NEWS



14 March 2022



Event on 100 climate neutral cities by 2030 in athens



On Monday, March 14, 2022, an informative event on the European Mission "100 Climate Neutral Cities by 2030", took place in the Amphitheatre of the Ministry of Environment and Energy on the occasion of the visit of Matthew Baldwin,

the Deputy Director-General of DG Move and Manager of the Commission's Mission on Climate Neutral Cities by 2030, in Athens. ​



The event was welcomed by the Deputy Minister of Spatial Planning and Urban Environment, Mr. Nikolaos Tagaras,

the Secretary General Of Spatial Planning and Urban Environment Mr. Efthymios Bakogiannis, the Secretary General of Natural Environment and Water Management, Mr. Petros Varelidis and the Secretary General of Waste Management Coordination, Mr. Manolis Grafakos, while earlier Mr. Matthew Baldwin met the President of the Green Fund Mr. Stathis Stathopoulos.


The event was attended by representatives of the business community, the academic and research community, and by Civil Society organizations.


The Deputy Minister of Spatial Planning and Urban Environment, Mr. Nikolaos Tagaras, pointed out in his speech that "the Mission is a great development opportunity which will emerge as a critical parameter for the acceleration of private investment."



The General Secretary of Spatial Planning and Urban Environment, Efthymios Bakogiannis, stressed the intensive effort of the Ministry of Environment and Energy in the last 2 years for Greek cities to embrace the Mission for cities. Regarding the benefits that will emerge through it in the coming years, he said that 'the market will be motivated to move towards climate investments, holistic solutions related to urban planning will be presented and smart technologies will be promoted for the best energy management of urban centers.


Mr. Matthew Baldwin presented the latest developments of the Mission on cities and mentioned that through the support of the Ministry of Environment and Energy to the Greek candidacies, 22 Municipalities or Municipal Partnership Associations submitted eligible proposals in respond to the call of expression of interest and have moved to the evaluation phase. The selection process is planned to conclude in April, at which time the successful cities will be invited to join the Cities Mission.



9th December 2021



The 20th and last meeting of the Cities Mission Board was held today via videoconference as due to the

coronavirus situation in Belgium new restrictive measures went into effect.



29 September 2021



Commission launches EU missions to tackle major challenges



EU missions connect directly to citizens, engaging them in their design, implementation and monitoring. Member States, regions and a wide range of public and private sector stakeholders will get involved to help ensure lasting outcomes for all EU citizens.


The goal of the Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities is :

to deliver 100+ climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030 and inspire all other cities to follow suit by 2050


View the Factsheet of the Mission on cities >

Let’s fulfil our EU missions



Videos for Horizon Europe Missions and for the Mission on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities published by the European Commission



European Green Deal: Brussels unveils €1 trillion plan to make EU climate neutral by 2050



14/January/2020



Becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050 is the greatest challenge and opportunity of our times. To achieve this, the European Commission presented the European Green Deal, the most ambitious package of measures that should enable European citizens and businesses to benefit from sustainable green transition. Measures accompanied with an initial roadmap of key policies range from ambitiously cutting emissions, to investing in cutting-edge research and innovation, to preserving Europe’s natural environment.


What is the European Green Deal





PUBLIC SESSION ORGANISED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION DURING THE R&I DAYS IN BRUSSELS



25/September/2019



An impressive start in co-creating the mission on Cities with the public session organised by the European Commission during the R&I days in Brussels, and with the involvement of members of the Mission Board. The participants from a variety of backgrounds contributed with inspirational ideas for shaping the future ‘Climate-Neutral & Smart-Cities’ mission development.





Chrysses nicolaides selected as member of the eu mission board for ‘Climate-Neutral & Smart Cities’.



ANNOUNCED 12/August/2019



Smart Cities Mediterranean Cluster (SMART-MED) Founder and Coordinator Chrysses NICOLAIDES selected as member of the European Commission Mission Board for ‘Climate-Neutral & Smart Cities’.

Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas announced the names of the experts who have been selected as members of the mission boards to work on five major European research and innovation missions. The five missions focus on cancer, climate change, healthy oceans, climate-neutral smart cities and healthy soil and food.

Each mission board consists of 15 members and over 2,100 individuals from across the EU and beyond applied to become member of a mission board.

The European Commission is now in the process of finalizing the signature of contracts and the first board meeting for ‘Climate-neutral & Smart Cities’ will take place in early September in Brussels.







The 3rd SmartBlueCity Euro-Mediterranean Conference on Smart Cities and Blue Growth took place in October 5-6, 2018, in Larnaca



ANNOUNCED 8/Oct/2018



The SmartBlueCity Euro-Mediterranean Conference and Exhibition is organized annually with the help of many partners and supporters. The aim is to: bring together city and regional authorities with industry, SME’s, academics and professionals; and present current developments and innovative ideas for strengthening smartness and pursuing sustainability objectives in small and medium-sized cities and communities in the Mediterranean scenery





TOPICS FOR THE 3RD AND 4TH CALLS FOR PROPOSALS



ANNOUNCED 20/Jun/2017



The Urban Innovative Actions initiative unveils the topics selected for the third and fourth Calls for Proposals to be respectively launched at the end of 2017 and 2018.





Our mission to alexandria in egypt



Our mission to Alexandria - a port city in Egypt with a true Mediterranean atmosphere, a cosmopolitan, history-rich, a multicultural city, - "The Pearl of the Mediterranean" !!!



Alexandria is a Mediterranean port city in Egypt. During the Hellenistic period, it was home to a lighthouse ranking among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World as well as a storied library.


Today the library is reincarnated in the disc-shaped, ultramodern Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The Alexandria & Mediterranean Research Center (Alex Med) is dedicated to revive the city’s pivotal position in the Mediterranean and become a cultural center for the Euro-Mediterranean Region and the Middle East, to spread internationalism and promote a healthy spirit of diversity, pluralism and interaction among civilizations.


The city also has Greco-Roman landmarks, old-world cafes and sandy beaches. Its 15th-century seafront Qaitbay Citadel is now a museum.




SMART CITIES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN



Coping with Sustainability Objectives in Small and Medium-sized Cities and Island Communities



Highlights the strength of smart cities, embracing not only urban systems but also geographical locales


Editors:

Anastasia Stratigea , Elias Kyriakides , Chrysses Nicolaides


The book is a product of the 1st Euro-Mediterranean Conference that took place in Limassol in April 2016




the 2nd 'smartbluecity'
euro-mediterranean conference 2017



20 February 2017



The 2nd Euro-Mediterranean Conference took place in September 28-29, 2017, in Heraklion, a coastal city and a well-known tourist destination in the island of Crete.


The Theme of the Conference was “Smart, Inclusive and Resilient Small and Medium-sized Cities and Island Communities in the Mediterranean: Exploring Current Research Paths and Experience-based Evidence”, incorporating a range of sub-themes touching upon all different dimensions of the smart city concept.


The Conference was organized by the National Technical University of Athens; the Smart Cities Mediterranean Cluster (SMART-MED) ; the URENIO Research Group, the University of the Aegean, the KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence, University of Cyprus, and the Institute of Computer Science (ICS) of the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH).


More information in the Conference website www.smartbluecity.com




A mission to the smart city of Heraklion to prepare for the SmartBlueCity International Conference 2017.



14 February 2017



The mission was arranged by Anastasia Stratigea, Assoc. Prof., National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and Chrysses Nicolaides Coordinator of Smart Cities Mediterranean Cluster, Conference Organizers and met with Petros G. Iniotakis, Debuty Mayor of the Municipality of Heraklion and Costis Mohiankis, Director of Planning, Organisation & IT.


The meeting was interesting and beneficial and a good opportunity to exchange "smart" ideas.






Competition to Create
City Innovation Labs



The closing date is 14 April 2017



The SELECT for Cities competition is built around the premise that cities across the world are seeking new methods, technology and tools to foster open innovation to solve challenges, create value for their citizens and business, and to become ‘smart cities’.


