Save the date: Torino to host Europe’s most ambitious cities for major climate neutrality conference in 2026

2025-07-08T13:54:08+02:00July 7th, 2025|

The city of Torino in northern Italy has been announced as the next host of the EU Cities Mission conference on 28-29 May 2026.  The programme is expected, however, to begin on 27 May with sessions outside of the main conference venue. More information will follow soon and we recommend that attendees await this before making travel plans.  Torino – one of 112 aiming to reach climate neutrality before 2030 – will welcome hundreds of counterparts across Europe, as well as representatives from European political and financial institutions, business, climate organisations and other experts.  This [...]

Accelerate Your City’s Climate Journey: New Peer Learning Opportunities

2025-07-07T17:34:00+02:00June 27th, 2025|

We’re excited to share three new online and in-person peer-learning opportunities! These opportunities are part of the EU Cities Mission, and are facilitated by the Mission Platform, currently managed by NetZeroCities. Twinning Learning Programme Online Discussion Groups (Cohort 2) Online Course: “Design your City’s Net Zero Strategy: Online Planning Lab” These peer-learning programmes are open to all cities from the EU and Horizon Europe  associated countries aiming for climate neutrality by 2050 or earlier, and that embrace the Cities Mission mindset. They have been designed for cities to share learnings, tackle challenges collaboratively, and benefit from the experience of over [...]

Design Your City’s Climate Strategy: Join Our Free Online Planning Lab!

2025-09-29T14:37:10+02:00June 13th, 2025|

NetZeroCities, managing the Platform of the EU Cities Mission, is announcing a unique opportunity for cities across the EU and affiliated countries. Launching on 16 September 2025, the Online Planning Lab is a free, hands-on online course encapsulated by 6 modules designed to empower city representatives, policymakers, and urban change-makers with the knowledge and tools they need to drive systemic change. What is the Online Planning Lab? This isn't just another online programme. Built on a strong peer-to-peer foundation, the Planning Lab functions as a project-based “Mini-Lab”. If a city has a population above 50,000 inhabitants, this is their chance [...]

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 [...]

European cities celebrate local climate successes in Vilnius – and take home the lessons to reach a climate-neutral future

2025-06-11T14:12:33+02:00May 20th, 2025|

“Our slogan - the greenest city in the making - is not just a promise, but an honest acknowledgement that the journey is ongoing. We are not perfect, but we are determined.” Mayor Valdas Benkunskas may have been speaking for the city of Vilnius when he opened the EU Cities Mission Conference, but the sentiment will be shared far beyond the Lithuanian capital. Hundreds of cities across Europe also know this feeling – of embracing the vulnerability of ambition and accepting there will be wrong turns to any new destination. Dozens of these cities, either reaching [...]

Coming Soon: Get Matched with a Mission City! New Cities Mission Twinning Learning Programme Call Opens in June

2025-06-03T10:33:58+02:00May 7th, 2025|

Correction: The launch of the new Cities Mission Twinning Learning Programme has been moved to later in June, instead of 3 June as initially indicated. Ready to fast-track your climate neutrality journey? A new Cities Mission Twinning Learning Programme call is launching in June 2025, offering cities the chance to team up with leading Mission Cities like Eindhoven, Ioannina, Liberec, Padova, Reykjavik, Sofia, and Umeå. Facilitated by the Mission Platform, currently managed by NetZeroCities, this programme offers hands-on learning to support systemic transformation.  This one-year learning opportunity will support cities in developing practical solutions, deepening knowledge, and accelerating systemic change, all [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Network of ambitious cities on climate neutrality grows to 184 on EU Cities Mission peer-learning programme

2025-03-20T09:16:33+01:00January 22nd, 2025|

From January 2025, 24 more cities will quicken their pace towards climate neutrality as they join a vast peer-learning network of 184 cities across Europe and beyond, delivered through the EU Cities Mission and facilitated by NetZeroCities, the Mission platform. The latest cities (listed below), representing 14 countries across Europe, have been selected as the third cohort to become ‘Twin Cities’ through the Twinning Learning Programme and paired with Pilot Cities to learn from and feed into innovative climate-related pilot activities. Cities with similar challenges and pursuing similar solutions related to their emissions are matched and will share their insights across [...]

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