It was an honour yesterday to be part of the closing ceremony of the third CitiES Summer School programme - 'Mission Possible: Creating the Cities we Want' - and to bring some reflections on the significance of the Spanish National Cities Mission CitiES at this critical time, together with Elisa Rivera Mendoza from the Government of Spain. CitiES is a national platform that Climate-KIC is proud to coordinate in partnership with the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition, Fundación Biodiversidad, Laudes Foundation, and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, to enable the implementation of the EU Cities Mission in Spain. Acclerated transformation of cities in Spain is part of the EU Cities Mission, a strategic initiative of the European Commission aimed at supporting and promoting the transformation of over 100 European cities towards climate neutrality and sustainability by 2030. Ambitious initiatives like this are so important now. As we see the effects of rising heat and humidity over summer, violent storms, unfamiliar seasonal changes, food and water systems in extreme fragility, health effects and impact on nature as well as people, what happens in cities will make all the difference to shape new and different ways of living - to demonstrate what it can mean to live well by living sustainably, and to learn how to adapt so that climate resilience becomes a daily practice. 170 participants came together this week from cities, companies, academia, NGOs and government at all levels, to review progress, share ideas, accelerate learning, deepen partnerships for action and for implementation. Discussions focused on political commitment, communities of practice, capability building, mobilising finance, and multi-city rehabilitation programmes. The key message from this gathering: implement, implement and implement - through systemic approaches and deep, radical collaboration. We are out of time and we need to accelerate, with courage and with one another. The EU Cities Mission, along with other similar initiatives, is a key component of the European Green Deal, enabling Europe to transition to a greener and more resilient economy. Let us hope that today, Europe elects to maintain that commitment and momentum. #EuropeanGreenDeal María García Rodríguez, Julio Lumbreras, Valvanera Ulargui, María A. Huerta, Moises Alvaro Callejo, Carlos Mataix, Valentín Alfaya, Gonzalo Saenz de Miera, James Drinkwater, Leslie Johnston, M.Sc. #citiES2030 #MissionCities #EUMissions #HorizonEU
Great event Congratulations 👏
Assessora Comune di Bologna ai fondi europei/PNRR, transizione ecologica e relazioni internazionali
1moBenedetta Brighenti