City hosts key events in the European digital and climate transition strategy

The European digital transition and carbon neutrality strategy is taking another significant step in Porto. As mentor city, it was chosen by the European Commission to host the second Implementation Lab and the Mayor's Summit of the Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC).

Both events are scheduled for 18 and 19 June at Palácio da Bolsa, and will be attended by representatives of the European cities that are part of the ICC. The focus will be on identifying opportunities for collaboration and sharing innovative solutions to the common challenges faced in managing the different territories.

The Implementation Lab aims to promote training and networking sessions between cities and experts/facilitators on strategic thematics such as Construction and Built Environment, Energy and Renewables, Mobility and Transport, Tourism, and Cultural and Creative Industries.

The Mayors' Summit will bring together leaders from all the cities that make up the ICC to reaffirm their political commitment to the development of Local Green Deals and related activities. A Declaration of Commitment will be signed at the end.

A moment to reinforce the city's commitment

The Deputy Mayor of Porto emphasises that 'the city has been fully committed to this important European Commission initiative from the very beginning'.

At the end of 2023, Porto renewed its leadership role in the ICC, and was selected by the European Commission to join the project's group of ten mentor cities. This group is responsible for guiding 64 other cities in creating impactful strategies for the development of innovative solutions that will put them at the forefront of the dual green and digital transition through Local Green Deals.

'As a mentor city we perform a role of enormous responsibility, but it's also a unique opportunity to strengthen our knowledge of the themes we're working on, as we'll be able to explore scenarios of enormous complexity', Filipe Araújo says.

In his role as the person also responsible for Environment and Climate Transition, 'more than an opportunity to share experiences, we want this to be another challenging moment to explore new frontiers in the themes related to digital and climate transition for cities'.

Welcoming and inspiring an example of a mentor city

The European Commission's initiative also includes technical working sessions, which will allow cities to work together on the themes and sectors that best suit their specific challenges.

Palácio da Bolsa will also host an exhibition of companies specialising in Local Green Deals solutions and use cases linked to the Tech4Good Marketplace, a platform for disseminating solutions and best practices at the service of cities.

The representative of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs emphasises 'Porto's continued dedication to supporting other European cities on their journey towards local economies' green and digital transition'.

Dana Eleftheriadou highlights 'Porto's welcome and inspiration as a mentor city, the birthplace of innovative ideas and fruitful collaborations for the ICC community'.

'Its ambitious carbon neutrality goals and commitment to the Local Green Deal make Porto a natural choice to host the Implementation Laboratory and the Mayors' Summit', she says.

The Municipality's participation in the ICC is ensured by Porto Digital and the Carbon Neutrality Department, as the aim of this European Commission initiative is to support cities in their digital and green transition.