EU Cities Mission marks milestone: 103 cities now labelled on the path towards climate neutrality

The EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities , one of the five EU Missions under Horizon Europe, has exceeded its objective of supporting 100 cities in their plans to become climate neutral by 2030. With eleven additional cities awarded the EU Mission Label today by Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research, and Innovation, the total of labelled cities has now reached 103.

The eleven cities that received the label today are: Munich (Germany), Angers Loire Metropole (France), Zagreb (Croatia), Rome (Italy), Differdange (Luxembourg), Amsterdam, Eindhoven & Helmond, Groningen, Rotterdam (Netherlands), Bratislava (Slovakia). The Mission Label was handed over to the selected cities at the European Week of Regions and Cities 2025, taking place in Brussels.

The Cities Mission continues to inspire cities across Europe in their decarbonisation journey. Today in Kyiv, the SUN4Ukraineinitiative under the Mission has announced the selection of 12 cities that are part of the Mission and that will work together with the 12 Flagship Municipalities in Ukraine. The Mission cities will support the Municipalities in preparing Climate City Contracts (CCC)-inspired local action plans that align recovery needs with climate objectives. Mission cities Munich and Oslo will serve as special advisors to the 12 city pairings, consisting of one Mission city and one Flagship Municipality each. Following the announcement, the launch of the SUN4Ukraine Partnership Programme will take place in Munich on 18 November 2025.

Next steps

The EU continues to work with Mission cities to turn their Climate City Contracts and Action & Investment Plans into financeable project pipelines. With the EU Mission Label, cities gain access to the Climate City Capital Hub - an international finance resource launched in June 2024 - focused on engaging private capital, advising on financial structuring, and connecting cities with public, private and philanthropic investors. Labelled cities also qualify for EIB advisory services and a dedicated €2 billion lending envelope to back Mission investment plans. Climate City Contracts from the remaining cities are currently under review and are expected to be submitted by the end of this year.

Background

Cities account for more than 70% of global CO₂ emissions and over 65% of energy use, making urban action decisive for Europe's climate goals - from cutting emissions by 55% by 2030 to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The Cities Mission acts as Europe's platform for innovation, where cities and industries work together to co-develop solutions that are both clean and competitive. Through Industry Dialogues, it scales up clean technologies, circular economy practices, and energy-efficient solutions that cut costs, strengthen Europe's industrial competitiveness, and create new markets and jobs. In this way, the Mission contributes directly to the European Green Deal, the Policy Agenda for Cities, and the Clean Industrial Deal - showing that innovation drives competitiveness while delivering tangible benefits for citizens: cleaner air, safer and cheaper transport, less congestion and noise, and healthier urban environments.

In April 2022, 100 cities in the EU and 12 cities in countries associated to Horizon Europe were selected. They are testing innovative cross-sectoral approaches, including for citizen engagement, stakeholder management and internal governance to accelerate their path to climate neutrality. By so doing, they will act as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050.

The Mission's central feature is "Climate City Contracts" (CCCs) which each participating city is developing and implementing. CCCs contain (1) a core commitments part, (2) a Climate Neutrality Action Plan and (3) a Climate Neutrality Investment Plan. They are co-created with citizens and stakeholders, with the help of a Mission Platform (run by the NetZeroCities project).

In total, 103 out of the 112 cities that participate in the Mission have by now received the label, with 10 awarded in October 2023 , 23 in March 2024 , 20 in October 2024 and 39 awarded in May 2025 . The EU Mission Label is an important milestone in the cities' work. It acknowledges successful development of Climate City Contracts, which outline the cities' overall vision for climate neutrality and contain an action plan as well as an investment plan. Cities co-create their Climate City Contracts with local stakeholders including the private sector and citizens.

Climate City Contracts are reviewed by the Commission with the support of experts, including from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC). Following a positive review, cities receive an EU Mission Label, which is intended to facilitate access to EU, national, and regional funding and financing sources, in particular private investment.

More information

Climate-neutral and smart cities

Factsheet: EU mission, climate-neutral and smart cities

Report on the Youth Policy Dialogue with Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva