Today, 20 more cities were awarded the EU Mission Label, including three Swedish ones: Gävle, Gothenburg and Umeå.
On October 8, the European Commission announced the cities that will receive the Mission Label for the third time. The award is a confirmation from the EU's Mission for 100 Climate Neutral Cities by 2030 (Cities Mission) that the city's plans for the local transition journey are ambitious and on the right track. And three Swedish cities - Gävle, Gothenburg and Umeå - receive the recognition this time.
"We have long worked systematically with sustainable growth in Umeå, but this award raises our work to a European level and the possibility of more business establishments in the green transition and financing of our necessary investments," says Anders Ågren (M), deputy Chairman in the municipal board in Umeå.
Previously, Stockholm and Malmö were the cities in Sweden to receive the Mission Label. Cities that receive the label can use it as proof of the EU's confidence in their plans to achieve climate neutrality, for example when approaching public and private financiers.
- "The EU Mission Label celebrates the bold steps taken by these 20 cities to achieve climate neutrality," said Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth at the European Commission. Their commitment paves the way for a sustainable and resilient future for all our communities.
The 20 cities awarded in this round are: Trikala (Greece), Eilat (Israel), Bologna, Bergamo, Milan, Prato, Turin (Italy), Liepāja (Latvia), The Hague (Netherlands), Porto (Portugal), Bucharest, 2nd district, Suceava (Romania), Ljubljana, Kranj (Slovenia), Gothenburg, Gävle, Umeå (Sweden), Aachen, Münster (Germany), Miskolc (Hungary).
Mobilizing knowledge exchange
The European Commission is supporting a growing number of cities through NetZeroCities, a platform for the implementation of the European Mission on Climate Neutral Cities. Viable Cities participates in the platform as one of around 30 international partners with expertise on cities' climate transition, such as Climate-KIC, ICLEI and Eurocities.
- "By participating in NetZeroCities, we can contribute with experiences from the work of the 23 Swedish cities in the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative," says Olga Kordas, Program Manager for Viable Cities. At the same time, the Swedish cities gain access to successful solutions and knowledge within a larger European network.
The platform offers cities practical advice and funding programs. Currently, the platform's third call for twin cities is open. Selected cities will have the opportunity to partner with pilot cities from NetZeroCities cohorts two and three, to facilitate sharing and knowledge exchange during the transition to climate neutrality. The call closes on October 31.
Background
In April 2022, 112 European cities were selected for the Cities Mission. These cities are working with Climate City Contracts as a tool to achieve climate neutrality by 2030, including working in new innovative cross-sectoral ways, engaging citizens and involving business, academia, public authorities and civil society in the transition. Cities will also act as pioneers to enable many more people to make the transition faster.
The first and second round of Mission Label cities include: Leuven (Belgium), Limassol (Cyprus), Sønderborg (Denmark), Espoo, Lahti, Lappeenranta, Tampere and Turku (Finland), Lyon and Marseille (France), Ioannina, Kalamata, Kozani and Thessaloniki (Greece), Florence and Parma (Italy), Guimaraes and Lisbon (Portugal), Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Valencia, Valladolid, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Zaragoza (Spain), Malmö and Stockholm (Sweden), Izmir (Turkey), Heidelberg and Mannheim (Germany), Pecs (Hungary) and Klagenfurt (Austria).