European cities are a key factor in the development process, especially at the local level. In order to respond to this role in the most effective way, one of the main outlets is their participation in the European Union’s competitive programmes. Especially in the case of Greek cities the benefits are multiple and they are not only related to finding financial resources. The purpose of this article is to explore these benefits through the case study of the participation of the city of Korydallos in the Urbact II programme.