28 Apr 2022
Commission announces 100 cities participating in EU Mission for climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030
On 28 April 2022, the European Commission announced the 100 EU cities that will participate in the EU Mission for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030. Cities were invited to express their interest to become part of the Mission in November 2021. The call closed on 31 January 2022.
The 100 cities are located in all 27 Member States, with 12 additional cities in countries associated, or with the potential of being associated, to Horizon Europe. From Austria, the city of Klagenfurt was selected.
The Horizon Europe budget for the Cities Mission will be €360 million for the period 2022-23. The research and innovation actions will address clean mobility, energy efficiency and green urban planning, and offer the possibility to build joint initiatives and advance collaborations in synergy with other EU programmes.
As a next step, the Commission will invite the 100 selected cities to develop Climate City Contracts, which will include an overall plan for climate neutrality across all sectors such as energy, buildings, waste management and transport, together with related investment plans. This process will involve citizens, research organisations and the private sector.
Austria is actively contributing to the implementation of the Cities Mission via the national initiative 'climate neutral city', and its participation in the co-funded partnership Driving Urban Transitions.
Overall, 377 cities applied to be part of the cities mission. As a first step, independent experts evaluated each expression of interest. As a second step, the Commission applied additional criteria to ensure geographical balance and a diverse group of cities in terms of size, impact and innovative ideas.
All selected cities can be found in the factsheet below: