François Sprumont, European R&D and innovation support advisor at the Luxembourg innovation agency guided the Differdange team during the process of creating and submitting the city’s application to the Commission. The Cities Mission project will provide a total of €360m of funding to 100 administrations selected in the programme. Luxembourg’s project will be centred on mobility, waste management and ecology and will look to involve all sectors. The next step for Differdange will be creating a concrete concept and presenting it for validation to the municipal council and then to the Commission. Luxinnovation will be involved in the practical application of the project.

The EU project involves cities from 27 member states and 12 additional ones from countries associated or having the potential to be associated with the Horizon Europe programme, the EU's key funding programme for research and innovation. During the protracted EU budget negotiations of 2020, the strategy looked like it would receive major cuts in funding in favour of pandemic aid. The European Parliament’s push, however, was enough for the Council of the EU to agree to an extra €100m in a last-minute provisional deal in 2021. This will allow projects like the Cities Mission--which runs from 2022 to 2023--to be more effective.

“The green transition is making its way all over Europe right now. But there's always a need for trailblazers, who set themselves even higher goals. These cities are showing us the way to a healthier future. We will support them on this! Let's begin the work today,”said Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in a press release.

The selected cities will benefit from tailor-made advice and assistance from NetZeroCities, a platform created in the framework of the Horizon programme. It will allow Differdange and the other participants to make use of additional funding, financing and networking opportunities.