfer Network met online to review the progress achieved so far and coordinate the next steps of the project as the network moves from the UNDERSTAND phase to the ADAPT phase of the transfer journey.

2nd SPARK Transnational Meeting at Roeselare, Belgium

Last week on the 27th and the 28th of May, the SPARK partners gathered in Roeselare for two productive days of learning, exchange and collaboration focused on the strategic use of public procurement.