More than 100 hundred cities from across the EU and beyond, including from Ukraine, will take their place with over 600 guests, including 23 mayors and deputy mayors, sustainability experts and business representatives, in Turin today to address their biggest climate challenges, with messages of support from the highest levels of European and national government underlining the political weight behind Europe’s urban climate agenda.
Endorsements have come from European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto and Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva, alongside participation from the Director General of Spain’s Ministry of Science and Innovation, among others – a signal that climate action in cities is squarely a matter of national and European importance for competitiveness, security, and investment.
The cities represented are among Europe’s most ambitious, working towards climate neutrality by 2030 or 2050, and over three days are sharing practical solutions to attract private investment, retrofit housing, make public transport and clean energy the easiest option for citizens, and improve air quality and quality of life for their citizens.
Ahead of the conference plenaries and sessions, guests joined one of 14 expert-led ‘city dives’ on Wednesday at the sites of Turin’s own flagship climate projects, highlighting successes and ongoing work on decarbonising heat systems, nature restoration, and neighbourhood regeneration.
© Gytis Vidziunas - Scuare / NetZeroCities
Delegates saw Turin’s climate transition on the ground, where the city’s climate commitments (outlined in its Climate City Contract) are being delivered in real time.
© Gytis Vidziunas - Scuare / NetZeroCities
Fourteen expert-led ‘city dives’ took them to: the Heat Garden, a large-scale heat storage facility; the city’s traffic control room; a regenerated Olympic Village site; the Arbarello HV-MV Primary Substation, which powers more than 60,000 households from underground; to Parco Dora, a post-industrial park of over 450,000 square meters where the Fiat and Michelin production plants stood until the 1990s; and a dozen more working sites. Together they show how technology, planning, and partnership are decarbonising a major European city in practice, not on paper.
The second day of the conference begins today (Thursday) at OGR Torino with more than 33 hours of parallel sessions planned to cover thematic ‘tracks’ like innovative finance and strategic engagement, including:
- Financing the Climate Transition: An Innovative Approach by Local Authorities to Unlock Private Investment
- Place Matters: Steering cities into the European Competitiveness Fund
- Decarbonisation: Linking Urban Innovation to Europe’s Industrial Future
- Scaling Green Procurement Together for Climate Neutrality & Market Transformation
The Mayor of Torino, Stefano Lo Russo, said: “The Cities Mission Conference is an opportunity to demonstrate how the climate transition is not an abstract goal, but a set of concrete actions that are already transforming Torino. Hosting the European cities also means sharing experiences, tools, and solutions that can help accelerate this common path toward climate neutrality.”
Thomas Osdoba, Director of NetZeroCities, said: “Cities know their finances and security go hand-in-hand with their climate goals, which is why they are so ambitious and ready to act boldly on energy transitions, improve our transport, and grasp opportunities to collaborate for a better future for their citizens. This is a critical time for cities as the services their citizens and national governments expect become harder to deliver under growing financial pressures and security concerns.
“That is why our Cities Mission conference in Turin features a broad range of experts and stakeholders, including from political institutions, banking, business, and academia. It’s critical to work together because we need all of that knowledge.”
© Gytis Vidziunas - Scuare / NetZeroCities
Lesya Tymoshenko, coordinator of SUN4Ukraine, said: “SUN4Ukraine supports Ukrainian cities in climate-neutral planning to pave the way to rebuild Ukraine stronger and greener. By twinning Ukrainian municipalities with EU Mission Cities, SUN4Ukraine shows what true European partnership means. Built on trust and respect, it is a partnership of equals sharing innovation and proving that solidarity can accelerate transformation even in the most challenging times.”
ENDS
Information for editors:
A selection of city dive photos can be found here.
The 2026 Cities Mission conference takes place on 27–29 May 2026 and is organised by the European Commission, NetZeroCities, and Città di Torino, in partnership with OGR Torino, Cottino Social Impact Campus, and Politecnico di Torino.
NetZeroCities is a project consortium consisting of 34 partners from 27 European countries, managing the EU Cities Mission platform. The project supports the 112 European cities known as Mission Cities in drastically reducing their greenhouse gas emissions to achieve climate neutrality. The EU Cities Mission supports the European Green Deal in building a low-carbon, climate-resilient future through research and innovation.
The Sustainable Urban Net Zero Network for Ukraine (SUN4Ukraine) is a four-year initiative aimed at guiding Ukrainian cities towards climate neutrality.
Ukrainian cities are paired with those participating in the EU 100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, fostering learning and knowledge exchange to accelerate their climate transition. Through a tailored capacity-building programme and comprehensive technical support, the project empowers Ukrainian cities to integrate Climate Neutrality Plans into their recovery strategies, paving the way for sustainable and resilient urban development.
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