Greek and Cypriot Mission Cities join forces to launch the ClimaNet Platform

Greek and Cypriot Mission Cities are joining forces to facilitate nation-wide dialogue, collaboration, and acceleration to a shared climate-neutral vision.

The ClimaNet Platform will aim to enhance national collaboration, share knowledge and best practices, and secure funding to accelerate climate neutrality efforts. This is a significant step for cities on their journeys for a shared climate-neutral future.

The platform was formalised by Mayors Haris Doukas (Athens), Stelios Angeloudis (Thessaloniki), Nikolaos Sakkas (Trikala), Thomas Begas (Ioannina), Ioannis Kokkaliaris (Kozani), Athanasios Vasilopoulos (Kalamata), and Yiannis Armeftis (Limassol) at the ‘Climate Neutrality and Resilient Athens: Green and Blue Interventions in the City in the Age of Climate Crisis’ two-day conference in Athens on 27 February.

As cities are at the forefront of climate change, national-level cooperation is critical to overcome policy and financial barriers, align regulatory frameworks, and scale impact towards climate goals. As Athens Mayor Haris Doukas emphasized, cities cannot achieve climate neutrality alone – coordinated, decisive action is required at all levels.

Climate-Neutral City Advisor Alvaro Soldevila and NetZeroCitiesEU Programme Director Thomas Osdoba participated to the conference reflecting the EU Cities Mission and the Mission Platform’s role in supporting cities in knowledge-sharing, peer learning, and facilitating stronger national-local cooperation to ensure that commitments translate into concrete action.

“ClimaNet is a crucial step for Greek and Cypriot cities to accelerate climate action. The Climate City Contracts of all six Greek cities outline key decarbonisation initiatives that require national support, whether through policy changes or funding. ClimaNet will help cities speak with a unified voice and coordinate efforts with the national government to drive real change. The momentum is here – now is the time to translate commitments into action.” – Alvaro Soldevila, Climate-Neutral City Advisor (Resilient Cities Network).

This collaborative effort shows that collective action is essential for achieving meaningful change with other examples of national platforms having been created to advance climate neutrality ambitions and support strategic innovation  such as the M100 in Romania, citiES2030 in Spain, and the two decades long well-established platform of Viable Cities in Sweden, among  others. These bold actions are an important step towards creating a sustainable future for all, inspiring others to follow suit.