To define the architecture and specifications of this reference framework, the French presidency has relied on the support of a pilot group made up of representatives from the Member States, the European Commission, local authority networks and experts on the city.

The French presidency proposes that the production of this reference framework involves two groups:

• A high level group, led by France, made up of representatives of Member States, European institutions, representatives from local authority networks and professional associations and of the civil society. The Urban Development Group (UDG) would undertake the role of monitoring committee for this group, which would report to the directors general and ministers of urban development.
• A cities work group set up as part of the URBACT II programme and led by one of the cities (LC-FACIL).

The two groups would work in close coordination, the role of the high level group would be to build the reference framework, based mainly on the experiments, reactions and proposals of the “cities” group. This would include an analysis of how the urban dimension of the operational programmes and national urban policies has been implemented. The role of the “cities” group would be to examine and test existing reference frameworks and proposals by the high level group on specific examples of “test cities”, and to provide a corpus of “good practice”.

Other working groups at the scales of each MS/I members country are involved in the process of the reference framework. They are National Support Groups (NSG), setting up in the Member States by the MS/I representative. The National Support Groups involve various organisations and institutions such as central government ministries, national agencies, other national/regional interest groups, experts, and importantly the end customer – cities. Their structure depends on the national context and stakeholders involved in urban policies but every levels of the governance should be represented on each support groups for the Reference framework to be properly used.

The National Support Groups could more particularly contribute to the Reference Framework (RF) project by:

• Enriching
  –** Giving inputs to the MS/I work group and reacting to their proposals
  –** Mobilising the diversity of their knowledge, skills and experience
  –** Providing pieces of information, giving and proposing (new) ideas for an appropriate elaboration and implementation of the Reference Framework
  –* Adapting
  –** Integrating the RF process in the national public action
  –** Assessing the usefulness and the adaptability of the RF to national urban policies
  –** Making concrete proposals corresponding to the national context
  –** Helping to implement the RF at a local level
  –* Promoting
  –** Mobilising country stakeholders
  –** Communicating and driving adoption with the local & regional authorities, professional networks, private sector, civil society…
  –** Mobilising opinions and associations that play a growing role in urban development
  –** Proposing and launching new urban approaches in their country

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