Conference Agenda

Adaptation to climate change is a transformative process that affects social, political, and economic systems. Decisions addressing the adverse effects of the climate crisis that are made at different governance levels highlight the multifaceted challenges—financial, social, institutional, and legal—faced by policymakers. In this context, it is particularly intriguing to examine how local governments manage these processes, especially in urban areas, where approximately 75% of Europe’s population lives, and which are particularly vulnerable to impacts of climate change.

In recent years, researchers have focused on explaining how cities develop their adaptive capacities while facing climate changes, including spatial planning (Carter et al., 2015) and strategic planning (Reckien et al., 2018; Pietrapertosa et al., 2018, 2019). The research we aim to present analyzes the use of participatory mechanisms in preparing climate adaptation plans in Polish cities. These documents - key instruments of local adaptation policy - became mandatory in 2024 for medium cities with populations greater than 20,000, while larger cities (more than 100,000) have had these plans in place since 2019. Drawing from theories of change management, which highlight effective communications as a critical element in introducing changes (Maes & Van Hootegem, 2019), and theories of participation, our aim is to answer the following research questions: how do the city authorities perceive the citizen participation in the management of local adaptation policies in Poland? How does this perception change with the introduction of the obligation to prepare adaptation plans for climate change? What methods and tools do city authorities use to engage citizens in decision-making regarding local adaptation policies in Poland? Does citizens’ participation in adaptation policies differ across medium and large cities in Poland?

We hypothesize that (1) the awareness of the need to involve citizens in decision-making processes regarding adaptation policies increases the later a city begins preparing its adaptation plans; (2) the larger the city, the more participatory methods are employed in decision-making related to climate change adaptation.

The study will include data from document analysis and the survey conducted among 164 medium-sized cities required to develop adaptation plans by 2028. This will be complemented by documents and decision analysis from 45 large cities that adopted their adaptation plans between 2017 and 2019. The paper shows the results of the first phase of the project that will also investigate how local authorities will manage the citizen participation in evaluation and the update of existing adaptation plans.

The war in Ukraine has significantly reshaped environmental governance, placing new pressures on policymaking while accelerating Ukraine’s alignment with EU accession requirements. While environmental civil society organizations (CSOs) have played a central role in advocating for sustainable policies and addressing war-related ecological damage, other key actors—academics, civil servants, and local politicians—also influence environmental governance, shaping Ukraine’s path toward EU membership. The paper explores what challenges and opportunities exist for strengthening environmental governance as part of Ukraine’s EU accession. Using qualitative methodology, it draws on policy document analysis and semi-structured interviews with representatives from CSOs, academia, civil service, and local politics. It examines their engagement in policymaking, institutional reforms, and environmental advocacy, assessing their roles in fostering democratic resilience, governance transparency, and regulatory alignment with EU standards. The study contributes to academic and policy debates on EU enlargement, post-war governance, and environmental policymaking in transitional democracies. It highlights how multi-actor engagement in environmental governance can strengthen Ukraine’s EU accession process, offering broader lessons for European integration in post-conflict states

Cities are considered to play a decisive role in climate governance. However, they often lack the jurisdiction and resources to take comprehensive action on climate mitigation. This study examines the role of the EU Cities Mission, which aims to achieve climate neutrality in 100 European cities by 2030, and the role of climate intermediaries in accelerating climate action to this end. Launched in 2021 as part of the European Commission’s ambitious European Green Deal, the EU Cities Mission seeks to accelerate decarbonization in urban areas, fostering multi-level governance and sustained collaboration among citizens, policymakers, and stakeholders. Key components of the Mission include the incentivization of national-level engagement, the establishment of climate transition teams, and the introduction of Climate City Contracts. Central to its operational success is the NetZero Cities platform, established under Horizon Europe, which drives implementation by fostering collaboration among cities, supporting climate plan development, conducting evaluations, and ensuring progress monitoring. The platform is made up of a variety of actors, including scientific actors, NGOs, and private companies.

