This means that by 2030 we will fulfil the EU Climate Smart City Challenge – which will receive a total of €360 million “Horizon Europe” programme funding from 2022 to 2023 to enable 100 cities in Europe to start the innovation journey towards climate neutrality in 2030.
Research and innovation actions will tackle mobility, energy efficiency and green urban planning!
The European Commission has named 100 EU cities that will meet the EU's urban challenge and become 100 climate-neutral smart cities by 2030. These 100 cities are located in all 27 Member States, with a further 12 cities in countries that are or could be associated with the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. From Latvia, these are Liepāja and Rīga.
75% of the EU's urban population lives in urban areas. Globally, cities consume more than 65% of all energy and produce more than 70% of all carbon dioxide emissions, according to the EC. Thus, it is important that cities act as experimental and innovative ecosystems that help others to transform and achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
✳Research and innovation actions will address clean mobility, energy efficiency and green urban planning, and provide opportunities for joint initiatives and synergies with other EU programmes.
Cities will also benefit from tailored advice and assistance from a special Task Platform run by NetZeroCities, additional funding and financing opportunities, and possibly involvement in a wide range of innovative actions and pilot projects. The Challenge also provides networking opportunities, exchange of best practices between cities and support for civic engagement.