The European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson has announced the winners of the ‘City in the Spotlight Award’ in a video message on 17 June 2020.

The City in the Spotlight rewards cities that have achieved remarkable progress in their local energy and climate action, in the context of their commitment to the Covenant of Mayors initiative.
Three applications have been selected to receive the award:

• Turin in the category ‘large-size signatories (>250,000 inhabitants)
• Turku in the category ‘medium sized signatories (10,000-250,000 inhabitants)
• and Montaione in the category small-sized signatories (<10,000 inhabitants)

They have been evaluated based on a set of criteria such as commitment, monitoring of the results, stakeholders involvement, Action Plan financing, administration and governance, and connecting 2020 with the new 2030 commitments.

Turin was one of the first cities to join the covenant in 2009. Since then, it has demonstrated an increasing commitment to implementing the energy transition and taking action on climate. Turin has already reduced its emissions by one third compared to 1990 levels, exceeding the targets for 2020. Turin’s action plan on energy and climate is fully integrated into other municipal policies and is regularly upgraded, which directly contributes to such outstanding results.

As the oldest city in Finland, Turku is a global leader with regards to climate action and circular economy. It has already cut its emissions by 50% compared to 1990 levels, has developed a comprehensive climate adaptation strategy, and set a climate neutrality target for as early as 2029.

With only 3000 inhabitants, Montaione demonstrated to be an example for smaller signatories with regards to energy and climate action. The village encourages neighbouring peers to raise their ambitions. Furthermore, Montaione has been successful in the development of a district heating network fuelled by biomass, and the creation of a sustainable tourist resort.

We congratulate our members Turin and Turku, and the city of Montaione, for their outstanding achievements, and look forward to sharing more about their actions on climate and energy.