Last 26 and 27 June, the second annual event for the EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities was held in Brussels. The event invited Mission City mayors, political representatives and practitioners, the European Commission, national authorities, the Mission Platform NetZeroCities, and others to connect and engage on Mission-critical concepts and ideas. The first day of the event was dedicated to the exchange and dialogue among city practitioners, while the second day had two separate tracks: one for political representatives and another one for practitioners.
Launched in September 2021, the Cities Mission is involving local authorities, citizens, businesses, investors as well as regional and national authorities to deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart 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.
As foreseen in its implementation plan, the Cities Mission takes a cross-sectoral and demand-led approach, creating synergies between existing initiatives and basing its activities on the actual needs of cities.
During the conference, the exchange and dialogue among city practitioners addressed thematic and policy knowledge and peer-to-peer exchange among Mission Cities. The event sessions covered the progress of the Cities Mission since its launch, as well as opportunities and challenges for the cities aiming to reach climate neutrality within 2030. The conference provided a valuable opportunity to engage with key stakeholders and representatives at EU, national and local level and to continue to build on cities’ journeys to climate neutrality.
