Mayors gather in Brussels to showcase how local climate leadership is securing Europe’s future

The European Parliament became the scene of an important gathering on Thursday, 16 October, with hundreds of mayors, local councillors and regional leaders coming from across Europe to reiterate their ongoing committment to the EU's resilient and climate-neutral future.

Opened by Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions, the event brought together European and local leaders to discuss how local governments' climate commitments and concrete actions to advance the clean energy transition play a key role in preparing Europe for the future - one that is affordable, prosperous, and crisis-ready.

"Sustainability is not only about cutting emissions and adapting to change. It's also about building places that are pleasant to live in. You are working on that every single day, and Europe is here with you to make it happen." - Ursula Von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.

"Europe isn't a distant idea. It begins locally in your cities, your towns, your neighbourhoods. It's something we are building together every single day. I thank you for leading, for caring for communities, for showing that Europe works when it's close to your communities. And for continuing your work, even when it's not easy." - Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament.

"What I have learned in my experience as Deputy Mayor and City Councillor in Budapest is that resilience means more than just surviving crises. It is also about transforming them into opportunities for lasting change. We've learned that empowering citizens, investing in green infrastructure, and embracing digital innovation are key to building a city that is not only prepared for the future, but actively shaping it. Our journey is proof that bold, people-centred leadership can turn challenges into momentum. The Covenant allows us listen to each other is stories and to draw inspiration from success, learning from failure, and building a community of mutual support. As a European assembly of local leaders, the Committee of the Regions is committed to deliver on the Covenant's goals and on our institutional cooperation." - Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions.

A critical moment for local climate action

Since its launch in 2008, the EU Covenant of Mayors initiative has mobilised over 10,000 cities and towns of all sizes to commit to the EU's climate and energy goals, demonstrating how local leadership and bottom-up climate action is driving forward the EU's bold agenda while leaving no community behind.

This year's Ceremony, with over 150 mayors and 700 participants from cities and towns all over Europe, reflected the significance of a pivotal year: ten years since the Paris Agreement, one year into a new EU mandate, and just a quarter of a century away from the EU's climate-neutrality target.

Mayors, regional leaders and local actors came in large numbers to show how - driven by a long-term vision and planning - they remain committed to implementing the EU's ambitious climate targets on the ground, all the while providing effective responses to current challenges and crises.

From guaranteeing energy security through clean, homegrown power to preparing cities for increasingly severe climate impacts, local climate action is equipping Europe to stay resilient in an ever more unstable world and to protect its citizens from future crises.

For Attila Péterffy, Mayor of Pécs (Hungary) and EU Covenant of Mayors Board Member, who co-opened the Ceremony:

"If Europe's cities and institutions join forces, we can not only face the challenge of climate change but also restore citizens' trust in common action - and strengthen democracy itself."

© European Union / Octavian Carare

Securing clean and affordable energy for Europe

The Ceremony also hosted the 2025 Covenant of Mayors Awards, recognising three cities' achievements in decarbonising heating and cooling: Domokos (Greece), Lappeenranta (Finland) and Mechelen (Belgium). Dan Jørgensen, EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing, addressed the winners and participants with a clear message of encouragement:

"Some people continue to say that the clean transition is too big a challenge to take on. But all of you in this room are proving otherwise. You prove that local actions can make big impacts. You prove that together, we can build a cleaner, stronger, and more secure Europe - starting in every town and every city."

With fossil fuels still accounting for 70% of buildings' heating in Europe today, the awarded cities have showcased that having a comprehensive heat strategy at local level is essential to driving an accelerated shift towards cleaner heating.

Beyond ambitious climate neutrality target, this shift in many cities is driven by security and affordability concerns in the face of growing crises. In Finland, Lappeenranta's proximity to Russia has driven local innovation to accelerate the shift to clean, affordable heat and electricity, while Ukrainian cities like Mykolaiv remain committed to "building back better and greener" to reduce vulnerabilities and dependencies.

All cities highlighted that their strategies rely on adequate capacity and EU support, from investing in clean heat infrastructure and innovation, to building local expertise for effective planning and implementation.

© European Union / Octavian Carare

Building resilience: protecting Europe from climate risks

Another key focus was local resilience. Europe is facing intensifying floods, heatwaves and wildfires, threatening people's livelihood and wellbeing across the continent. Speakers stressed that local governments not only bear the brunt of such events but also possess the best understanding of local risks and responses.

"Cities like Getafe, Reggio Emilia, Stockholm and Mannheim are leading by example," said Wopke Hoekstra, EU Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth. "They're showing how urban design, nature-based solutions, and strong governance protect communities and revive local economies. The European Commission is developing a new integrated framework for climate resilience and risk management, and I know we can continue to count on the Covenant of Mayors to build a safer, prosperous Europe for our citizens."

Cities underlined the essential role of European support for their actions not only to boost urban resilience, but to do so in an inclusive way. While for Getafe (Spain), EU funding has been crucial in tackling energy poverty by focusing urban regeneration efforts in vulnerable neighbourhoods, in Reggio Emilia (Italy), EU programmes are helping extend their adaptation measures to the most fragile areas of the city.

