NZC Systems Perspectives
Getting Started
Climate City Contracts
Mission Cities Systemic Approach
Climate Transition Team
Developing an Action Plan
Pathways, Indicators & Monitoring
EU National coordination learning Opportunities
Just transition
Achieving climate neutrality across Europe depends on effective collaboration between cities, national governments, and European institutions. National platforms are emerging as key enablers of this collaboration, aligning local ambition with European policy and turning climate goals into coordinated, actionable strategies. National Mission Ecosystems and dedicated platforms serve as a “shared software” for collective action, providing spaces for trust-building and the co-creation of scalable solutions involving at the national scale, the private sector and civil society organisations.
EU National coordination learning Opportunities
National platforms institutionalise cooperation and provide cities with a clear pathway to accelerate their climate transition while contributing to a cohesive, Union-wide transformation. More than coordination mechanisms, they create dedicated spaces for dialogue (a community), support, multi-city work and problem-solving, as well as bridging the gap between local innovation and national decision-making. In doing so, National Platforms and National Mission Ecosystems help connect bottom-up urban action with the authorities that can shape regulation, unlock funding, and remove systemic barriers.
On this page, you will find examples of how national platforms are established across different countries, along with the instruments and methods they use to engage with and support cities in their journey toward climate neutrality, as well as examples of collaboration with national and regional authorities.
Videos
Reading Resources
Accelerating Just Transitions: Insights for Cities and National Platforms
This online repository collects a set of insights that aims to help city representatives and city support agents, such as national platform facilitators, to integrate a Just Transition approach into city climate action.
Quick Read content: The role of Philanthropy within the mission
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Online Planning Lab: Module 6 - Spotlight session 3: Just transition
Information on the session: Just Transition. What do we mean by just Transition? how to apply a just transition lens on governance and city led projects
National Platforms to Transform Cities Using Collective Experimentation and Scale: The Case of Sweden and Spain
Chapter 8 of the book “Higher Education and SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities” . This text is based on the content of Chapter 8 of the book “Higher Education and SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities” and analyses the unique role of universities in the creation and consolidation of national platforms of cities working to become healthier, more liveable places while achieving climate neutrality.
EnergyNet and the Future of Local Energy Systems A Viable Cities Outlook on a New Energy Society
EnergyNet is an outlook that explores how cities can build a new, local-first energy system by integrating renewable generation, storage, flexibility and digital coordination into one coherent framework. It is useful for cities and stakeholders because it shows how this approach can make energy cleaner, more resilient and more affordable—while enabling just, community‑centred climate‑neutral transitions.
Viable Cities, Sweden
This resource presents Viable Cities’ mission‑based approach to accelerating climate‑neutral urban development through Climate City Contracts, cross‑sector collaboration, and innovative governance tools. It is useful for cities seeking tested methods to organise, finance, and scale their climate‑transition efforts.
Network of ambitious cities on climate neutrality grows to 184 on EU Cities Mission peer-learning programme
The Twinning Learning Programme is a 17-month programme that aims to transfer knowledge and build capacities across the Pilot Cities and Twin Cities engaged in the programme.
Local Portfolio Analysis - A test of government support for urban transitions
This case presents a pilot initiative that helps municipalities map and analyze their externally funded innovation projects, enabling them to build coordinated project portfolios aligned with climate‑neutrality goals. It is useful for cities and stakeholders because it improves oversight of past initiatives, strengthens strategic planning and future funding applications, and supports smarter, mission‑driven investment decisions for accelerated climate action.
Spotlight on National Climate City Contracts
This case explains Sweden’s Climate City Contract (CCC) 2030, an evolving multi‑level governance framework that strengthens collaboration between cities, national agencies, and Viable Cities to accelerate the transition to climate‑neutral and sustainable cities. It is useful for cities and stakeholders because it aligns policies, coordinates funding, supports innovation and scaling, and provides practical tools and processes (e.g. climate investment planning, smart policy development, and EU engagement) to overcome barriers and speed up climate action.
