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Presentation short abstract

Through interviews in five EU cities, we assess policymakers’ and civil servants’ perceptions of the effectiveness, limits and potential of local climate governance. Results show strong local ambition but persistent barriers in competences, resources and multilevel coordination.

Presentation long abstract

Over 70% of global CO2 emissions occur within the boundaries of cities, whose growing populations make the need for effective local climate policies increasingly urgent. Nevertheless, the contribution of city policies to greenhouse gas mitigation remains both constrained and highly divergent across countries.

This study investigates the role of local governments in addressing the climate crisis through interviews with policymakers and civil servants working in climate, environmental, urban planning and mobility areas in five major EU cities – Barcelona, Berlin, Milan, Paris, and Prague. Using a mixed-methods approach, we assess their perceptions of the effectiveness, limitations and potential of local climate governance. Specifically, we identify perceived strengths and weaknesses of cooperation with regional, national, and EU levels, and examine how legislation, regulations and the distribution of competences at higher governance levels shape local climate action. We also analyse how and why these perceptions differ across cities.

Our findings indicate that Barcelona and Paris articulate high levels of ambition, acting as proactive policy drivers in areas such as mobility and urban planning, while Berlin, Milan and Prague display a more restrained role, focused on policy implementation. All five cities face common implementation barriers, including limited financial and human resources, administrative and bureaucratic constraints, and misalignment with higher governance levels. Overall, accelerating local climate action requires more stable, long-term funding and regulatory frameworks, alongside stronger coordination mechanisms between governance levels.