What it is
The Cities Mission Conference is the annual gathering of the EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, the Horizon Europe programme that supports 100 EU cities and 12 cities in associated countries in becoming climate-neutral by 2030. It brings those cities together with the European Commission and NetZeroCities, the Mission’s support platform. Each city prepares a Climate City Contract, an action and investment plan; when it is approved, the city receives the EU Mission Label. By the Commission’s count, 107 cities have received it since April 2023.
How the programme works
The fifth edition took place from 27 to 29 May 2026 at OGR Torino, organised with the City of Turin and in partnership with OGR Torino, Cottino Social Impact Campus and Politecnico di Torino. It focused on four themes: mobilising climate finance, strengthening multi-level partnerships, accelerating implementation and measuring impact. Besides plenaries, the format relies on best-practice exchange, barrier-solving sessions and matchmaking between cities. The 2026 programme also included a Mission Label ceremony and a high-level policy dialogue on affordable, sustainable and quality housing.
Who goes and how to take part
Attendance is by invitation. The 2026 conference was invitation-only, as was the 2025 edition in Vilnius, then European Green Capital, from 6 to 8 May. The Covenant of Mayors page for 2025 lists city practitioners, political leaders, industry innovators, financial experts, civil society and Commission officials as the audience. For a city outside the Mission, the realistic route is to follow online.
What came out of the 2026 edition
During the conference the Commission gave the Mission Label to four more cities: Elbasan, Sarajevo, Dortmund and Podgorica, according to ERRIN’s report. NetZeroCities has since published a Conference Action Brief with case studies and practical steps, and recordings of the main sessions.
Why it matters for cities
This is where the Mission Cities compare how far their climate plans have got and where funding and national support are stuck. Cities that are not in the Mission can still use the published recordings and the action brief, which are written for practitioners.
Going, or following from home
OGR Torino listed the plenary livestream as free. The 2027 edition, its host city and dates had not been announced when we checked.