The European Commission puts climate neutral and smart cities on the agenda at the Nordic Edge Expo

The European Commission puts the Horizon Europe mission on climate neutral and smart cities on the agenda at the Nordic Edge Expo, the largest smart city event in the Nordics (Stavanger, Norway, 24-26 September).

On 24 September, the European Commission brings together key players like the EIP SCC, the SCIS and European networks like EUROCITIES and OASC as well as actors from across the continent, in the workshop “On a Mission for the European Cities of the Future - Achievements, Challenges, Opportunities” to discuss the Horizon Europe mission on carbon neutral and smart cities. In addition, European Commission officials will attend the final conference of the lighthouse project Triangulum (23 September) and intervene in the opening plenary of the Nordic Edge Expo(24 September).

“The European Union is launching its mission on cities to tackle crucial issues for a more sustainable future,” says Haitze Siemers, Head of Unit in DG Energy who is due to hold a keynote speech at Nordic Edge Expos main stage.

“The single fact that roughly 75% of the EU’s population live in cities is reason enough to think about a specific, effective and efficient policy framework for cities in support of the most pressing European challenges. One of these areas is climate change, the energy transition, and meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement,” Siemers adds.

Delivering a European Mission on Cities means improving the life of the majority of EU’s population by accelerating investments for sustainable energy and climate adaptation, as well as related areas such as ICT, health and environment.

“We need to focus on turning research and innovations into results on the ground, putting an emphasis on deployment, replication, scaling up and thus a dramatically accelerated market uptake of solutions to meet the grand challenges of today, especially and most effectively in the urban context,” Siemers says.

The Stavanger Region European office has been co-organising the Nordic Edge Expo since the very beginning. The director of the office, Heidi Kristina Jakobsen, is pleased with the European Commission’s engagement in the Nordic Edge Expo 2019.

The European Commission has always been supportive of the NEE and have actively contributed to every edition since the start in 2015. That the Commission puts the strategically important debate on city missions on the agenda, illustrates the relevance of Nordic Edge as the meeting place for smart cities, says Jakobsen.

“European cooperation has been vital for the smart work in the Stavanger Region. The Horizon funded lighthouse project Triangulum is a milestone that amongst other things have sparked the establishment of the Nordic Edge Expo. Now that Triangulum and the other first generation lighthouse projects are entering their last phases, it is extra timely to come together in a workshop and discuss the future of smart cities”, says Jakobsen.

Facts:

Established in 2015, the 5th Nordic Edge Expo takes place in Stavanger, Norway, on 24-26 September 2019
The Nordic Edge Expo is the largest smart city event in the Nordics bringing together 150 speakers and around 5000 participants from public and private sectors in around 50 countries
The three-day event dives into trends, highlights its potentials and dares to question the ethics of an increasingly digital society.
The theme for Nordic Edge Expo 2019 is Life Actually because the most important asset of a livable and sustainable community is its people.
Supported by the Nordic Council, around 100 organisations from the Nordics and beyond, including European networks like EUROCITIES, ICLEI, OASC and Nordic municipalities and research institutions are among the co-organisers of various sessions: