Scope of the Mission
The EU Cities Mission will bring together local authorities, citizens, businesses, investors, and national and regional bodies to
- Deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030
- Ensure that these cities act as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050
The Mission will deliver this through innovation, collaboration, and testing solutions in urban environments.
The Mission is driving Europe’s transition to climate neutrality by supporting 100 cities in the EU and 12 cities in countries associated to Horizon Europe in their efforts to become climate-neutral by 2030. Selected from 377 applicants, these cities serve as innovation hubs, testing cross-sectoral solutions and new governance models to accelerate change and inspire all European cities to follow by 2050.
At the core of the Mission are Climate City Contracts , co-created with local stakeholders and citizens, which outline a city’s roadmap to climate neutrality, including plans for energy, buildings, waste management, and transport, together with related investment plans. Cities that successfully develop these contracts receive the EU Mission Label, a recognition that facilitates access to public and private funding.
Since April 2023, 92 cities have received the EU Mission Label following expert review by the European Investment Bank, and the Joint Research Centre. Labelled cities gain access to the Climate City Capital Hub. Launched in June 2024, the hub provides tailored financial advice in cooperation with the EIB and the EBRD and connects cities with investors.
With around €120 million in annual funding from Horizon Europe, cities receive hands-on support of the Mission Platform (NetZeroCities) and national Mission structures (CapaCITIES ) as well as access to open calls for research and innovation projects.
More information
- Cities Mission Platform: Access resources, data, and tools from NetZeroCities
- Newsletter Subscription: Stay updated by subscribing to the mission's newsletter
- Funding & Tenders Portal: Explore funding opportunities and open calls related to the mission
- Online exhibition of success stories
- The non-confidential parts of the cities’ Climate City Contracts are published on the NetZeroCities Platform portal’s knowledge repository
Contact
For enquiries related to the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, please contact:
RTD-HORIZON-EUROPE-MISSION-CITIES
ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (RTD-HORIZON-EUROPE-MISSION-CITIES[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
Documents
The Cities Mission supports 112 cities in their journey to climate neutrality by 2030, positioning them as pioneers of urban transformation.
This brochure showcases 14 European funded Mission projects that show the collaborative spirit, innovation and commitment required to address the pressing issues of climate change.
100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030. Ensure that these cities act as experimentation and innovation hubs to put all European cities in a position to become climate-neutral by 2050.
Latest
The Cities Mission launches a new twinning call to pair cities with Mission cities for a year of peer learning and joint action toward climate neutrality.
The info days dedicated to the five EU Missions under Horizon Europe will be held on 22 and 23 May 2025 on the research and innovation community platform.
Research and innovation news alert: Today, 39 cities participating in the EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities under Horizon Europe have been awarded the EU Mission Label.
