Brussels,


Smart Cities


Cities accommodate 75% of the European population. And this figure is expected to rise to almost 85% by 2050. As they are responsible for a significant production of greenhouse gases, the goal is to make energy use in cities more efficient, using all the most effective technological and legislative solutions.

Several EU policies, proposals and initiatives promoting more attractive and competitive urban areas, healthier and more sustainable place to live in, while also tackling climate challenges, are in place:
​
  • the energy union strategy sets out the targets and actions to transform the European energy system into the most sustainable in the world
  • the Urban Agenda for the EU promotes better laws, easier access to funding and more knowledge sharing on issues relevant for cities, bringing together the Commission, national ministries, city governments and other stakeholders
  • the energy performance of buildings directive (EPBD) promotes smart technologies in buildings to increase their energy efficiency
  • the EU Covenant of mayors for climate & energy brings together thousands of local governments, voluntarily committed to implementing EU climate and energy objectives in cities
  • the strategic energy technology plane (SET Plan) promotes research and innovation efforts across Europe by supporting the most impactful technologies in the EU's transformation to a low-carbon energy system
  • the Smart cities information system (SCIS), which provides a lasting repository of information on smart city projects and serves as a knowledge platform to exchange data, experience and know-how
​​Smart Cities Marketplace

​The major market-changing undertaking that aims to bring cities, industries, SMEs, investors, banks, researchers and many other smart city actors together. For the future of cities.
​
The Smart Cities Marketplace aims at delivering practical knowledge, capacity-building opportunities, access to finance, finding partners and more, to establish a European smart city market, as well as making European cities the most liveable places in the world. Thus, directly and very practically supporting the aims of the energy union and the Urban Agenda for the EU.

The Smart Cities Marketplace has many followers from all over Europe and beyond, many of which have signed up as a member.
Their common aims are to improve citizens’ quality of life, increase the competitiveness of European cities and industry as well as to reach European energy and climate targets.
​
The Marketplace's main areas of cross-cutting operation include:

  • sustainable urban mobility
  • sustainable districts and built environment
  • integrated infrastructures and processes in energy, information and communication technologies and transport
  • citizen focus
  • policy and regulation
  • integrated planning and management
  • knowledge sharing
  • baselines, performance indicators and metrics
  • open data governance
  • standards
  • business models, procurement and funding

The Smart Cities Marketplace’s operations are structured in three steps: Explore-Shape-Deal:

  1. Explore – See and learn what’s next:
    This phase enables access to the collected Smart Cities knowledge, including that of  linked projects and initiatives. It is a continuous process that helps keeping the overview of which solutions and best practices have already been successfully implemented and creating ideas for own projects.
  2. Shape – Shape project and action plans:
    Once a vision for a project has been developed this phase helps to shape that idea into a solid bankable project, which is fit to attract public and private investors. This phase will also enable a structured dialogue between all key stakeholders involved.
  3. Deal – Create relations and opportunities:
    The third and last phase enables a one-to-one exchange between project promoters and members of the financing community to ultimately close deals and finance projects.
The Digital Platform
The Smart Cities Marketplace hosts the group of 120 Scalable Cities, which are involved in 18 Smart Cities and Communities Lighthouse projects, funded by Horizon 2020 with around €345 million.

The Scalable Cities are divided into 48 Lighthouse cities and 72 Fellow cities. Lighthouse cities pilot and deploy the most advanced and innovative solutions, while Fellow cities follow the lead of Lighthouse cities, engaging in replication of already deployed solutions.
​
The cities represented by Scalable Cities, most of which are also signatories of the Covenant of Mayors on Climate and Energy, have showed significant results, saving so far over 15 GWh of energy and 3 000 tCO2.
​

Join Smart Cities Marketplace Platform. In case you do not have an EU account, yet, you will need to create one. It is free of charge and gives access to many more EU websites and services.

Feel free to join any of the Action Clusters or Initiatives covering the areas above (and more) should you want to become involved in concrete actions.  On the Smart Cities Marketplace website you can find a wealth of news, projects, insights, stories, guidance and more.

The EU call to become a Smart City model
​


The EU has launched the first call for tenders, in October 2022.
Cities have signed up for the call for expressions of interest by going to the EU Smart Cities Marketplace.

After an evaluation by independent experts, the Commission announced the list of selected participating cities in April 2022. The first cities will be able to start working on their Climate City Contracts with the support of the Mission Platform as soon as the selection process is completed.

EU Energy Platform

​➀ EU strategies, objectives, policies, action programs and legislation

➁ Real-time information on EU decisions, funding, procurement, events.

➂ Quick search, analysis and insights

④ In all languages