EU’s Cities Mission 2030 for climate-neutral cities has been launched, where 100 cities have been chosen in a mission to become climate-neutral. The cities will act as experimentation and innovation hubs to put all European cities in a position to become climate-neutral by 2050.
The cities chosen are a mix of frontrunners and less prepared cities from the 27 EU member states, with 12 additional cities coming from countries associated or with the potential of being associated with Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme. From Sweden, seven cities have been chosen to be a part of the mission, including the three biggest cities, out of which one is the capital Stockholm. Three of the chosen cities, Malmö, Helsingborg and Lund, are located in the south of Sweden. Explore best practices from the south of Sweden here.
The cities will draw up Climate City Contracts together with citizens, research organisations and the private sector. The contracts will include an overall plan for climate neutrality across all sectors such as energy, buildings, waste management and transport.
As part of the mission, the chosen cities will receive €360 million of Horizon Europe funding covering the period 2022-23, to start the innovation paths towards climate neutrality by 2030, as well as tailor-made advice and assistance from a dedicated Mission Platform run by NetZeroCities.