15 Years of Covenant of Mayors East: local climate action growing stronger across the Eastern Partnership

Fifteen years after its launch, the Eastern Partnership of the Covenant of Mayors continues to demonstrate that Europe’s climate transition is built not only in capitals and institutions, but also in towns, villages, and cities across the region.

Celebrating 15 years in Chișinău

This week in Chișinău, Moldova, more than 200 participants — including mayors, municipal representatives, EU institutions, international financial organisations, and partner initiatives — gathered to celebrate the 15th Anniversary High-Level Conference of the Covenant of Mayors East and reflect on a decade and a half of local climate and energy action.

The anniversary conference highlighted how the Covenant of Mayors East has evolved into a vibrant and growing community of municipalities committed to turning climate ambition into practical action. From energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment to resilience and citizen engagement, local authorities across the Eastern Partnership region are increasingly shaping the green transition on the ground.

Opening the event, EU Ambassador to Moldova Iwona Piórko emphasised the importance of municipalities in delivering Europe’s sustainability goals. She noted that the Covenant of Mayors was founded on a “simple but powerful idea” — that cities and municipalities are essential actors in building a sustainable future — and underlined the concrete results achieved by local authorities over the past fifteen years.

_{Iwona Piórko, EU Ambassador to Moldova, in the opening of the Conference}

From commitments to action

That local dimension was echoed throughout the discussions. Sergiu Lazarencu — Vice-President of the Parliamentary Committee for Environment, Climate and Green Transition of Moldova — stressed that climate action begins in communities themselves, where citizens seek cleaner air, greener public spaces, and improved quality of life. He highlighted the role of the Covenant in helping municipalities move “from ideas to projects, from commitment to measurable results”.

One of the central themes of the conference was the need to move beyond seeing innovation as purely technological. During a conversation between Eastern Partnership municipalities and their European counterparts, moderated by Claire Roumet from Energy Cities, cities shared practical experiences of implementing climate action at local level.

_{Christophe Fréring, Coordinator of Covenant of Mayors Eastern Partnership Office, in the opening of the conference}

Dijon Métropole illustrated how governance innovation can be as important as technical solutions. Jean-Patrick Masson, former Vice-President, noted that while the ResponsiCity project delivered over sixty innovations, its success relied mainly on strong internal capacity, cross-sector cooperation, and trust with citizens — including energy-sharing schemes and regulatory changes enabling local renewable energy use.

Alongside Dijon, Križevci was presented by Mario Rajn, former mayor of Križevci and currently deputy prefect in Koprivnica-Krizevci County, showing how smaller municipalities can scale up solar deployment through one-stop shops and effective use of public funding such as the European City Facility. Križevci’s experience is currently spotlighted as part of the EU Covenant’s Homegrown Energy Action.

_{Panel with European cities}

A stronger and growing East CoM-munity

Throughout the conference, one message remained constant: Eastern European municipalities are increasingly active, determined, and ready to lead. The strong participation of Ukrainian municipalities further demonstrated the resilience and commitment of the Covenant East community, even in the most challenging circumstances.

A strong level of national coordination and cooperation also continues to ensure that the movement remains dynamic and effective across the region.

Over the past fifteen years, the Covenant of Mayors East has grown into a strong partnership connecting local authorities, European institutions, financial organisations, and partner initiatives around shared climate and energy goals.

As municipalities continue to exchange solutions and strengthen cooperation with their European counterparts, the Covenant of Mayors East partnership continues to grow stronger. 

_{Mayors and city representatives from the Covenant of Mayors Eastern Partnership}