The Mission Cities of Spain and Sweden, alongside their national platforms citiES2030 and Viable Cities, have launched a Development Declaration aimed at upscaling the EU Cities Mission. This collaborative effort, endorsed by the Romanian Mission Platform M100, aims to propel the 112 Mission Cities towards climate neutrality by 2030, underscoring a unified commitment to achieve the European Green Deal and the Paris Agreement.
Key Aspects of the Declaration
The Development Declaration underscores the need for further support and resources to ensure the success of Mission Cities in achieving climate neutrality. It advocates for a common strategy on “scaling as the new normal”, encapsulated in three main scaling mechanisms:
- Scaling Out: engaging more cities in the Mission through national platforms.
- Scaling Up: strengthening political commitment, policy support, and coordinated efforts across different government sectors for a smoother transition to climate neutrality.
- Scaling Deep: driving societal change through inclusive dialogues and fair transition principles for long-term sustainability.
Additionally, the Declaration outlines twelve areas of focus to foster the EU Cities Mission’s ongoing efforts in accelerating sustainable urban transitions. These include topics such as leadership and political commitment, private financing, integration of mitigation and adaptation strategies, regulatory changes, partnerships, and inter-administrative collaboration, amongst others.
