Speech by President von der Leyen at the EU Covenant of Mayors Ceremony 2025

Dear President Metsola,

Dear President Tüttő,

Mayor Péterffy,

Excellencies,

Esteemed members of the Covenant of Mayors,

I would like to start by welcoming the representatives from Ukraine and Moldova in particular. You are here among friends. Your engagement here is proof that you are already building your European future, step-by-step, and project by project, together with us all. Because, let me be clear, the future of both your countries is at the heart of our European Union.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today we celebrate 17 years of the EU Covenant of Mayors. This matters, because it is in your local communities that the pulse of Europe can be felt. Together you represent more than 219 million people. You hear from citizens in the streets, in markets, at school gates – their hopes, concerns, and daily realities. It is this closeness that helps you guide Europe's direction. Nowhere is this clearer than in protecting nature and fighting climate change. For you, this is not an abstract debate. It means city streets growing hotter each summer. Rivers bursting their banks more often. And schools forced to close due to extreme weather conditions. Stark rain, drought, wildfires. It is communities being reshaped. This covenant has one common goal. It is about doing more together to protect the incredible nature we have across Europe, and the lives that depend on it.

Let me focus on 4 areas: First, reaching our climate ambitions. Let me tell you very clearly: Europe is staying the course. We are on track to meet our 2030 targets. And we will make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. These targets are the compass that keep us on course. But we know we can only achieve them if we stay competitive, if we support people and communities. That is why the clean transformation is at the centre of the next long-term EU budget. The Commission has proposed to dedicate 35% to clean tech, to climate and nature protection. And it is why we want to deepen our cooperation with you. Because the transition happens where people live, in your cities and communities. By the end of this year, we will present a new EU Agenda for Cities. This will propose a direct link between your initiatives – Climate City Contracts, Energy and Adaptation Plans – and EU funding. This approach simply makes sense. We set our direction of travel together. But you help bring it to life, in the ways that work at home. In every community, different individuals and tailormade.

My second point is on: How to adapt to the impacts of climate change? Climate change is already here. You know this better than anyone else. Many of your communities were devastated by floods and wildfires this summer. In those moments of crisis, Europe was there. Almost 800 brave firefighters and rescuers, from all corners of our Union, answered the call. They literally ran towards the flames, to save lives and protect homes. And when the smoke clears and water recedes, Europe is still there. After the devasting floods in Valencia, for example, the EU mobilised nearly EUR 1.6 billion to support reconstruction, to help families rebuild their homes and communities. That is us all working together – it is European solidarity in action. And we all can take pride in it and thank our firefighters for the outstanding work they are doing in every moment for our Union.

But we know that prevention and adaptation are just as important. Here, cities and towns are leading the way with nature-based solutions. From rain gardens in Catania to green oases in Poznań. Together we developed the EU Missions on Adaptation and on Cities. Now we are scaling up these local successes across the continent. And we are learning from you and your best-practise. This is feeding into the European Plan for Climate Resilience that we will present soon. We learn from what works or what does not work in your communities, and this is feeding the plan we are developing. Our goal is to help every single community to access the finance they need to adapt to the challenges of climate change. Yes, the challenges are huge. If you listen to the last reports of science, they are huge. But by working together – and we have shown it before –, we can move mountains. And we are determined to do this.

Third, on innovation. Cities and towns are pioneers in finding concrete solutions. We see incredible innovation happening across Europe. In Copenhagen, windows are being turned into solar panels, transforming buildings into solar stations. In Paderborn, Germany, autonomous electric mini-vehicles are being tested to provide door-to-door services for the elderly. And in Italy, we set up a network of European cities where the first self-driving cars can hit the road. A coalition of 60 Italian mayors have already expressed their interest. This is exciting, and I think this also brings hope. That there are solutions. That there is innovation that leads in the right way. That we can work with nature-based solutions. And there is a potential to overcome these crises.

Local innovations like these are shaping Europe's future, and we want to help you go even further.   We want to make, together with you, your towns and cities hubs of innovation. That is the heart of our EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities. It is unlocking EUR 650 billion in investments so that cities can test new solutions – trial and error, the best will survive –, from clean energy to sustainable transport; the list is long. And then, if you have tested and it has proven well, others can follow your example. Our aim is clear to have 112 climate-neutral cities by 2030. And we are on track. Over 100 cities have approved strategies to make it a reality. Our towns and cities are showing how to lead in those innovations, that turn our ambitions into a reality.

My final point is not about targets or technologies, it is about ensuring people and housing. A home is not just four walls and a roof. It is safety, warmth, a place for family and friends. It is belonging. But for too many Europeans today, home has become a source of anxiety. It can mean debt or uncertainty. Students are giving up their studies because they simply cannot find housing. Nurses, teachers, policemen cannot afford to live in the communities they serve. This is a European challenge, and we must face it together, it needs a European answer. That is why we are launching the European Affordable Housing Plan. It is a European effort, anchored in local solutions. We will allow more room for affordable housing under our State aid rules, to give your communities the flexibility they need to build more affordable homes. And we are working with the European Investment Bank to support local efforts to deliver 1.3 million new or renovated homes across Europe. Because this housing crisis is not about bricks or cement, is about giving people the foundations on which to build their lives. When people have a safe and comfortable place to call home, streets come alive again. Squares, and neighbourhoods can become vibrant again. You know it by experience, better than anyone else. That matters because people need community. They need to live in places that inspire. That is also why we started our New European Bauhaus. The vision of creating beautiful and sustainable spaces, to live in, to work in, and to bring people together. It started as a vision almost six years ago. Today, it has really become a movement, with 700 projects across Europe and beyond, involving more than 1,900 organisations. Because sustainability is not only about cutting emissions or adapting to change. Yes, this is important, and we are staying the course, and you can count on us. But it is also important to build places that are better to live in. It is about togetherness. It is about having the confidence that we can create a better future together. You are working on that every day. And Europe is here with you to make it happen.

Thank you very much for all your work, I highly appreciate it.