Over 100 European cities celebrate local climate successes together – and take home shared lessons for a climate-neutral future

2025-06-11T14:19:51+02:00June 10th, 2025|

NEW: Watch the video from the EU Cities Mission Conference 2025  More than 100 cities across the EU and beyond, including in the UK, Ukraine, Turkey, and Israel, have supported their journey to climate neutrality and strengthened the tools they will need to get there at a major urban sustainability conference supported by the European Commission.  Cities were represented by political leaders and staff leading their climate activities and made up part of the 825 total guests who met at the annual conference of the EU Cities Mission – the largest one yet – from 6-8 May in the European [...]

Cities Mission Times: Celebrating European Cities’ Climate Ambitions and Successes

2025-05-14T12:30:32+02:00May 14th, 2025|

At the recent Cities Mission Conference 2025, held in Vilnius from 6-8 May, attendees received the "Cities Mission Times," a newspaper dedicated to celebrating city successes and advancing climate action towards 2030. Packed with inspiring stories, interviews, and updates, it celebrates cities' collaboration, ambition, and progress on the road to climate neutrality. Inside, readers will discover local climate initiatives and citizen engagement stories, alongside features on finance, private sector action, smart cities, mobility, buildings and housing, energy, national coordination, and even the role of sport in the transition. Each section showcases how European cities are accelerating the journey to climate [...]

European Commission awards the EU Mission Label to 39 new cities

2025-06-18T16:26:40+02:00May 7th, 2025|

The EU Mission label was awarded to 39 new cities during the Mission Label Ceremony at the Cities Mission Conference 2025 in Vilnius. In total, 92 out of the 112 Mission Cities have now received the label. For more details, please see the European Commission’s press release below. PRESS RELEASE Today, 39 cities participating in the EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities under Horizon Europe have been awarded the EU Mission Label. This recognition highlights their ambitious plans to reach climate neutrality by 2030 and is designed to help them unlock public and private funding to support this goal. Teresa [...]

‘We can’t act alone’ on meaningful climate action

2025-05-02T14:49:04+02:00May 2nd, 2025|

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 [...]

An interview with Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz: The Cities Mission is transforming our cities, it deserves better political & funding support

2025-03-24T17:44:41+01:00March 24th, 2025|

Hanna Gronkiewicz-Walz served a five-year term, between 2019 and 2024, as Chair of the Mission Board for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities. She left the Board in October 2024 after being elected to the European Parliament. A politician, lawyer and professor of jurisprudence, her previous roles include Mayor of Warsaw, Chair of the National Bank of Poland, and Vice-Chair of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.  Mission Board member Jorn Verbeeck interviewed Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz on the achievements and future of the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, an initiative of the European Commission that the Mission Board helped design. She reflects [...]

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

2025-03-10T14:07:07+01:00March 10th, 2025|

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 [...]

NetZeroCities Seasonal School: Fuelling Climate City Contract Implementation

2025-02-06T15:38:06+01:00December 16th, 2024|

17 Mission Cities representatives gathered in Madrid for the fifth edition of the NetZeroCities Seasonal School, hosted by consortium partners Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Politecnico de Milano from 27 to 29 November. This event focused specifically on the implementation phase of Climate City Contracts (CCCs), supporting cities as they move from planning to accelerated action on their climate goals. The Seasonal Schools are a key part of the NetZeroCities Capability Building Programme, offering Mission Cities tailored support throughout the various phases of their CCCs. These outline cities’ climate strategies, including Commitments, Actions, and Investment Plans, [...]

48 European cities to advance climate neutrality ‘transformation’ via €22m programme

2024-12-11T11:53:02+01:00December 11th, 2024|

Europe’s climate neutrality targets have been given a boost with 48 ambitious European cities set to receive a share of 22.6 million euros through the EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities.  The cities will join the ‘Enabling City Transformation Programme’ and support sustainable urban development and Europe’s climate neutrality goals, including the European Green Deal, by creating practical, replicable solutions.  Mission Cities were invited by the EU Cities Mission platform – currently managed by NetZeroCities –to propose innovative actions to overcome systemic challenges, which attracted over 40 applications from across 24 countries in the EU and Horizon-associated countries.  Twenty-six [...]

Calling all cities who want to learn from the 112 Mission Cities and reach climate neutrality!

2024-12-09T10:23:06+01:00November 15th, 2024|

NetZeroCities is offering new peer-learning opportunities with Mission Cities and access to online resources to all cities in Europe and Horizon-associated countries who want faster progress on climate action. And no matter whether you’re already pursuing ambitious climate targets or have just begun to explore the possibilities, let’s connect! Get inspired by Mission Cities!  As part of the EU Cities Mission, the Mission Platform managed by NetZeroCities  is supporting  112 Mission Cities selected by the European Commission as they strive to reach climate neutrality by 2030. Building on this work, we are now offering unique opportunities for peer learning with [...]

Twenty more Mission Labels awarded to cities for ambitious climate plans

2025-06-18T16:28:10+02:00October 22nd, 2024|

Another 20 Mission Cities received their EU Mission Label from Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, at a ceremony in Strasbourg today, in recognition of the cities’ plans to reach climate neutrality by 2030. Following a successful submission of their Climate City Contract (CCC) to the European Commission, the award of a label marks an important moment for Mission Cities as they implement the plans from their CCC and seek investment, particularly from the private sector, to do so. Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “Congratulations to the 20 cities that have committed to becoming climate-neutral. You lead by example in [...]

Go to Top