This annex to the URDICO Final Report examines Prague and its metropolitan area, focusing on the implementation of EU Cohesion Policy and related programmes. The case highlights the complexities of metropolitan governance in a context without a formal metropolitan authority, where coordination must bridge 491 municipalities, two regions, and 57 city boroughs.

The report explores how Prague has leveraged Integrated Territorial Investments (ITIs) since 2014 to promote integrated metropolitan planning and projects, while navigating differing funding rules for the more developed city region and the transitory-status surrounding areas. It also examines the city’s institutional capacity.

While EU funding has facilitated integrated metropolitan projects, the study underscores challenges such as fragmented governance, weak links between strategic planning and EU funds, limited co-financing attractiveness for the city, and a lack of a legal framework for metropolitan cooperation. The case study also considers how Cohesion Policy interacts with broader urban and regional development strategies, highlighting opportunities for networking, knowledge exchange, and capacity-building across municipal and regional stakeholders.

The Prague case illustrates how a major European capital can use Cohesion Policy instruments to support metropolitan-scale planning and coordination, while pointing to the need for stronger alignment between EU funding, local strategies, and institutional structures to maximize sustainable urban development outcomes.