Bridging Borders for Climate Neutrality: U_CAN Cities at the Cities Mission Conference in Vilnius

On May 6-8, U_CAN and SUN4Ukraine came together in Vilnius for the Cities Mission Conference, where Ukrainian and European cities stood side-by-side to share their experiences, deepen cooperation, and reaffirm their commitment to climate neutrality.

At the heart of the programme was the breakout session “Bridging Borders for Climate Neutrality: Partnering Ukrainian Cities with the Mission Cities”, where pilot cities of both projects shared how they are turning adversity into action. Despite the immense pressures of war, these municipalities are finding new ways to rebuild, prioritise sustainability, and advance green transition efforts.

The panel also highlighted the strong and growing partnerships between U_CAN’s six Mission Cities and their Ukrainian counterparts. These Mission Cities - Košice, Dresden, Leipzig, Thessaloniki, Wrocław, and Bratislava-- were present throughout the event and played a key role in deepening cooperation. On May 6, they all joined a cocktail reception and informal meet-and-greet with their Ukrainian counterparts, strengthening the personal and professional ties at the heart of this collaboration.

The U_CAN project was also spotlighted during the plenary session on May 6, where Miso Hudak of the City of Košice publicly acknowledged the initiative and the importance of supporting Ukraine’s sustainable urban development. On May 8, during the breakout session, Regine Kramer (City of Dresden) and Nadja Riedel (City of Leipzig) spoke on behalf of U_CAN, offering insights from their cities’ collaborative work with Ukrainian municipalities.

Importantly, the session featured U_CAN alongside SUN4Ukraine, another EU-funded initiative under the growing Ukraine Cluster. Together, these two projects are helping to shape a framework for long-term, city-level climate cooperation between the EU and Ukraine. While each project takes a distinct approach, both emphasise knowledge sharing, capacity building, and the creation of scalable climate solutions.

In addition to the session, U_CAN and SUN4Ukraine jointly hosted a common booth under the Ukraine Cluster umbrella, which served as a vibrant space to establish new connections, showcase both projects, and highlight pilot city initiatives. This shared presence allowed for broader visibility, active networking, and meaningful exchanges with stakeholders from across Europe.

U_CAN also proudly acknowledges the contributions of its diverse consortium of partners—including TUD, WUST, ULA, CIL, ZCC, KhNU, LYKUML, ME IUD, ISKPI, LHD and ECSA, as long as representatives of our pilot cities – Lviv, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi — whose dedication and expertise are central to the project’s impact.

As Nataliia Kholchenkova, Head of International Relations and Investments Department in the City of Chernihiv put it: “We can’t choose our neighbours, but we can choose our partners.” The Cities Mission Conference in Vilnius affirmed that U_CAN’s network is not just a project—it’s a growing family of cities, committed to shaping a greener, more resilient future together.