On 12 September 2023, the EA Group held a study visit in Pécs, Hungary, upon the invitation of EA member and Pécs city councillor József Kóbor.
The EA group delegation, led by President Karl Vanlouwe, discussed with local politicians, including city Mayor Mr. Péterffy, deputy mayor Ruzsa and Member of National Parliament Mr. Kéresztes Lorant, the progress of the city towards carbon neutrality and visited tangible projects related to electric transportation and hydrogen.
Mr Kóbor, member of the CoR Green Deal Working group and Pécs Green Commissioner, thanked the EA group for visiting the city and highlighted the importance for cities to share their experiences and challenges in order to get tailored technical and financial support.
Kóbor also underlined that Pécs has already been included in two pilot projects for the energy-efficiency renovation of buildings and further opportunities for local authorities may become available to directly access EU funding.
Pécs is a signatory of the Covenant of Mayors and has been selected as one of the 100 cities participating in the EU Climate Neutral and Smart Cities mission under Horizon Europe. The city is committed to becoming a climate-neutral city by 2035 and has already taken a number of steps in this framework and further important measures will follow in the coming years.