One began their Mission City journey from ‘less than zero,’ while another is a former European Green Capital – but all share a similar need to meet their climate ambitions. They told a meeting of experts from across Europe how they’re changing their cities.  What does it take to become a European Green Capital? Measured on seven indicators, including air quality, biodiversity, and climate change mitigation, any winning city will be pursuing high environmental and sustainability standards.   Yet, even with the knowledge acquired through this work, the challenge of climate neutrality requires another level of ambition [...]

As Europe’s cities accelerate their climate ambitions, the need for structured, practical collaboration is becoming increasingly essential. In response, NetZeroCities launched the first Online Discussion Groups in autumn 2024, a peer-learning initiative open to all cities designed to help them move from climate planning to delivery.  The initiative was specifically designed for cities that are not part of the 112 EU Mission Cities, but that share the same bold climate ambition and mission-driven mindset. These Mission-minded cities joined the Online Discussion groups to accelerate their transitions by learning from those already further along. Over the course [...]

Torino in northern Italy has been announced as host of the next EU Cities Mission conference on 28-29 May 2026. NetZeroCities caught up with its mayor to ask about the city’s own climate ambitions and why it wished to host the Mission’s annual event.  What motivated the city of Torino to host the 2026 EU Cities Mission conference?  Torino is deeply committed to the transition towards climate neutrality and hosting the Cities Mission Conference 2026 represents for us a unique opportunity to strengthen the dialogue between European cities that share the same vision. Being one of [...]

The Lithuanian capital of Vilnius is known for its historic Old Town, but as host of the 2025 EU Cities Mission conference it will become a focal point for the future as hundreds of guests from dozens of cities across Europe meet there to discuss innovation and collaboration on climate action. The city’s mayor, Valdas Benkunskas, answered some questions for NetZeroCities ahead of this flagship event.  Vilnius is welcoming hundreds of visitors for the EU Cities Mission conference – what motivated the city to host the it?  This conference marks a crucial halfway point in the [...]