Six Greek participants in EU Cities Mission

Athens, Thessaloniki, Kalamata, Ioannina, Trikala and Kozani have been selected from among 377 European cities by the European Commission to participate in its program for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030 – the so-called Cities Mission.

The selection of the Greek cities was hailed by the Environment and Energy Ministry as a “great national success.”

The six Greek cities are tasked with achieving the goal of climate neutrality in less than 10 years, which is 20 years earlier than the rest of Europe.

They will do this by utilizing community resources with many environmental, social, economic, investment, development and educational benefits.

Using EU funding tools, cities will be able to implement investments to expedite their transition to climate neutrality and digital transformation, promote holistic urban planning solutions, apply smart technologies, and flexible energy management systems.

They will also seek to adopt environmentally friendly modes of transport and transportation.

The Environment Ministry has stressed that over the last two years it has been working intensively toward this goal, adding that in cooperation with the EU Mission Board, it has prepared the most Greek participations since April 2020.