Cities and municipalities are key players for the successful implementation of sustainable energy policies and the take up of new technologies.  The recent initiative of the Covenant of Mayors, gathering more than 400 committed cities, agreeing to go beyond the 20-20-20 targets, demonstrate the necessity to integrate fuel cells technologies in these regions and cities strategies & plans. Fuel cells technologies can help cities and regions towards reducing their carbon footpring and improving their sustainability.  Additionaly, local authorities form an essential community of early adopters for new transportation system or clean city power generation applications. Convinced cities and regions have set up in 2008, the European Partnership for fuel cells and hydrogen( HyRaMP) , specifically dedicated to the uptake of these technologies.

FuelCellEurope has set up a "cities and regions" customer application group to specifically integrate fuel cells technologies in cities and regions sustainable plans. 

FuelCellEurope's mission is to support local initiatives and facilitate meetings and knowledge exchange between the local communities and the fuel cells suppliers. 

Activities will include the identification of possible local application for the fuel cell industry, the relay of specific needs and requests from  local actos to the supply side, the organisation and facilitation of workshop with the public authorities to help them with the realisation of their energy plans. 

Roads2HyCom, a major European Research Project, supported by the European Commission Framework Six Programme (FP6) have demonstrated that the political will  is a key success factor amongst early adopters to implement fuel cells and hydrogen technologies. This political will is complementary to the necessity of establishing a favourable policy and investment framework for the integration of fuel cells technologies in the society and market. 

Stimulating the political will, ensuring a favourable framework, such as public procurement for fuel cells applications are reasons legitimating FuelCellEurope "cities and regions" customer application group.