The European Commission recently launched a new initiative to "Increase digitalisation awareness and readdiness of EU communities." The aim of this initiative is to support EU communities that are at the beginning or in the early stages of their digital transformation journey, by providing resources, best practices, and training for the development of digitalisation strategies.
Join us for our end-of-semester online event, where we’ll reflect on the latest developments shaping the EU digital landscape.
This session will highlight key updates, including:
Whether you're involved in digital policy, technology development or city innovation, this is a valuable opportunity to stay informed and connected.
The European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment is inviting you to the first session in a new workshop series supporting the forthcoming European Commission Communication on a Digitally Powered Green Transition and its accompanying Action Plan.
The upcoming Stakeholder Workshop on “The Green Deal Data Space for AI” is taking place:
📅 Date: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
🕒 Time: 14:00 – 16:00 (CEST)
🌐 Location: Online via Webex
Cities face mounting pressure to reduce emissions and transition to more sustainable energy and transport systems. Urban mobility remains a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, but the broader energy landscape—including infrastructure, consumption patterns, and renewable deployment—is equally critical. Rapid urbanisation, inefficient transport networks, and legacy energy systems make it difficult for cities to meet climate targets and manage their environmental footprint.
Cities are increasingly exposed to the impacts of climate change, with public spaces—such as parks, plazas, schools or transport hubs—bearing the brunt of extreme events as well as long-term trends in temperature, precipitation or sea-level rise. Flooding, heatwaves, and storm damage not only disrupt daily life but also pose serious threats to public safety, infrastructure, and the livability of urban environments. These risks are often unevenly distributed, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations or low-income neighbourhoods.
Urban green spaces play a vital role in enhancing public well-being, mitigating heat, improving air quality, and supporting biodiversity. However, maintaining these spaces effectively is increasingly challenging due to urban expansion, climate stress, and limited on-the-ground resources.
Urban infrastructure—buildings, cultural heritage, bridges, roads, railways, and pipelines—faces mounting challenges from ageing, heavy usage, water leaks, and environmental phenomena such as subsidence or landslides. Traditional monitoring and inspection methods are often limited in scale and frequency, making it difficult to detect early signs of structural stress or ground instability. Satellite-based monitoring offers a transformative solution, providing continuous, high-resolution insights across wide areas both during and after the construction phase.
As European cities race to meet the EU’s climate neutrality goals, Cartagena, a Mediterranean port city in Spain, is proving that digital transformation and citizen-centric planning can go hand in hand.
Leveraging AI, IoT, and a Smart City platform co-developed with Libelium, Cartagena is not only complying with national mandates for Low Emission Zones (LEZs), but also rethinking them entirely.
Rather than applying blanket restrictions or vehicle bans, Cartagena took a more nuanced and adaptable route, enabled by technology.
As part of the Support Services for EU Smart communities, the European Commission has the goal to “Increase Digitalisation Awareness & Readiness of EU Communities”. The aim of this initiative is to support EU communities at the early stages or that have not yet begun their digital transformation journey by providing resources, best practices, and training to develop digital strategies.
