The EU Climate-neutral and Smart Cities Mission (Cities Mission) is supporting 100 cities from the 27 EU Member States, and 12 cities from countries associated, or with the potential of being associated to Horizon Europe, in their transformation towards climate neutrality by 2030. Associating Ukrainian cities with the Mission provides an opportunity to embed long-term climate neutrality considerations into Ukraine’s reconstruction plans, in line with the European Green Deal.
Preparations are now underway for signing the grant agreements with the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), the EU Agency that manages funding under the Cities Mission.
Pathway to sustainable reconstruction
The projects will facilitate twinning and peer-to-peer exchange between up to 20 Ukrainian cities and a range of like-minded cities involved in the EU Cities Mission. Activities will centre on:
- Supporting Ukrainian cities to develop climate strategies and include climate neutrality goals in their reconstruction plans;
- Collaborating to co-develop guidelines, tools and technologies to build the capacities of the Ukrainian counterparts involved in climate mitigation efforts;
- Ensuring knowledge-sharing between the Ukrainian cities involved in the projects and other cities across the country.
Wider support
This is part of wider EU support to help Ukraine rebuild its cities in a high-quality, sustainable and inclusive way. These projects will make an important contribution toward the transition to a sustainable future and recovery, moving away from a carbon-intensive past.
This also complements a number of other new initiatives announced today on support to Ukrainian researchers, notably the launch of a new Horizon Europe Office in Kyiv. The office will provide support to Ukrainian researchers and innovators, inform them about EU funding opportunities and connect them to their EU peers.
Next steps
Over the next months, CINEA will work closely with the two project consortia to ensure that the project partners are technically, legally and financially fit to do the work.
A mechanism for cooperation and coordination between the projects will be put in place.
The grant agreements will be signed at the latest by the end of April 2024, with the projects starting as soon as possible afterwards.
Background
About the EU Missions
EU Missions are a novelty of the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme for the years 2021-2027. They aim to bring concrete solutions to some of our greatest challenges by 2030, by putting research and innovation into a new role, combining it with new forms of governance, funding and finance, and engagement with citizens.
One of the five EU Missions is the Mission on 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030 (Cities Mission). This mission is supporting 100 cities from the 27 EU Member States, and 12 cities from countries associated, or with the potential of being associated to Horizon Europe, in their transformation towards climate neutrality by 2030. The cities benefitting from these actions will act as experimentation and innovation hubs for other cities to become climate-neutral by 2050.
It aims to facilitate a bottom-up approach towards achieving climate neutrality supported by a Climate City Contract, which requires the participation of the local ecosystem, including citizens, and support from all governance levels.
The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) manages and implements three of the five missions under the Horizon Europe framework programme: Adaptation to Climate Change, Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030, and 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart cities by 2030.
More
- Press release on new initiatives to support Ukrainian researchers
- Factsheet on opportunities available for researchers and innovators in Ukraine under Horizon Europe