The European Mission on 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030: pathways to climate neutrality and international outreach

Cities play a pivotal role in achieving climate neutrality by 2050, the goal of the European Green Deal. They take up only 4% of the EU’s land area, but they are home to 75% of EU citizens. Furthermore, cities consume over 65% of the world’s energy and account for more than 70% of global CO₂ emissions. 

To support cities as climate action frontrunners, the EU has launched a Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities with a double objective: (1) deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030 and (2) ensure that these cities act as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050. 

The first half of the event will present the latest developments under the EU Cities Mission. This includes the announcement of the mission cities, the kickoff of the Climate City Contract process by the NetZeroCities Mission Platform, and the call for CRAFT Cities that can spur New European Bauhaus transformations.  

To advance international city-to-city cooperation, the European Commission will launch at the end of the year a Global Knowledge Exchange Centre on pathways to urban climate neutrality. The centre will connect cities worldwide and provide guidance in three areas: solutions, networking and funding.

In addition, the Commission has partnered with the Global Covenant of Mayors and JPI Urban Europe to launch at COP26 the global Urban Transitions Mission under Mission Innovation. The global mission will work with a cohort of 50 pilot cities worldwide that put clean and renewable energies at the heart of their urban transitions.

The second half of the event will present the latest developments in the setup of the international outreach dimension of the EU Cities Mission. This includes the two-way process of sharing the lessons learned in the EU context and finding inspiration in international examples.