Covenant of Mayors

The Covenant of Mayors is a European cooperation movement involving local and regional authorities. Signatories of the Covenant of Mayors voluntarily commit to increasing energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources on their territories. By their commitment, they support the European Union 20% CO₂ reduction objective to be reached by 2020.

After the European Union climate and energy package was adopted in 2008, the European Commission launched the Covenant of Mayors to endorse and support the efforts deployed by local authorities in the implementation of sustainable energy policies.

Covenant of Mayors Signatories

European local authorities of all sizes - from small villages to capitals and major metropolitan areas - are eligible to sign up as Covenant of Mayors Signatories.

Cities, towns and other urban areas have a crucial role to play in mitigating climate change, as they consume three quarter of the energy produced in the European Union and are responsible for a similar share of CO₂ emissions. Local authorities are also in a position to change citizens' behaviour and address climate and energy questions in a comprehensive manner, notably by conciliating public and private interests and by integrating sustainable energy issues into overall local development goals.