Covenant of Mayors celebrates 15th Anniversary in Eastern Partnership region

Organised in the framework of the EU-funded project Covenant of Mayors – East, the high-level conference marking the ’15th Anniversary of the Covenant of Mayors in the Eastern Partnership Region’ took place on 20-21 May 2026 in Chișinău, Moldova. 

The conference brought together more than 200 representatives of signatory cities, national and EU institutions, international financial organisations, and partner initiatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, alongside EU Member States and international organisations, to mark 15 years of local climate and energy action in the Eastern Partnership region and discuss the priorities for its next phase.

Opening the event, Iwona Piórko, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova, highlighted the progress achieved by municipalities over 15 years of CoM East.

“When the Covenant of Mayors was launched by the European Union back in 2008, it was built on a simple but powerful idea — that cities and municipalities are essential actors in the transition towards a more sustainable future,” said Piórko. “Today, the Covenant of Mayors East brings together hundreds of municipalities representing a very significant share of the region’s population, all committed to improving energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthening resilience at the local level.”

At the conference, CoM East recognised eight signatory municipalities for progress in low-carbon and climate-resilient development. Chosen from 67 applications across Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, and Ukraine, the winning cities were: Vanadzor (Armenia), Sheki (Azerbaijan), Ceadir-Lunga and Sireti (Moldova), and Chernivtsi, Myrhorod, Rivne, and Slavutych (Ukraine). Each city received a voucher of up to €1,000 for follow-up activities, including tree planting or local awareness campaigns.

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Press release