At the end of July, CLIMACARE partners met in Alba Iulia, Romania, for the project’s first in-person consortium meeting and General Assembly. Hosted by the Municipality of Alba Iulia and IRCEM, the meeting brought together partners who had so far mainly exchanged online, in emails and through shared documents.

From 29 to 30 July 2026, the focus was simple and practical: getting to know one another, understanding what each partner will contribute, and agreeing on what needs to happen during the first year of the project. The agenda covered project governance, ethics and data protection, data collection, heat vulnerability mapping, preparation of the demonstration work, replication activities, communication and reporting.

The meeting came at an early but important moment for CLIMACARE. The project looks at how cities can better prepare for extreme heat and reduce its effects on health, especially for people who are more exposed or less able to protect themselves. Its work will take place in five demonstration cities: Athens, Pécs, Sultanbeyli-Istanbul, Sevilla and Alba Iulia. Three further cities, Oppeano, Southampton and Lower Hutt-Wellington, will follow the work closely and adapt suitable approaches to their own local context as replication cities.

In Alba Iulia, these topics were not only discussed in presentations. Partners also visited the local demonstration context and gained a first impression of the city where CLIMACARE activities will be developed and tested. The visit helped connect the project’s plans with the realities on the ground, including public spaces, local heat challenges and the needs of residents who may be especially affected during hotter periods.

Throughout the two days, work package leaders, task leaders, demonstration cities and replication cities presented their priorities and open questions. These sessions helped the consortium understand where the different parts of the project meet, what information is needed from whom and which decisions will be important in the coming months.

The first General Assembly was another central part of the meeting. It helped set up the project’s governance and decision-making structures and gave partners the opportunity to confirm representatives and focal points for ethics and data protection. This is particularly important for a project working with cities, local communities, health-related questions and sensitive data.

The consortium was also pleased to welcome Karsten Gödderz, Project Officer from CINEA, who joined the meeting in Alba Iulia. His contribution helped place the project within the wider context of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change and gave guidance for the work ahead.

A special moment connected to the meeting was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on city-to-city cooperation between the Municipality of Alba Iulia in Romania and Sultanbeyli Municipality in Türkiye. The meeting programme was extended to 31 July 2026 to include the signing ceremony and related institutional cooperation activities.

The meeting also offered a first opportunity to present the CLIMACARE communication materials and project website to the consortium. The website is now live at climacare.eu, with further sections and content still being developed as the project moves forward.

A warm thank you goes to IRCEM, the coordinator Elena Simina Lakatos and the Municipality of Alba Iulia for hosting the meeting and for the care put into the organisation. The agenda, logistics, presentations, meeting materials, participant coordination and follow-up documentation made these first in-person exchanges possible. Special thanks also go to all partners who travelled to Alba Iulia, joined online, contributed to the discussions and helped create a constructive start for the work ahead!

The conversations started in Alba Iulia will continue in the coming months, with the next online consortium meeting planned for the end of September 2026.