This is the last newsletter in 2022 and we are all getting ready for our well-deserved holiday break. However, our festive mood is dampened by the on-going war in Europe! Like never before, the Russian attack on Ukraine demonstrated to us how fragile peace in Europe was and the huge implications on all levels of European life.

At the same time, the EU and individual countries struggle to find answers to the fundamentally changed political landscape. The recognition of fossil energy dependency leads to a new assessment of renewable energy as well as energy-saving measures, as promoted by the Covenant of Mayors Cities Energy Saving Sprint, for example.

Under the EC policy of RePowerEU, the plan focuses on saving energy, producing clean energy and diversifying our energy supplies. We believe the Smart Cities Marketplace can play a role in speeding up the green transition of cities in Europe. It can spur massive investments through its matchmaking process and help in the substitution of fossil fuels and developing innovations.

2023 will show us how fast we can adapt, change for the better and support our Ukrainian neighbours. We wish all of you a happy holiday!

See you in 2023, we leave you with some impressions of the Smart City Expo World Congress 2022 in Barcelona.

Your Smart Cities Marketplace team