On 10 October, a collaborative and interactive event was jointly hosted by ERRIN, MOSAIC and the European Commission during the European Week of Regions and Cities. This session brought together experts and stakeholders from across Europe to explore the significant role of multi-stakeholder engagement in advancing the journey towards climate neutrality for European cities. 

ERRIN has been actively involved in the EU Mission on Climate-neutral and Smart Cities, alongside other EU Missions, right from the beginning. The network has consistently advocated for a mission-driven approach, emphasising bottom-up and multi-stakeholders engagement, the promotion of multi-level governance and the creation of synergies with various other initiatives and projects. The event, which demonstrated the methodology used by the MOSAIC project, offered an opportunity to delve deeper into these essential features for the successful implementation of EU Missions. 

Patrick Child, EU Mission on Climate-neutral and Smart Cities Manager, opened the session by stressing three fundamental pillars in the journey towards climate neutrality: 

• The crucial role of the Cities Mission in fostering collaboration and synergy between various stakeholders and regions. Co-design and co-implementation of innovative solutions were identified as crucial elements for the success of the Cities Mission. 

• The importance of leaving no one behind in the pursuit of climate neutrality, ensuring strong connections between the EU, national and regional level. 

• The Climate City Contracts as an essential tool to make concrete investment strategies and the role of the City Advisors to assess the maturity and completeness of these strategies. 

The workshop showcased the innovative approaches of four Mission Cities, including ERRIN members and cities from MOSAIC project, in which ERRIN is a partner. Representatives from Cluj-Napoca, Dijon, Gothenburg, Milan, offered tangible examples of impact that multi-stakeholder engagement can generate to achieving climate neutrality. 

A dynamic fishbowl discussion enabled policymakers, citizens, researchers and representatives from various EU projects working on the EU Missions to share their perspectives and ideas concerning climate neutrality and co-creation. This interactive format created a dynamic and inclusive dialogue that underscored the importance of engaging a wide spectrum of stakeholders in the collective effort to make cities climate neutral. 

Finally, Philippe Froissard, Head of Clean Planet Directorate, DG RTD, European Commission, closed the session by underlining that multi-stakeholder engagement is essential for the success of cities’ strategies to climate neutrality, as shown by the examples and lessons learned in MOSAIC and NetZeroCities. 

Learn more about ERRIN’s engagement in the Mission on 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, MOSAIC and NetZeroCities projects.