Germany’s National Climate Initiative has invested about €2.2 billion in roughly 60,000 local projects, mobilizing nearly €7 billion in total investments; Denmark seeks alignment of all municipalities’ climate plans with the Paris Agreement.

Region-specific efforts include Italy’s Emilia-Romagna and Apulia in aiding municipalities with climate plan design and implementation; Spain’s CitiES2030 platform links governments, business, and academia to accelerate urban climate action; Sweden’s Viable Cities program coordinates with multiple cities and national agencies to pursue climate neutrality by 2030.

A key takeaway is that multilevel governance is a proven model for delivering climate action, providing access to finance, empowered subnational actors, and collaboration across government levels to drive faster and more effective implementation.

The report argues that strong policy frameworks, dedicated city and regional support, and structured intergovernmental cooperation are essential to empower localities to advance national climate goals.

For further details, the report is available in the linked C40 document, and the article cites the official publication “The European Multilevel Governance Story: Evidence on CHAMP-aligned Implementation in Practice.”

A new report from the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) and C40 Cities documents how multilevel governance across Europe is turning climate pledges into tangible, local actions that support EU-wide goals.

The European Multilevel Governance Story centers on a collaborative framework where EU institutions, national governments, regions, and cities work together to design, finance, and deliver climate and energy actions, with empowered cities at the heart of implementation.

The findings serve as a blueprint for other countries aiming to translate climate commitments into concrete, local projects while staying aligned with broader national and international climate targets.

EU officials stress that effective climate action requires strong cross-level cooperation, sharing expertise, and aligning investments to ensure coherent delivery of climate projects.