In the EU's Cities Mission, 112 cities have been selected to be pioneers and become climate neutral by 2030, seven of which are Swedish and are simultaneously mobilizing within Viable CIties. To accelerate the work in European cities, the Cities Mission is complemented by pilot funds that can also benefit cities outside the 112.
The grants, worth almost €15 million in total, will support the pilot cities' mobilization across a wide range of themes, from electrification of the building sector and energy transition options to new approaches to citizen participation in the transition and better governance systems.
- It is fantastic that seven Swedish cities, all of which are mobilizing within Viable Cities, are now also pilot cities. It is proof that we are doing good work together, and that Swedish cities are at the forefront of the local transition journey in the EU.
Olga Kordas, Program Manager Viable Cities
Grants and expert support
In this second round, pilot funding has been granted to 26 cities from the EU and associated countries and comes from Horizon Europe, the EU's research and innovation programme, and NetZeroCities. In addition to funding, the cities receive expert support and the opportunity to learn from each other during the two years of the programme.
- The appointment of Lund as a pilot city in the EU Mission Platform is an honor but also carries great responsibility. This is a further important injection in our work towards becoming a net zero city.
Anders Almgren, Municipal Councillor, Lund Municipality
The lessons learned from the pilot cities will in turn be shared with other cities in a twinning program, duplicating the program on European cities' efforts to become climate neutral.
Exploration and scaling up
The total number of pilot cities is now 79, as 53 cities, including Malmö, Umeå and Uppsala, received the funding in summer 2023.
- Cities are at the forefront of the climate transition and the key to their success is the opportunity to explore and experiment, share knowledge and scale up what works. The Pilot Cities Program offers cities concrete support to do just that and I wish them great success in their efforts.
Thomas Osdoba, Program Director of NetZeroCities
Facts and figures
Swedish mission cities: Gävle, Gothenburg, Helsingborg, Lund, Malmö, Stockholm and Umeå.
Swedish pilot cities: Gävle, Helsingborg, Lund, Malmö, Stockholm, Umeå and Uppsala.
- The pilot city program is part of NetZeroCities, which Viable Cities is part of. The platform supports the 112 mission cities that have committed, as part of the EU Cities Mission, to achieve climate neutrality by 2030.
- A third and final call for new pilot cities is now open and the selected cities will be announced in May 2024.
- Link to Net Zero Cities press release
