Athens Sets To Accelerate Climate Transactions Plans

Having achieved EU Mission Label status, the Municipality of Athens is entering a pivotal new phase in unlocking investments that will drive an equitable climate transition for the city and its citizens.  Earlier this month, BwB joined a powerful line-up of speakers and stakeholders at the ‘Financial Tools for the Implementation of Climate and Social Commitments for Climate Neutrality’ seminar, hosted by the municipality and attended by over 40 representatives from public, academic, and civil society institutions.  Representing BwB, CEO Rupesh Madlani, and Vice President & City Finance Specialist for Greek and Cypriot Mission Cities, George Ioulianos, shared information on strategies and specific tools that are available to help cities such as Athens scale climate investment.  George provided an overview of the Climate City Capital Hub (Capital Hub), a flagship initiative of the NetZeroCitiesEU project, which provides end-to-end financial advisory and technical assistance support for Mission Cities across Europe.  "The official granting of its Mission Label marks an exciting milestone for Athens,” comments George. “The journey to climate neutrality comes with additional challenges for populous cities. Athens now has the opportunity to be a pioneering role model for how such cities can successfully transition to a more sustainable future."  Key takeaways: 

• The Mission Label unlocks new funding and partnership opportunities, but this must be accompanied by an acceleration in focused drive and activity. 

• Athens can blend public and private capital to scale its climate investments, which must place strong emphasis on ensuring a just transition. 

• The Capital Hub offers tailored support and advice – from project design to implementation – that can accelerate the journey to climate neutrality.    Thank you to the Municipality of Athens for hosting such a useful and energising session.     What do you see as the biggest opportunity, or challenge, for climate investment in large cities like Athens? Join the conversation in the comments.