EU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission

EU Missions are a new way to bring concrete solutions to some of our greatest challenges. They have ambitious goals and will deliver tangible results by 2030. They will deliver impact by putting research and innovation into a new role, combined with new forms of governance and collaboration, as well as by engaging citizens.

The EU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission is one of 5 Missions across Europe. It aims to deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030. It also aims to ensure that these mission cities act as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050.

In April 2022, Cork City and Dublin City were selected from over 300 applicants to participate in the EU Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, while Galway City was successful in securing a €1 million grant as part of the EU Mission Pilot Cities programme.

Large urban areas have been selected for specific focus because across Europe they account for 75% of its population. These 3 Irish cities are key urban areas in Ireland making up approximately 17% of the country's population. Reaching climate neutrality will help these cities become places which provide citizens with a good quality of life through cleaner air, safer transport, and less congestion.