A new group of 20 cities receives EU Mission Label for their efforts towards climate neutrality

Today, the EU Mission Label was awarded to 20 cities that are part of the EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, one of the EU Missions under Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme.

The Label recognises the cities' plans to achieve climate neutrality by 2030 and aims to facilitate access to public and private funding towards that objective. This brings the total number of cities with the label to 53.

Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said:

“The EU Mission Label celebrates the bold steps these 20 cities are taking towards climate neutrality. Their commitment paves the way for a sustainable and resilient future for all our communities. The Commission will continue supporting them on this journey." 

The 20 cities that received the label today are: Aachen, Münster (Germany), Trikala (Greece), Miskolc (Hungary), Eilat (Israel), Bologna, Bergamo, Milan, Prato, Turin (Italy), Liepāja (Latvia), The Hague (the Netherlands), Porto (Portugal), Bucharest 2nd District, Suceava (Romania), Ljubljana, Kranj (Slovenia), Gothenburg, Gävle, Umeå (Sweden).

The Mission Label will be handed over to these cities by Commissioner Ivanova during a ceremony on 22 October at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Next Steps

The EU continues to support the cities in their work on transforming their ambitious plans into a pipeline of projects. The label gives cities access to the Climate City Capital Hub, an international finance resource set up in June 2024. Its particular focus is on engagement with private capital. Cities also qualify for a lending envelope of €2 billion, put in place by the European Investment Bank. 

Background

Cities account for more than 70% of global CO₂ emissions and consume over 65% of the world's energy. The EU Cities Mission aims to help European cities become climate-neutral by 2030, offering cleaner air, safer transport and less congestion and noise to their citizens. The Mission also contributes more broadly to the EU goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050 and the upcoming Clean Industrial Deal announced by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. 

The following cities have received a label in previous rounds: The first batch in October 2023: Sønderborg (Denmark), Mannheim (Germany), Madrid, Valencia, Valladolid, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Zaragoza (Spain), Klagenfurt (Austria), Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and Stockholm (Sweden) and the second batch in March 2024 with Ioannina, Kalamata, Kozani, Thessaloniki (Greece), Heidelberg (Germany), Leuven (Belgium), Espoo, Lahti, Lappeenranta, Tampere, Turku (Finland), Barcelona, Seville (Spain), Pecs (Hungary), Malmö (Sweden), Guimaraes, Lisbon (Portugal), Florence, Parma (Italy), Marseille, Lyon (France), Limassol (Cyprus) and Izmir (Türkiye).

More information 

EU Mission: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities

Factsheet - Cities on a journey to climate neutrality

Press contact:

EC Spokesperson for Research, Science and Innovation