Climate City Contracts (CCC) are an innovative governance tool that is central to the EU Mission “100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030”. As of May 2025, 92 cities have received Mission Labels for their CCCs. Obtaining the Mission Label should not be the only goal of cities working on CCCs. There is great value in the CCC as a process to rally all actors behind a common plan. This is why cities are strongly encouraged to carry on improving their CCC and expanding stakeholder involvement after its submission and throughout the lifetime of the Mission. It is only through such an iterative approach that the full benefits of the process can be reaped.