Reaching out to all cities interested in accelerating their climate transition, the ‘Twinning Learning Programme’ demonstrates some of the greatest strengths of the EU Cities Mission. By taking advantage of the deepening network between cities both within the Cities Mission and beyond, innovative climate solutions and approaches can be transferred widely.

From 8 April, applications are invited from cities outside of the EU Cities Mission who are not already Pilot or Twin Cities. Successful candidates will begin their inspiring activities in September, which will include support for onsite visits and expert facilitation.

The programme offers an invaluable opportunity to become a ‘Twin’ of a ‘Pilot City’, where collaboration and knowledge uptake on rapid climate mitigation can be fostered – and connections built to last well beyond the 20-month span of the official agenda.

Cities will be paired with peers according to shared themes of interest – be it waste, energy, construction, or on many other topics – accelerating their learning on decarbonisation and shortening their journeys to climate neutrality.

Through structured learning activities (online and in person), while including flexibility for independent exploration, the cities in the first batch are already increasing their capacity to tackle common problems through their exchanges with peers.

And the distribution of this knowledge is a powerful multiplying force that can propel new and innovative methods and approaches through the network and is therefore a formal part of the programme. Selected cities will write a ‘Twin Cities Action Plan’ to outline their learnings and how they could apply these to their own local context.

This open call for Twin City applications marks the beginning of the process for a second cohort of cities on the programme, following the first 40 Twin Cities who kicked off their learning journey in September 2023. Eligibility criteria for cities include:

  • Being located in EU countries or associated countries of Horizon Europe
  • A commitment to 2050 climate neutrality
  • Not being part of the EU Cities Mission, and not yet being a Twin or Pilot City

The window for applications will be open until 31 May 2024 and all documents and guidance on how to apply will be made available on 8 April on this page.