ERRIN participated on 13 June in the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission Kick-Off Event together with representatives of the 112 selected Mission Cities, including over 65 ERRIN members, and the NetZeroCities project partners. The event offered an excellent opportunity for the cities, the project and the European Commission to come together and jointly kick off the journey towards climate neutrality.

During the event, it was again highlighted that the Climate City Contracts will be an effective tool for cities to use in their climate neutrality journeys, as they will gather the entire local ecosystem around the common actions set out in the contract. It was also announced that the call for Mission Pilots will open on 5 September and the successful pilot projects will be announced in early 2023. Call guidelines and guidebooks with ideas will be released in June, followed by a number of information sessions.

The European Commission announced that Patrick Child will be the new Mission Manger for the Cities Mission, as Matthew Baldwin becomes Deputy Director-General of DG ENER. ERRIN looks forward to continuing the collaboration with Patrick Child in his new position, and thanks Matthew Baldwin for the precious cooperation with the network.