site.btaSofia Municipality Receives EU Mission Label in Recognition of Developing Plan to Achieve Climate Neutrality by 2030

Sofia Municipality, together with 38 other municipalities from Europe, including Gabrovo Municipality, received the EU mission label at an official ceremony in Vilnius. This brings the total number of leading municipalities that are part of the EU Mission for Climate Neutral and Smart Cities, one of the EU missions under Horizon Europe, to 92, the press centre of the Sofia Municipality said on Wednesday.

The press office further said that the label recognizes cities' plans to achieve climate neutrality by 2030 and aims to facilitate access to public and private funding to achieve this goal. It is also instrumental in achieving the goals of the EU Green Deal, which sets out the steps to make Europe the first climate neutral continent by 2050.

Sofia receives the Mission Label in recognition from the European Commission for the successful completion of the Climate City Contract (CCC) process, which was signed in Sofia in September 2023 between the Sofia Municipality, representatives of business, NGOs and the scientific community. 

"We know that the targets we are setting and the systematic approach we are taking to achieve climate neutrality are at a high level. The EU Mission Label is not only a recognition of our efforts, but also a commitment that we are dedicated to implement with the same consistency with which we worked to sign the treaty and attract the first partners of our initiative," said Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev on the occasion of receiving the EU Mission Label.

The EU Mission Label aims to facilitate access to funding from EU, national and regional sources, as well as private investment. It serves as an assurance of the robustness of the municipality's plans and management and aims to increase investor confidence.

Sofia's most important focus on the path to neutrality is on emission-intensive sectors such as transport. The goal is to have 80% of trips in Sofia by public transport by 2035. Another focus is the construction sector and a number of initiatives to help reduce emissions, as well as improvements to the recyclable waste management system and the implementation of energy efficiency programmes, the press release said.