As the climate crisis intensifies, European cities are facing multiple, interconnected challenges. From floods and heatwaves to wildfires and infrastructure disruptions, the ability to anticipate, respond to, and recover from climate-related risks has become a defining issue for local governance. Strengthening urban resilience and institutional preparedness is no longer a secondary objective of climate policy but a central priority.
This event is organised within the framework of the “EU Regions Week – Close to You” initiative. This pan-European programme brings the values, policy discussions, and participatory spirit of the European Week of Regions and Cities directly into local communities across Europe. The “Close to You” sessions are thematically linked to the Brussels-based programme, running from October 13 to November 30, 2025, under the banner “Bringing Europe to Your Community!”
In this context, INZEB, the EU Climate Pact country coordinator for Greece, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), and the Regional Union of Municipalities of Attica (PEDA) are joining forces to host a high-level event in Athens, Greece. The session will focus on resilience and preparedness under the broader theme “Cities Building Tomorrow.” It will take place on Wednesday, 22 October 2025, from 17:45 to 21:45, at the Amalia Hotel, Vasilissis Amalias Avenue 10, 105 57, Athens, Greece.
The event aims to open a high-level local dialogue on how cities can develop systemic resilience strategies and prepare effectively for climate-related crises. It will advance the broader goals of the European Green Deal by reinforcing the link between local governance and systemic resilience. It will also provide a platform to showcase practical resilience and preparedness strategies developed by cities in Greece and across Europe, promote the EU Climate Pact as a participatory tool for building local capacity and climate awareness, and generate proposals to strengthen institutional cooperation and improve preparedness frameworks at local and regional levels.
While climate mitigation remains a core priority, the discussions in Athens will focus on adaptive capacity, emergency response systems, and integrated risk management at the local level, addressing the multidimensional nature of urban resilience and preparedness in a European context.
The event will bring together a wide range of institutional and local actors working at the intersection of urban planning, resilience, and climate action. Participants will include national ministries and competent authorities, regional governments, municipalities from across Greece, civil society organisations, technical experts, research institutions, youth networks, and citizen platforms engaged in climate resilience.
| Shaping tomorrow, together with the European Climate Pact: Urban Resilience and Preparedness |
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| 17.45 – 18.30 | Registration, Welcome Coffee & Networking |
| 18.30 – 19.15 | Welcome Note – Opening Remarks . Alice Corovessi Managing Director INZEB, EU Climate Pact Country Coordinator for Greece . Welcome Remarks.
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| 19.15 – 19.30 | Keynote Address. “Resilient Cities Are Political Cities: Preparedness as a Local Mandate” .
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| 19.30 – 20.30 | High-Level Panel Discussion. “From Emergency to Strategy: Building Urban Preparedness for the Long Term” . Moderator: Dimitris Kollias Energy Transition Strategist, Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, EU Climate Pact Ambassador . In Conversation.
Focus: Institutional resilience, civil protection systems, local–national coordination, and lessons learned from recent crises. |
| 20.30 – 21.30 | Interactive Exchange Session. “Designing Local Pathways to Resilience: Priorities, Gaps and Opportunities” . Moderator: Angelos Chasiotis Mechanical & Aeronautics Engineer, MSc, MA, PhD Candidate, Research Associate, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, EU Climate Pact Ambassador. ... In Conversation.
Focus: Building urban resilience through multi-stakeholder collaboration and local success stories. |
| 21.30 – 21.45 | Closing Reflections .
Focus: Summary of insights from the working session & next steps and invitation to further collaboration |
| 21.45 | End of Event |
The event is in Greek language.
You can download the Εnglish version of the Agenda here.
Below you can view some photos from the event.
