Spaudos centras
Spaudos centras
On 10 December 2025, Vilnius hosted the Green Missions for Climate Finance (GM4Finance) Final Forum, bringing together high-level representatives of Lithuanian and Turkish government institutions, municipalities, academia, business organisations and international partners. The forum served as a key platform to discuss climate finance for municipalities, opportunities for international cooperation, and practical solutions for implementing the green transition at local level.
The event marked the conclusion of the project “Green Missions for Climate Finance: Türkiye–Lithuania Collaborative Learning for Energy-Smart Municipalities (GM4Finance)”, which aims to strengthen municipal capacities to plan, finance and implement municipal climate projects aligned with the EU Green Deal and long-term climate neutrality objectives.
Municipalities Need More Than Political Ambitions – They Need Financial Solutions
Throughout the forum, speakers emphasised that municipalities are increasingly becoming the primary actors in delivering climate action. However, the main challenge municipalities face is not a lack of political commitment, but rather limited practical knowledge of financial attraction mechanisms, access to EU programmes for municipalities, international funds and bilateral cooperation instruments.
The GM4Finance project directly addresses this gap by providing municipalities with:
Forum Opening: The Importance of International Cooperation
The forum was opened by high-level diplomats and institutional representatives, who highlighted the strategic importance of cross-border cooperation.
Marius Janukonis, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to the Republic of Türkiye, stressed that climate change challenges do not recognise national borders, making Lithuania–Türkiye cooperation essential for developing sustainable, long-term solutions for municipalities.
Esra Toplu, Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to the Republic of Lithuania, echoed this message, underlining the value of bilateral partnerships in the fields of climate action, energy and municipal development.
Bülent Özcan, Director General of the Directorate for EU Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, presented key directions of Türkiye–EU cooperation and outlined financing instruments relevant for municipalities engaged in climate and energy projects.
Project Experience and Municipal Perspectives
Insights into the project’s implementation and outcomes were presented by Daiva Matonienė, former EU4ETTR Project Team Leader and MLGP4Climate expert. She highlighted how international cooperation and knowledge exchange have strengthened municipal capacities to work with climate projects and financing instruments.
Zeynep Tuğçe Çiftçibaşı Güç, Director of International Affairs at Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, shared Antalya’s pathway towards climate neutrality, focusing on building modernisation, energy efficiency measures, and investments in sustainable transport infrastructure.
From the Lithuanian perspective, Rimantas Klipčius, Mayor of Švenčionys District Municipality, demonstrated how smaller municipalities can also become energy-smart municipalities, implementing green infrastructure projects despite more limited resources.
Financial Cooperation Opportunities: From Ideas to Investments
Financial cooperation topics were introduced by Zelal Şen, Head of Department at the Directorate for EU Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye. She presented Türkiye–Lithuania Financial Cooperation Opportunities and Union Programmes for Cooperation, emphasising the potential for municipalities to participate in joint international projects.
One of the most significant outcomes of the forum was the presentation of the Comprehensive Financial Attraction Toolkit. Developed jointly by:
this toolkit is designed to become a practical support instrument for municipalities.
The toolkit will be available via the MLGP4Climate platform and will include:
Panel Discussion: Cooperation for the Future
During the panel discussion “Cooperation for the Future”, participants explored concrete instruments that foster international partnerships and support municipal climate action.
Panelists included:
The discussion highlighted that climate neutrality and the green transition cannot be achieved without cross-sector cooperation.
Project Funding and Lithuania’s Role
The GM4Finance project is funded by the Lithuanian Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme and is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania and the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to the Republic of Türkiye. This support reinforces Lithuania’s role in international climate policy and regional cooperation.
Looking Ahead
The GM4Finance Final Forum in Vilnius served as a starting point for new joint initiatives, including joint EU funding applications, municipal capacity-building partnerships and the development of sustainable investments. The event reaffirmed that the green transition is not only an environmental necessity, but also a strategic economic pathway. Municipalities working within strong international partnerships can become real drivers of long-term, meaningful change.
Keywords:
Green Missions for Climate Finance, GM4Finance Final Forum, climate finance for municipalities, green transition, municipal climate projects, financial attraction mechanisms, financial attraction tools, energy efficiency, energy-smart municipalities, green infrastructure projects, climate neutrality, EU Green Deal, Lithuania–Türkiye cooperation, international partnerships, EU programmes for municipalities