Internet of Everything (IoE) is one of the dominant drivers transforming the way people manage and live in urban environments. This new connected approach involves physical spaces as well as objects and provides a massive opportunity for the creation of new smart services and businesses especially in the areas of logistics, transport, environment, security and wellbeing.


More information

EU Funding for cities



The EU and the Commission provide support through a wide range of funding programmes, covering funding opportunities as well as advice on how to access funding and put it to use.

Several EU funds offer support to cities, including advice on implementation.

· European Fund for Strategic Investments
· European Structural and Investment Funds
· Horizon 2020 · LIFE
· Urban Innovative Actions
· European Investment Project Portal
· European Investment Advisory Hub


more



18 EU Cities Winners of the First Urban Innovative Actions Call



Approximately €80 million ERDF have been committed to support the selected projects.



After a competitive process that saw 378 proposals submitted in March 2016 from across 24 EU Member States, 18 urban authorities will have the opportunity to experiment bold and innovative solutions to tackle the challenges linked to urban poverty, the integration of migrants and refugees, jobs and skills in the local economy and the energy transition.


The new calls are expected to be launched in November 2016 with a deadline in early 2017.

Budget per project is 5 million with an 80% co-financing rate.


more



cities - See how the Commission helps cities achieve EU objectives.



To foster the exchange of best practices and the development of urban strategies,we just launched a new web portal for cities.

The "One-stop shop" portal provides up-to-date information on EU policies such as climate change adaptation, mobility or circular economy that directly impact cities and urban areas.Urban stakeholders can also get clear information on financing opportunities under the different EU funding instruments. It will help cities to make the most out of EU funding opportunities.


more



CIVITAS Peer-Exchange Programme for Cities



The programme is for practitioners and city representatives who are interested in learning from and sharing with their peers in other European cities through work placements and study visits dedicated to innovative transport measures.

The work placements are designed to provide a 2-3 day hands-on learning experience in cities which face similar challenges. The study visits will be open up to 10 visiting city representatives.

Financial bursaries are available to cover travel and accommodation.CIVITAS is looking for both host and visiting cities.

If you are interested, please fill in the application form available at http://www.civitas.eu/learning-centre/placement by 7 November.


more



second Call for Proposals of the Urban Innovative Actions



The new calls are expected to be launched in November 2016 with a deadline in early 2017.

Budget per project is 5 million with an 80% co-financing rate.



As the second Call for Proposals is approaching, the European Commission and the Urban Innovative Actionsecretariat have confirmed the topics for this second edition:

  • Circular economy
  • Sustainable Urban Mobility
  • Integration of migrants and refugees (similar to the 2016 call)

Strong interest from all over the European Union

For the 1st call for proposals last March, a total of 378 applications were received from 24 out of the 28 Member States of the EU, including 14 from European capitals.


more



click on this link to visit the Different City > Smart City Conference dedicated website

for information about the conference
www.differentsmartcity.com




click on this link to visit the SmartBlueCity Conference dedicated website

for information about the conference
www.smartbluecity.com




Launching of the 1st Euro-Mediterranean Conference - Exhibition 2016


14.11.2015 Smartbluecity Organizing Committee



The Euro-Mediterranean conference and exhibition “smart and blue city” is organized with the

help of many partners and supporters, to bring together city and regional authorities with industry, SME’s, academics and professionals to present information and ideas for smartness and growth.


The Conference consists of two interrelated parts, namely:

  • the “Scientific” part, in which recent developments and supportive technologies relevant to challenges faced by small and medium-sized Mediterranean cities and communities will be presented; and
  • the “Exhibition” part, aiming at giving the opportunity to industry and SMEs to present products that can solve current and forthcoming problems of these communities.

The above distinction reflects an effort to bring together scientific knowledge and industry developments for increasing knowledge stock on potential solutions and providing options on technological products and solutions that can support cities and communities in the Mediterranean to cope with current challenges and needs.


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