Case Studies
The Role of Philanthropy in Southern Italy’s Community Energy Transition
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The Role of Philanthropy in Turin’s Urban Climate Transition
This case study examines the contribution of Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo to Turin’s pathway toward climate neutrality through two complementary initiatives: the CLICC project and the TPL Carbon Free Innovation Center. Together, these initiatives illustrate how philanthropy can operate both as a builder of systemic urban capacities and as an accelerator of sector-specific innovation. Rather than acting solely as a source of funding, the foundation plays a strategic role in strengthening governance, enabling experimentation and fostering collaboration across institutional and sectoral boundaries.
The region as a signatory of the Climate City Contract, Region of Valencia, Spain
This case illustrates how the long‑standing collaboration between the Valencia Region and the City of València has created an integrated governance model that aligns regional and local powers to advance the València 2030 Climate Mission. It is useful for cities and stakeholders because it shows how coordinated mitigation‑and‑adaptation planning, shared climate governance, and strategic use of national and EU funding can accelerate climate‑neutral and resilient urban transitions.
Strengthening Just Transitions Through the Core Functions of National Platforms
National platforms are to support cities and accelerate European climate agendas by strengthening coordination and cooperation across governance levels. Working with diverse stakeholders brings challenges related to differing interests and power dynamics. Applying a Just Transition perspective helps national platforms address these challenges and foster more balanced, inclusive and fair climate action processes.
Supporting cities in achieving their climate neutrality objectives: Poland
The Polish national platform for facilitating the implementation of the Cities Mission was launched at the end of 2023. Its objective is to foster closer collaboration and alignment among the national, regional and local levels, and to provide direct support to the five Mission Cities in their climate neutrality work
Viable Cities Journey: Climate transition through Collaboration and Multi-level Governance
This resource presents Viable Cities’ mission-driven governance model—combining Climate City Contracts, transition teams, transition arenas, and Climate Investment Plans—to help cities break silos and mobilise all actors for climate neutrality by 2030. It is valuable for cities and stakeholders seeking practical, scalable methods to strengthen collaboration, secure long‑term commitment, and accelerate the transition in line with the EU Cities Mission.
Making EU Missions a priority in Blekinge Regional Smart Specialisation Strategy
This resource outlines how the Blekinge Region is using the EU Missions as a driver for regional development by integrating climate neutrality, climate adaptation, and healthy oceans into its smart specialisation strategy. It is valuable for cities and stakeholders because it demonstrates how mission‑oriented approaches can strengthen regional collaboration, unlock EU funding, support innovation pilots, and build the systemic capacity needed to accelerate climate‑neutral and resilient transitions.
National Platform: France
This resource explains how France is advancing the EU Cities Mission through the National Groupe Miroir Ville (GMV), an informal yet increasingly influential coordination space that brings together ministries, agencies, cities, networks, and research institutions. It is useful for cities and stakeholders because it shows how regular exchange, shared learning, and emerging multi‑level collaboration can strengthen climate governance, support the development of Climate City Contracts, and build the foundations for effective implementation despite limited formalisation and funding.
National Platform: Italy
This resource outlines how Italy is building an emerging national ecosystem for climate‑neutral cities by connecting Mission Cities, national ministries, networks, and technical teams through shared processes and collaboration spaces. It is useful for cities and stakeholders because it shows how multi‑level coordination, continuity, and shared learning can help sustain climate action even amid institutional change, offering inspiration for developing similar national platforms elsewhere.
citiES 2030: Spain
citiES 2030 is Spain’s national platform that empowers Mission Cities and Mission‑minded cities to accelerate their transition to climate neutrality through multi‑level coordination, shared learning, and collaborative project development. It is a valuable resource for cities and stakeholders because it connects local actors with national and European frameworks, mobilises expertise and funding, and supports the co‑creation of scalable solutions for urban transformation. It deeps dive on the origin and evolution of citiES 2030
Towards a National Platform: Türkiye
Türkiye's Climate‑Neutral Cities Network (İNŞA) brings together 55 municipalities in a nationally coordinated effort to accelerate climate neutrality through capacity building and peer learning. It shows how a country outside the EU can successfully build a national ecosystem for climate‑neutral cities, offering practical lessons on coordination and scaling Mission‑oriented approaches.
Spotlight on National Platforms
The case describes what a National Platform is and highlights its added value for cities, showing how it strengthens coordination across governance levels, removes implementation barriers, and provides practical tools, funding pathways, and peer‑learning opportunities to accelerate climate action.
Related Project and initiatives (external)
Learning from Cities
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