The Call to join the third Cohort of Twin Cities as part of the EU Cities Mission is open until 31 October 2024. Selected Twin Cities will join an 18-month tailored learning programme for knowledge sharing and transfer of good practices between Twin Cities and Pilot Cities.
Though cities cover only 4% of the EU’s land, they house 75% of its citizens, making them key to achieving Europe’s emission reduction goals. The NetZeroCities project supports the EU’s “100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030” Mission, helping cities lead in decarbonisation. It provides tools, resources, and knowledge exchange to address CO2-emitting urban systems, with services, pilot programs, and a Twinning initiative promoting local and peer learning on climate neutrality.
About the call
Twin Cities will be matched with select Pilot Cities from Cohort 2 (Oslo, Trondheim, and Pecs and Miskolc, and Bratislava and Kosice) and with the third cohort of Pilot Cities. Working individually or as clusters, Pilot Cities are testing new approaches to a rapid climate transition within the Horizon Europe programme. Their work, and the transfer of their learnings to Twin Cities is a crucial part of accomplishing the EU Mission: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities (“EU Cities Mission”), which aims for 112 cities to be climate neutral by 2030, and for all European Cities to follow suit by 2050. Any city within EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries that is not currently part of the Twinning Learning Programme, the Pilot Cities Programme, or the EU Cities Mission and is committed to reaching climate neutrality before or by 2050 can apply.
About the programme
The overarching objective of the Twinning Learning Programme is to foster lasting connections between cities facing similar challenges and sharing interests in different emissions domains on the road to climate neutrality. It will enable an accelerated transition towards climate neutrality across Europe, as Twin Cities will embed the learnings from Pilot activities in their local contexts, replicating solutions that work across multiple systems related to climate neutrality from buildings to waste, using various levers of change, including social innovation, governance, finance, and policy. The programme consists of three facilitated modules: Getting started, Co-creating, and Capitalising. Upon completion of the learning cycle, Twin Cities will embed the learnings from pilot activities across the city via a Twin City Action Plan.
About NetZeroCities
NetZeroCities is a consortium of 34 partners from 27 European countries managing the EU Cities Mission Platform. It supports 112 Mission Cities in drastically cutting greenhouse gas emissions to reach climate neutrality by 2030. The platform helps cities overcome structural, institutional, and cultural barriers with tailored expertise in systemic change, citizen engagement, financial structuring, and social innovation, aiming to create inclusive, climate-resilient, and sustainable urban futures.EIT Urban Mobility’s efforts in NetZeroCities reflect our mission to create positive change for people and planet, creating greener and more resilient European cities.Apply here
