The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is the largest global initiative of local governments committed to climate action. By signing it, a council voluntarily takes on emissions reduction and adaptation targets and commits to translating them into a concrete plan: the SECAP. For thousands of European municipalities it is the gateway to climate planning and the funding that comes with it.
In short: signing the Covenant requires drawing up a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) within two years, with a target to cut emissions at least 55% by 2030 and reach climate neutrality by 2050, plus adaptation measures. The plan rests on an emissions inventory and is monitored periodically.
What the Covenant of Mayors is
The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy brings together local authorities that voluntarily decide to align their territory with European climate goals. It is not a legal obligation but a political commitment that, once taken on, entails concrete requirements for planning, execution and accountability.
The initiative gives municipalities a common framework, methodological support and access to networks and funding opportunities. Its strength lies in standardising how to measure and plan, so that one municipality's progress is comparable with another's.
What signatories commit to
Councils that have joined since 2021 take on a strengthened commitment combining mitigation and adaptation:
- Cut CO2 emissions at least 55% by 2030, in line with the European climate target.
- Reach climate neutrality by 2050.
- Increase the territory's resilience to climate change impacts through adaptation measures.
- Draw up and execute a SECAP and monitor its compliance.
These commitments combine climate change mitigation with climate adaptation, the two sides of local climate policy, and set climate neutrality as the mid-century horizon.
What the SECAP is and what it contains
The SECAP (Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan) is the document where the municipality turns its commitments into concrete actions. It is the heart of the Covenant: without a SECAP, the signature is empty. A complete SECAP contains three blocks.
Baseline emission inventory (BEI)
The starting point is a baseline emissions inventory, which quantifies the municipality's greenhouse gases in a base year and breaks them down by sector (energy, transport, waste, buildings). It is the yardstick against which the 55% target is set and progress is compared.
Climate risk and vulnerability assessment
The plan includes an analysis of the climate risks the municipality is exposed to (heatwaves, droughts, floods) and its vulnerabilities, to guide adaptation measures.
Mitigation and adaptation measures
From the inventory and risk assessment, the municipality defines concrete actions: improving the energy efficiency of buildings and street lighting, boosting renewables, sustainable mobility, waste management, green areas and sustainable drainage. Each measure comes with owners, deadlines and budget.
| SECAP block | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Baseline inventory (BEI) | Set the base year and measure progress |
| Risk and vulnerability assessment | Guide adaptation |
| Measures plan | Mitigation and adaptation with deadlines and budget |
Timelines and monitoring
The signatory commits to submitting its SECAP within two years of the official date of joining the Covenant. From then on, it must monitor implementation and report progress every two years, updating the inventory to check whether emissions reduction is advancing as planned. This periodic measurement cycle is what makes the SECAP a living tool rather than a filed document.
Benefits for the municipality
Beyond compliance, joining the Covenant and executing the SECAP brings tangible benefits:
- Access to funding: many European and national calls prioritise or require municipalities with a SECAP.
- Cost savings: energy efficiency and renewables reduce the bill of municipal facilities.
- Reputation and leadership: it shows commitment to citizens and positions the municipality in reference networks.
- Resilience: it prepares the territory for climate impacts, protecting the population and the local economy.
In Spain, joining the Covenant is coordinated with the national framework and the support of the environment ministry and provincial councils, which act as territorial coordinators.
From paper to delivery: the real challenge
The experience of many municipalities shows that signing the Covenant and drafting the SECAP is the easy part; the hard part is executing the measures and, above all, keeping the monitoring alive. A plan that is approved and then filed away does not cut a single tonne of CO2. That is why the SECAP has to be realistic: measures prioritised by impact and cost, clear owners inside the council and a timetable that does not depend on one person.
The other bottleneck is data. Updating the inventory every two years means gathering information again from energy companies, traffic counts and waste operators, work that, done by hand, eats up resources many small municipalities do not have. When monitoring becomes unworkable, the municipality misses its reporting commitments and loses credibility with networks and funders. This is where automation makes the difference, cutting the effort of collection and letting the inventory stay current with almost no friction.
How to start if your municipality has not signed yet
The usual route is to approve the accession in a council plenary, appoint a technical lead, build the baseline emission inventory, draft the SECAP with its measures and submit it within the two-year deadline. Many provincial councils and regional governments offer technical and financial support for these first steps, so it is worth checking regional calls before starting.
Frequently asked questions
Is signing the Covenant of Mayors mandatory?
No, it is a voluntary commitment. But once signed, its requirements (drawing up the SECAP, meeting deadlines and monitoring) are binding for the municipality within the initiative.
What reduction target does the SECAP set?
Municipalities that joined since 2021 commit to cutting emissions at least 55% by 2030 and reaching climate neutrality by 2050.
How often must monitoring happen?
The SECAP must be submitted within two years of joining and, afterwards, the municipality reports progress every two years, updating the emissions inventory.
Prepare your SECAP inventory with Manglai
The baseline emission inventory and its periodic update are the most technical part of the SECAP, and also the one that benefits most from automation. Manglai makes it easier to calculate and monitor the carbon footprint, integrating data from different sources so your council can comply with the Covenant and demonstrate its progress with reliable data. You can see how continuous monitoring works in our article on real-time carbon footprint.