As the EU prepares its Integrated Framework for Climate Resilience and Risk Management, participants underscored the need for consistent funding, skilled staff and long-term vision. Deputy mayors of Stockholm (Sweden), Åsa Lindhagen, and of Mannheim (Germany), Diana Pretzell, underlined that the next EU's Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) should be "climate-resilient by design" (Lindhagen) providing "adequate and sustained funding" (Pretzell) for local adaptation efforts.
Representing Croatia's energy agency REGEA, Julije Domac called to put multilevel governance at the heart of the EU's new resilience framework:

"Climate risks are highly localised. The new framework should prioritise and institutionalise, permanent, mandatory multilevel governance mechanisms to guarantee the role of co-designer of regional and local authorities and ensure alignment between commitments and earmarked budget to support implementation on the ground."

Partnerships for Europe's future

The event reaffirmed that Europe's strength lies in aligning all levels of action - local, regional, national and European - towards a common vision. Michele de Pascale, President of Emilia-Romagna region in Italy showcased how their coordination and technical assistance at regional level are helping municipalities plan and implement solutions on the ground.

As highlighted by Hanna Zdanowska, Mayor of Łódź (Poland) and member of the European Committee of the Regions, in her closing address:

"Political ambitions only become tangible when backed by clear funding and effective support instruments - we as Covenant have proven to have the right ambition, we need now to intensify our cooperation with national and EU levels to deliver bigger impacts."

At European level, the Covenant of Mayors, together with the EU Missions for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities and for Adaptation and initiatives such as the Urban Initiative, remain essential guides for this journey. Raffaele Fitto, European Commission Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms, highlighted when closing the event:

"Today's event is a great opportunity to strengthen our collaboration. Our commitment is to work with cities, and to make EU support simpler, more accessible and more impactful - for cities of every size."

In closing, mayors and regional leaders delivered a united message: Europe's future will be secured through its towns and cities - a future of European cities and towns "that are vibrant, liveable, sustainable and affordable - that are worth staying in", as described by Mayor Attila Péterffy.

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Photos of the Event

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Quotes

• Charalampos Liolios, Mayor of Domokos, Greece: "This award is a recognition of the political will and the efforts of our nine thousand residents, who prove every day that even a small rural municipality in Central Greece can be a pioneer in the energy transition. This recognition strengthens our commitment to reducing emissions by 44% by 2030 and gives us the courage to continue implementing projects with direct social impact - such as the photovoltaic systems on our schools and across the wider area, projects that make the lives of our families better."
• Sanna Koskenranta, Chair of Lappeenranta's City Board, Finland: "If we want to live on this planet, we need to be more ambitious in our climate goals. In Lappeenranta we have made a significant progress that we can share for other cities. The key point is that people and businesses can truly see the benefits of making sustainable choices. And what do we expect from the EU? To actually step up and support European innovations - otherwise, the rest of the world will leave us behind."
• Bart Somers, Mayor of Mechelen, Belgium: ""As mayors, we are the first to face the consequences of climate change: when floods damage homes, when heat endangers lives, when drought harms our farmers. That's why local governments don't wait - because they can't wait. We work with residents, cooperatives and businesses to find practical, fair solutions that make the transition real for everyone. It makes cities the most innovative level of democracy, simply because we have the ability to bring people together and turn European ambition into everyday action."
• Tanya Hristova, Mayor of Gabrovo, Bulgaria: "Although we hear the ambitious messages from Europe, we are misunderstood at the local level and this prevents us from being ambitious and systematic. We don't want to just be in fragmented projects. They must be designed and implemented together with the Commission and National level. We need real multi-level governance.
• Oleksandr Syenkevych, Mayor of Mykolaiv, Ukraine: "The short-term emergency responses are now shaping our long-term systems. The energy and military crisis acted as a catalyst for the clean energy transition. We have seen progress in decentralisation such as developing local renewable projects. The crisis forced immediate action - now we are turning those lessons into lasting progress for cleaner, more resilient cities."
• Sara Hernández Barroso, Mayor of Getafe, Spain: "European investment should to go directly to local councils to ensure efficiency and effectiveness - only through agile management will we be able to make streets, squares and, above all, buildings increasingly comfortable and adapt them to the challenges of the climate emergency."
• Carlotta Bonvicini, Deputy Mayor of Reggio Emilia, Italy: "In 2020 Reggio Emilia became one of the first Italian cities to adopt a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. Our next objective is to extend these adaptive interventions to the most vulnerable areas of the city. For this reason, we have decided to develop a specific adaptation masterplan for the historic city center and the most densely populated neighborhoods, in order to support the most fragile populations and address the areas of the city that are most at risk."
• Åsa Lindhagen, Deputy mayor of Stockholm, Sweden: "The new EU resilience and risk management initiative should strengthen coordination and guarantee sustained funding at all levels of governance. And looking at the even broader picture, the next MFF must be climate-resilient by design, prioritising adaptation funding."
• Diana Pretzell, Deputy Mayor of Mannheim, Germany: "If I could highlight one key point for the new Integrated Framework for Climate Resilience and Risk Management, it would be the need for a clear, unified EU definition of climate resilience, combined with binding resilience goals, supported by adequate and sustained funding through the EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)."
• Michele de Pascale, President of the Emilia Romagna Region, Italy: "The only way to overcome the challenges of climate change is to do it together: through participation, democracy and knowledge sharing."