Covenant of Mayors

What is the Covenant of Mayors?

The Covenant of Mayors is the first and most ambitious initiative of the European Union, led by the European Commission, aimed directly at enabling local authorities and their citizens to take a leading role in the fight against global climate change. Since 2008, the Covenant of Mayors has grown into a vibrant movement of local authorities ready to expand their commitment to sustainable energy and climate change. By joining the Covenant of Mayors, a local authority voluntarily commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving climate resilience by implementing a Sustainable Energy (and Climate) Action Plan.

What obligations do the Covenant Signatories have to fulfil?

The commitments of the Covenant of Mayors Signatories are linked to the European Union's climate and energy policy implementation strategy. This includes the EU 2020 climate and energy package for Signatories that joined between 2008 and 2015, the EU 2030 climate and energy strategy, and the EU Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for Signatories that joined after 2015. 
Signatories working under the 2020 strategy (Covenant of Mayors 2020) and/or its adapted version ("Covenant of Mayors Adapt") are encouraged to renew and expand their commitments compared to their current mitigation actions. It is proposed to renew their commitment to the 2030 Covenant (Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy) by adopting a new decision by the city council and signing the 2030 Accession Form.

Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy

Since October 2015, local authorities have committed to reducing CO2 (and potentially other greenhouse gas) emissions by at least 40%, increasing resilience to climate change and ensuring reliable access to sustainable and affordable energy by 2030.
For the Eastern Partnership countries, the CO2 emission reduction target is set at a minimum of 30%.

Why does joining the Covenant of Mayors not involve financial commitments?

The starting point for the Covenant of Mayors was a call from European cities, endorsed and supported by the European Commission. Given that this initiative adheres to the principle of bottom-up development and is a voluntary commitment aimed at meeting the ambitious goals set by municipalities themselves, joining the Covenant of Mayors is absolutely free of charge, as is the implementation of planned tasks and the submission of the necessary reports in accordance with the Covenant methodology.

What will the Covenant Signatories get in return?

The European Commission has committed itself to supporting the local authorities participating in the Covenant of Mayors and to publicising their activities under the Covenant. 
Initially, the European Commission established and funded the Covenant of Mayors Office (CoM Office), which, with the assistance of the Helpdesk, assists Signatories on all matters related to their participation in the Covenant and promotes local activities through the media. The CoM Office also coordinates work with third parties and negotiates support for Signatories' activities with potential partners and donors.
The European Commission's Joint Research Centre works closely with the CoM Office to provide clear technical guidance and templates to facilitate the implementation of the Covenant of Mayors commitments and to ensure that the implementation of the outcome measures is monitored.
The European Commission has committed to establishing certain funding and political support mechanisms for the activities of European cities that have joined the Covenant. Since the Covenant of Mayors process now also affects cities in the Eastern Partnership countries, the needs of these regions are also taken into account when creating support mechanisms.

Based on research, there are many reasons for current Covenant Signatories to join this movement, including:

• To publicly declare their ambitious commitment to reducing CO2.
• To create or strengthen CO2 reduction momentum in their territory.
• To be motivated by other pioneers in this area and by their examples.
• Share the experience gained on their territory with others.
• Make their territory known as the best example for others.
• To publicly announce the achievements of the Covenant community and beyond, using the Covenant website.
• Improve the quality of life of their residents.
• Benefit from enhanced technical support.
• Strengthen cooperation with residents and local stakeholders in their area by developing and monitoring the implementation of their Action Plans.

What are the obligations of the Covenant of Mayors Signatories?

To fulfil their commitments, local authorities are obliged to:

• Prepare and submit a Baseline Emission Inventory (BEI), which will quantify CO2 emissions on the territory of the Signatory.
• Prepare and submit a Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (RVA) that measures the level of risk by analysing potential climate threats and assesses vulnerabilities in the Signatory's territory.
• Provide a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SEAP) to be developed within the specified period (one year for SEAP and two years for SEAP) and approved by the City Council after the official decision to join the Covenant of Mayors initiative. The Action Plan will specify the steps and policies to be implemented to achieve the objectives.
• Provide monitoring reports on a periodic basis - every two years after the submission of the Action Plan - assessing the success of the Action Plan implementation.