Vinnytsia and Novovolynsk have been granted observer status in the European Intelligent Cities Challenge program!

Following a competitive selection process, two Ukrainian cities, Vinnytsia and Novovolynsk, have become observers in the European program Intelligent Cities Challenge.

The program was launched by the European Commission in 2020 in support of the European Green Deal; its second phase has now started. From the very beginning, the program was limited to small and medium-sized cities in the European Union member states. Due to the project "Integration of Sustainable Development in Ukraine in line with the European Green Deal", whithin which the guide "Local Green Deal. Action Plan" was translated and published in Ukrainian, the European Commission drew attention to Ukraine as a country where cities on their own initiative seek to become part of the European Green Deal. In order to enable Ukrainian cities (and, occasionally, other cities from outside the EU) to participate in the program, the list of participants (core cities and international mentor cities) was supplemented with a new category of "observer city".

The goal of the Intelligent Cities Challenge is to conduct the transition of cities to a more digital, low-carbon circular economy that will strengthen their competitiveness, social sustainability, and quality of life. The second phase of the program will focus on local green agreements as a comprehensive and effective tool for reaching appropriate agreements between city authorities and local stakeholders, primarily businesses. This should then trigger a transition from strategy to practical action.

Observer cities participating in the online and offline events of the Intelligent Cities Challenge will have free access to useful program materials, in particular, those related to the development and conclusion of local green agreements and the so-called paired transition. They will have access to the practical experience of more than 200 European cities participating in the network, as well as general advisory support from European experts.

We wish the Ukrainian cities of the Intelligent Cities Challenge to become successful in the European Green Deal process, so that they can become full participants in the upcoming third phase of the program!