Webconference

2021 European Covenant of Mayors Ceremony

“Towards a fairer, climate-neutral Europe for all”
The 2021 European Covenant of Mayors Ceremony will take place on 7 October 2021 online… and everywhere in Europe!

The 07 October 2021 from 09:00 to 13:00 Brussels time

“Towards a fairer, climate-neutral Europe for all”

The 2021 European Covenant of Mayors Ceremony will take place on 7 October 2021 online… and everywhere in Europe!

COMMIT, ENGAGE, ACT and NETWORK on the road to Glasgow.

In April 2021, the European Covenant of Mayors initiative has entered a new phase, officially launching its renewed ambition of a fairer and climate-neutral Europe.

Signatories now commit to reaching climate neutrality by 2050, implementing adaptation to climate change measures and alleviating energy poverty through a just transition. They also commit to engaging their citizens, businesses and local stakeholders in the transition, thus contributing to the European Climate Pact. The European Climate Pact is an EU-wide initiative inviting everyone to participate in climate action and build a greener Europe.

To celebrate this new phase, the achievements of the Community, and debate how to commit, engage, act and network towards a fairer, climate-neutral Europe, we are organising the first online European Covenant of Mayors Ceremony!

The European Commissioner for Energy Mrs Kadri Simson and the Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans will join Mayors, local leaders, Presidents of Regions, and representatives from municipalities of all sizes, in this celebration.

We are inviting all cities, regions, and all members of the Covenant of Mayors Community in Europe to get together in our online ceremony* to be held on 7 October 2021, from 09:30 to 13:00.

*Intepretation will be available in the following languages : ENGLISH / FRENCH / ITALIAN / SPANISH

Programme

Plenary session

Master of Ceremony: Jennifer Baker

09:30 – 09:40 (CEST)

Welcome remarks

David Maria Sassoli, President of the European Parliament

ENGAGE

09:40 – 10:20 (CEST)

Keynote address: Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal

Panel discussion:

  • Eric Piolle, Mayor of Grenoble, 2022 Green Capital
  • Katarina Luhr, Stockholm Deputy Mayor, Climate Pact Ambassador & Covenant Board
  • András Huszár, European Climate Pact Ambassador in Hungary

COMMIT

10:20 – 10:55 (CEST)

Keynote address: Kadri Simson, EU Commissioner for Energy
Video dialogue with Alexander Vandersmissen, Mayor of Mechelen and member of the EU Covenant Board

Panel discussion

  • Anna-Kaisa Ikonen, Mayor of Tampere
  • Dario Nardella, Mayor of Florence
  • Tanya Hristova, Mayor of Gabrovo and CoR member
  • Zdeněk Hřib, Mayor of Prague and CoR member

ACT

10:55 – 11:15 (CEST)

Covenant City in the Spotlight Award – Announcement of the winners

11:15 – 11:20 (CEST)

On the Road to Glasgow – Minna Arve, Mayor of Turku, Finland

11:20 – 11:30 (CEST)

What will the future look like? Cities and Regions walking the talk

Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European Committee of the Regions

NETWORK

11:30 – 13:00 (CEST)

Participants are invited to join the side activities of the Ceremony:

  • Virtual exhibition area
  • Schedule 1:1 meetings and instant meetings
  • Join thematic breakout sessions:

Getting Fit for 55!

Localising the European Climate Pact

Long-term ambitions for 2050, why and how

The new EU Policy Support Facility for municipal climate adaptation

Getting Fit for 55!

The EU Fit for 55 package adopted on 14 July 2021 brings an unprecedented ambition to our agendas. With common and joint efforts, all 27 EU Member States committed to turning the EU into the first climate-neutral continent in the world by 2050. To get there we need to reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels and do so in a fair, cost-effective and competitive way.

The Covenant of Mayors community has always been strongly committed to lead change and tackle climate change by endorsing a shared vision for 2050 based on accelerating the decarbonisation of their territories, strengthening their capacity to adapt to unavoidable climate change impacts, and allowing citizens to access secure, sustainable and affordable energy.

This is also why in April 2021, the Covenant of Mayors stepped up action and officially launched its renewed ambition of a fairer and climate-neutral Europe fully in line with the new EU targets. Many Covenant signatories are already backing these actions and engaging their citizens, businesses, and local stakeholders in the green transition.

In this session, you will have the chance to get ‘fit for 55’ by learning everything about the policy context, exploring the links with the Climate Neutral Cities mission and hear from Covenant Signatories about their path towards climate neutrality by 2050.

Agenda:

  • Introduction and moderation – Eva Banos de Guisasola, Covenant of Mayors Europe
  • The EU policy context and the Fit for 55 package – DG Energy, European Commission
  • Climate Neutral Cities Mission – Matthew Baldwin, Deputy Director-General of DG MOVE (TBC)
  • Presentations from Signatories
  • Q&A

Localising the European Climate Pact

As part of the new Covenant 2050, Signatories are invited to engage their local community in the transition to climate neutrality by developing a local climate pact. This session, co-organised by the European Covenant of Mayors Office and the Secretariat of the European Climate Pact will:

  • Show you the benefits of engaging your citizens and local stakeholders, with the testimonies of frontrunners cities and European Climate Pact Ambassadors
  • Present you how those European initiatives can support your climate and energy transition.

