Commission invites cities to express their interest to become part of European Mission ”100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030”

The objectives of the mission are to achieve 100 climate-neutral and smart European cities by 2030 and to ensure that these cities act as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050.

Joining the mission will put the selected cities right at the innovation forefront of the transition towards climate neutrality, as part of the European Green Deal. As the fight against climate change increasingly turns to deployment of solutions, cities are best placed to be the early adopters of the policies to get to climate neutrality. In the process, it will allow them to deliver multiple benefits to their communities in terms of reduced air and noise pollution, less congestion, lower energy bills and healthier lifestyles.

The launch of the call for expression of interest took place at the Conference on European Missions at the Committee of the Regions and marks the first milestone in the implementation of the mission.

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Background

Based on proposals that the Mission Boards handed over to the Commission in September 2020, five missions were identified in the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan. Horizon Europe provides initial funding to missions of up to €1.9 billion until 2023, including €359.3 million for the Cities Mission. Since the official launch of the Cities Mission on 29 September, preparatory work to start implementation of the mission has advanced fast. The NetZeroCities consortium, tasked with establishing and implementing the work of the Mission Platform, started its work on 1 October.

If you have questions about this topic, your NCP Brussels contact is Sabrina Bijlsma

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