This paper seeks to explore three interconnected aspects of the EU Cities Mission: (1) the Mission’s broader role as a strategic initiative within the EU Green Deal framework, (2) the role of the NetZero Cities platform as a climate intermediary mediating between the European Commission, cities, and national stakeholders, and (3) whether and how the EU Cities Mission design allowed for certain type of intermediating actors to emerge. Through interviews with EU officials and the NetZero Cities platform, the study evaluates the Mission’s strategic approach, assesses the policy design choices, and identifies any alternative approaches that were considered. Additionally, the study maps the characteristics of the NetZero Cities platform, its network of actors, and the strategies it employs to facilitate multi-level coordination and collaboration. Furthermore, the study contextualizes these findings within the broader literature on climate intermediaries. It investigates the ambiguity between intermediation and advocacy roles and the factors shaping intermediaries' effectiveness in dynamic governance systems.

Conceptually, the paper advances understanding of climate intermediaries by addressing gaps in their role characterization, the trust-building process, and their strategies for fostering cross-sectoral and multi-level policy integration. By investigating these dimensions, the study offers recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of intermediaries in achieving transformative climate goals across diverse governance systems. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on climate governance and policy implementation, with specific relevance to the EU Green Deal and urban climate transitions.

The Data Governance Act (EU) 2022/868 provides a framework for the effective utilisation of public data for a environmental and social goals. Specifically, it is linked with the achievement of the European Green Deal (EDG) agenda in terms of providing adequate underpinning, actionable data for research, policy, and action across society (Adamowicz 2022). To facilitate that goal, a dynamic approach to governance of data is required that involves both private and governmental agencies and actors in the implementation of the policy. Smart Regulation (SR) (Gunningham 1998, 2017) establishes a regulatory pluralism that involves ‘flexible, imaginative and innovative forms of social control’. The model of SR provides a contrast to more rigid and fixed models of multilevel governance that may not be able to respond effectively to the rapidly changing field.

This paper critically analyses the potential for use of SR in the implementation of 2022/868 within the field of EU sustainability policy. While the DGA has been developed to respond to the challenges of AI diffusion in society, assembling a legislative response for the next phase of technology development may not be achievable in a timely manner. Instead, an SR approach may lead to a more successful response to the pressing climate change targets set in the EDG. The paper draws upon examples of existing SR (Buhmann & Nathan 2019), and establishes a framework for effective implementation of Data Governance for EDG agenda outcomes.

Regions and cities play a pivotal role in EU policy-making, as they are often responsible for implementing policies and regulations at the local level. Their involvement ensures that EU policies are better adapted to local needs, enhancing effectiveness, sustainability, and innovation through context-specific solutions. Furthermore, the active participation of subnational actors strengthens democratic legitimacy and ensures the representation of diverse perspectives. With their critical roles in areas such as climate action, social inclusion, and economic development, regions and cities are indispensable contributors to achieving the EU's strategic goals.

However, the ways in which regions and cities engage with EU affairs vary significantly across contexts. This highlights the need for deeper understanding of how subnational actors navigate and influence EU policy processes. To address this, the paper introduces two distinct forms of ‘regional action’: thin and thick. These concepts provide a framework to analyze the asymmetries and differentiated nature of regional involvement in EU-related issues, drawing on empirical research on regional engagement in the Nordic countries.

Thin regional action refers to specific, reactive, and ad hoc approaches, typically project-based and oriented towards addressing immediate misfits or challenges. In contrast, thick regional action represents a more generic, proactive, and programmatic approach, rooted in a pre-established political agenda and characterized by the involvement of a broader range of societal actors. The distinction between thin and thick regional action helps to explain variations in how regions respond to EU agendas for smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth.

The paper is structured in three parts. First, it conceptualizes the ideas of thin and thick regional action. Second, it examines how these forms of action can be applied to analyze regional responses to EU agendas for sustainable and inclusive growth. Finally, the paper explores the tensions and challenges Nordic policymakers face when navigating the interplay between thin and thick strategies. Special attention is given to the functional logics of ‘cross-loading’ and ‘up-loading’ Europeanization and the broader dynamics of multilevel governance.

By developing this conceptual framework, the paper offers new perspectives on the role of subnational actors in shaping EU policies and provides a deeper understanding of how regions and cities engage with and influence European policy-making.