The Municipality of Limassol is strengthening its role on the European map of climate neutrality by organizing the conference “Climate Neutral Blue Cities by 2030: Accelerating Local Change under the EU Cities and Ocean Missions – Limassol on the Path to Climate Neutrality.”
This is an international conference for dialogue and collaboration, where political leadership, scientific knowledge, and practical solutions come together to shape the future of blue and port cities. With thematic areas focusing on political leadership and institutional direction, the European dimension of the EU Missions, the role of cities, ports, and coastal zones on the front line, and the transition from vision to action, the two-day conference will showcase a rich programme of thematic sessions and distinguished speakers.
Financing, Energy, and Applied Solutions
Nektarios Chrysoulakis, Research Director at the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Technology, and Maria Vassilakou, Member of the Board for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, will highlight the connection between science and practical implementation. The mobilization of capital for climate-neutral cities will be presented by Matiss Paegle, Member of the Mission Board for Cities; Darko Manakovski, Founder of Manakovski Global and Member of the Mission Board for Oceans and Waters; and Panayiotis Panayiotou, CEO of Grawe Insurance Cyprus. The session will be moderated by María Belén Ortíz Torres, Associate and Secretariat Member of the Capital Hub at Bankers without Boundaries.
Ports, energy and urban resilience
The prospects and strategies of the port industry will be examined by Athanasios Pallis, Professor of Maritime-Port Economics and Policy at the University of Piraeus; Carola Hein, Professor at TU Delft and UNESCO Chair of Water, Ports and Historic Cities; Andreas Poullikkas, Professor at Frederick University; and Simon Pitout, CEO of DP World. The discussion will be moderated by Angelos Menelaou, Head of the Department of Maritime Transport and Trade at Frederick University.
On city-level energy systems, zero-emission ports and energy communities, the speakers will be Sissy Windisch, COO of Imby SRL; Desen Kirli, Professor at the University of Edinburgh; and Bob D’Haeseleer, Cities Advisor. The discussion will be moderated by Nestoras Fylaktos, Researcher at The Cyprus Institute.
Urban planning and the New European Bauhaus
The social dimension of the transition and the role of public space design, as well as the New European Bauhaus, will be highlighted by Dimitra Theochari, Architect and Civil Engineer at Ensphere; Nikolas Kampelis, Professor at The Cyprus Institute, Maria Vassilakou; Vyronas Ioannou, Professor of Urban Design at Frederick University; and Lies Debbaut, Programme Manager of Re-Value and Policy Officer for District Heating of the city of Bruges, with Annemie Wyckmans, Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, as moderator.
Redesigning the city
The conference will culminate with leading names in international urban and architectural design: Dana Behrman, Director of UNS; Ben Scott, Senior Partner at Foster and Partners; and João Albuquerque, Partner at BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group. The discussion will be moderated by the Mayor of Limassol, Yiannis Armeftis.
Why participate
The conference is open and offers unique opportunities for learning and networking with leading representatives of the European Commission, Mission Cities, national authorities, research institutions, industry, investors and civil society organizations.
Participants will gain practical knowledge on the implementation of policies and projects, understand how public and private capital are mobilized for climate-neutral investments, and actively contribute to shaping the policies and partnerships that will determine the future of European coastal cities by 2030.
Information
The language of the conference is English and simultaneous interpretation into Greek will be provided.
For more information and free registration click here.
Under the Auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU
Organiser: Limassol Municipality
Silver Partner: Ad Tech Holding
Bronze Partners: Cyprus Ports Authority, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Limassol Marina, PwC
Venue Sponsor: The Warehouse by IT Quarter, Limassol
Academic Partners: Cyprus Centre for Environmental Research and Education, Frederick University, The Cyprus Institute, University of Cyprus
Transportation Partners: EMEL, nextbike, WeeDrive
Communication Sponsor: CyBC
Supporters: Aqua Crystal, Climanet, Friends of the Earth Cyprus, Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, MaaSLab, MedCities, Oxygen for Democracy, Zero Waste Alliance Cyprus