Join pioneers of the climate transition and experts from the Covenant of Mayors and Climate Pact offices to get all answers and guidance you need.

Agenda

11:30 – 11:45 (CEST) Welcome by Katerina Fortun, European Commission DG Climate Action (TBC)

11:45 – 12:25 (CEST) Innovative ways to engage your community, the floor to some pioneers…

  • Testimonies of several European cities and towns on their community engagement
  • Facilitated Q&A with the audience (e.g. written questions taken by the moderator

12:25 – 12:55 (CEST) European Climate Pact: what’s in it for cities

  • Pledging to the European Climate Pact and Commitment to the Covenant
  • Ambassadors to the Climate Pact
  • Thematic Clusters and Networks (e.g. sustainable mobility)
  • Count-us-in: a dashboard to learn about your community’s actions

12:55 – 13:00 (CEST) Wrap-up and conclusion by the Moderator (TBC)

Long-term ambitions for 2050, why and how

The new commitments for 2050 of the Covenant of Mayors Europe encourage all members of the Covenant of Mayors Community to adopt a long-term vision for their territories. But why and how aim for climate neutrality?

In this session, following the presentation of these new ambitions and how signatories can renew their commitments, several members of the community will share their experiences with long-term vision and planning for their transition toward climate neutrality. Either via project results or feedback from the ground, the discussion will cover the speakers’ why and how.

Agenda

11:30 – 11:42 (CEST) Welcome and introduction to the New Commitments for 2050 – Brieuc Posnic / Veronika Krupcikova, European Commission DG Energy

11:42 – 11:50 (CEST) How to Renew the Commitment on the Covenant of Mayors Europe – Mariangela Luceri, Covenant of Mayors Europe Office

11:50 – 11:58 (CEST) How are these ambitions part of a global movement – Piero Remitti, Global Covenant of Mayors  

12:00 – 12:20 (CEST) Planning for the future and long-term: good examples from European projects…

  • C-Track50 – Jurica Peko, Regional Energy Agency North, Croatia
  • TerriSTORY – Thomas Knight, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Energie Environnement, France

12: 20 – 12:45 (CEST) Experiences from the ground moderated by Elodie Bossio, Covenant of Mayors Europe Office.

  • Julije Domac, North-West Croatia Regional Energy Agency, Croatia – Member of the Covenant of Mayors – Europe Political Board
  • Silvio de Nigris, Piemonte Region, Italy – Covenant of Mayors Europe Territorial Coordinator
  • Jan Vermeulen, Municipality of Deinze, Belgium – 2050 commitments signatory to the Covenant of Mayors -Europe

12:45 – 12:55 (CEST) Q&A

12:55 – 13:00 (CEST) Wrap-up and conclusion by Elodie Bossio

The new EU Policy Support Facility for municipal climate adaptation

As part of the EU’s adaptation measures to help increase local resilience, a new Policy Support Facility (PSF) will support local and regional authorities to move from adaptation planning to action. Under the EU and Covenant of Mayors-Europe, this adaptation-focused support facility will provide technical assistance to help develop and implement robust adaptation strategies and plans on the ground. Come join us for a session to learn more about the facility, engage with the Covenant of Mayors and the EU, and discuss your suggestions and needs for how the facility can support your adaptation implementation needs.

Agenda :

Moderator: Covenant of Mayors – Europe Office

11:30 – 11:35 (CEST) Moderation & Introduction by Noelani Dubeta and Julie Yang, Covenant of Mayors – Europe Office

11:35 – 11:50 (CEST) Towards comprehensive adaptation to climate change

The new EU policy landscape of adaptation (EU Strategy, Horizon-Europe Missions, Climate Pact), by Elena Visnar, European Commission, DG Climate Action

11:50 – 12:05 (CEST) Opportunities for scaling up adaptation action- The new support facility for cities

Policy Support Facility – Technical assistance to help signatories move from local adaptation planning to action, by Lucie Blondel, Covenant of Mayors – Europe Office

General Q&A on the Policy Support Facility

12:05 – 12:50 (CEST) Brainstorming on opportunities of the Policy Support Facility for cities | Have your say to help shape the Policy Support Facility programme!

This brainstorming is structured around support needs and recommendations for the Policy Support Facility (PSF):

  • Your challenges and concerns for implementing adaptation plans
  • Your support needs for the PSF
  • How the PSF could respond to your recommendations

12:50 – 13:00 (CEST) Wrap-up, next steps and where to find more information


Register your European Covenant of Mayors Satellite Event!

The event will also showcase the richness of climate actions everywhere in Europe with decentralised Satellite Ceremony events that YOU can organise to discuss local challenges and promote the 2050 European Covenant of Mayors’ vision! See here who can submit an event, and how.

Besides submitting your event as a Satellite Event of the 2021 Covenant of Mayors Ceremony, we encourage everyone in the European Community to register their events on the Conference on the Future of Europe Digital Platform, to share your ideas, and contribute to rethinking Europe.