Empowering cities and towns towards a climate-neutral, resilient and inclusive Europe
The mission of the EU Covenant of Mayors is to unlock local action against climate change in Europe by empowering cities and towns to act on mitigation, adaptation and energy poverty, in line with the EU’s targets, by:
- Providing the methodology and guidance they need to plan, monitor and implement their actions;
- Elevating their voices on the European stage;
- Connecting them with like-minded actors across Europe and beyond to exchange knowledge and experiences;
- Fostering multilevel collaboration to drive collective progress at regional, national and EU levels;
- Easing access to resources, support and services for them to implement their actions.
How?
EU Covenant of Mayors signatories commit to climate neutrality by 2050, setting a mid-term target, strengthening resilience and alleviating energy poverty, all while engaging their local communities. The Covenant of Mayors commitment validates local ambition as part of a broader EU and global movement.
The EU Covenant of Mayors provides local authorities with a reference methodology to plan, implement, and monitor effective climate and energy strategies in line with EU ambitions. With guidance and a helpdesk, the Covenant methodology helps signatories act on science-based targets and with an integrated approach.
In-person and online gatherings at EU and national levels connect a vast and diverse community committed to climate neutrality. These allow signatories to exchange experiences, best practices and collaborative solutions to common challenges.
The EU Covenant of Mayors operates a large network of relevant stakeholders at national and regional levels that provide support to signatories (in national language and adapted to national context) to design and implement their plans.
The EU Covenant of Mayors promotes collaboration between local, regional, national and EU level climate policy – positioning municipalities to help shape national and EU strategies while also accessing the appropriate technical and financial support needed to meet goals at every level.
Through the EU Covenant Board of Mayors and high-level events, Covenant members regularly meet with top EU officials to discuss climate and energy policy, inform the EU agenda with a local perspective, and raise local challenges with EU decision-makers.
The EU Covenant of Mayors runs yearly thematic communication actions that spotlight local efforts in advancing specific EU policy priorities. Through events and digital media, these offer international visibility to signatories’ actions, while providing access to inspiration and insights from peers.
The EU Covenant’s large network of partners – inlcuding other EU initiatives, services and programmes for local action – helps channels relevant resources, tools and opportunities to signatories to help them design and implement their action plan.