Welcome to the 7^th Edition of the CoP-Cities Newsletter. This edition marks a year that we have been publishing our newsletter, and well over a year of living within the restrictions imposed by the Covid pandemic. We hope that as we move into the summer, the systematic easing of restrictions and progress in the vaccination campaigns will allow you all to take a breather and reconnect with family and friends.

Looking forward, as always, we hope some of the lessons learnt during the hardest moments of the lockdowns can help improve our lives, and especially the overall quality of life in both urban and rural areas.

As usual, keep in mind that this is a bimonthly publication, with a new edition foreseen for the end of July. For any feedback on this edition, or contributions to the following one, including highlights of your current work, upcoming publications, or events, please let us know at jrc-kctp@ec.europa.eu.

Finally, on a very personal note, my contract will be ending soon and I will be leaving already next week on maternity leave. I wish you all the best, and look forward to working together again in the future. 

We will be welcoming our third little girl, who we have decided to call Asha, meaning hope.

Ine Vandecasteele

Editorial Team: Jean-Philippe Aurambout, Patrizia Sulis, and a big welcome to Giulia Testori