Today, Thursday, 23 cities were awarded the EU Mission Label for their participation in the EU mission for climate neutral and smart cities, which is one of the EU missions under the Horizon Europe programme. Among them are four Greek ones. These are Ioannina, Kalamata, Kozani and Thessaloniki.

The Badge rewards cities’ projects to achieve climate neutrality by 2030 and aims to facilitate access to public and private finance to achieve this goal. The Label was awarded to the first ten cities in October 2023.

The EU Mission Badge was awarded by Ms Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, in the presence of mayors and city representatives, at a ceremony in the framework of the European Research and Innovation Days, the largest forum for the future of science and innovation in Europe and finding solutions together with citizens and stakeholders.

Commissioner Mrs. Ivanova said: “I would like to congratulate all 23 cities on their success! The Badge is recognition of your hard work and commitment to making your cities climate neutral and improving the places we live. I look forward to seeing the projects you develop on your way to a more competitive, greener and fairer Europe. We will continue to support you on this journey.”

Details of the 23 cities that were awarded the Seal: Ioannina, Kalamata, Kozani and Thessaloniki (Greece), Heidelberg (Germany), Leuven (Belgium), the cities of Espoo, Lahti, Lappeenranta, Tampere and Turku (Finland), Barcelona and Seville (Spain ), Pécs (Hungary), Malmo (Sweden), the cities of Guimaraes and Lisbon (Portugal), Florence and Parma (Italy), Marseille and Lyon (France), Limassol (Cyprus) and Izmir ( Turkey).

Katerina Plati