Spain’s cities are at the forefront of Europe’s ambitious EU Cities Mission, working towards the goal of climate neutrality by 2030. The Climate-Neutral Cities Mission represents more than just a policy shift; it’s a call for mission-oriented governance that requires municipalities, private actors, and civil society to unite under a shared objective: achieving climate neutrality. Seven Spanish cities—Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Zaragoza, Valladolid, and Vitoria-Gasteiz—are part of this challenge, and while the path toward decarbonization is promising, it’s far from easy —it involves overcoming deeply entrenched governance barriers, political hurdles, and societal dynamics. These cities face complex governance challenges, from fragmented structures to weak citizen engagement, that offer valuable lessons in urban governance and innovation as we move closer to achieving the climate goals set by the European Commission (European Commission, 2021).
In this post, we address several questions that, despite being central to the mission’s success, become barriers that often remain underexplored.
How we assessed the challenges
In examining these obstacles, our research relied on qualitative interviews, focus groups, and observations at workshops and summer courses attended by stakeholders from the participating cities. We also tapped into reports from NetZeroCities and the CitiES2030 platform to enrich our analysis. A key tool we used to frame this research is Marc Wolfram’s Urban Transformative Capacity (UTC) framework (Wolfram, 2016), which evaluates how cities can lead systemic change. The UTC framework focuses on inclusive governance, community empowerment, and innovation, assessing cities’ readiness to make the leap from small adjustments to a fundamental transformation of urban structures, governance, and infrastructure.
Key challenges: More than just words
During the research, we found that, as with other Mission cities, Spanish cities face a fundamental need to shift from incremental changes to disruptive strategies that can challenge old norms and trigger systemic transformations (Wolfram, 2016). Central to this shift is how cities view their Climate City Contracts (CCCs). According to the European Commission, these contracts are much more than documents—they need to evolve into co-creative tools that help municipalities rethink and redesign their climate strategies with stakeholders and promote an innovative governance (Mazzucato, 2018a; Shabb & McCormick, 2023).
In Spain, common governance challenges have posed difficulties for the development of CCCs, including siloed structures, communication gaps, and political inertia. In certain instances, the responsibility for advancing the mission has rested heavily on a single individual, highlighting significant resource constraints and framing the existence of municipal frontrunners, also known as policy entrepreneurs (Petridou, 2021). These limitations have made it challenging for CCCs to fully realize their transformative potential, as cities often struggle to move beyond traditional governance frameworks (Turnheim, 2015; Frantzeskaki, 2012). New iterations of Climate City Contracts (CCCs) highlight the importance of their evolving nature, as this design enables the process itself to serve as a mechanism for continuous learning and improvement. This iterative process not only acknowledges the complexities of urban sustainability governance but also ensures that cities can build on their successes and address shortcomings over time.
To navigate these challenges, many Spanish cities have engaged other actors such as consultancies to help shape their CCCs. These consultancies offer valuable expertise, guiding municipalities through complex data, policy design, and the coordination of diverse stakeholders strategies, supporting their progress toward ambitious goals. For cities with limited internal resources or capacity, this assistance has provided a helpful boost in advancing their efforts. At the same time, an overreliance on external support could present challenges in the long run. There is a possibility that cities might miss opportunities to strengthen their internal capacity and transformative agency (Mazzucato & Collington, 2023; Gond & Bres, 2019). This could lead to a greater focus on immediate successes, potentially overshadowing the broader objectives of sustained, long-term transformation. Striking a balance between leveraging external expertise and fostering local governance capabilities will be essential to ensure enduring progress.
This dynamic becomes particularly relevant when considering broader challenges within the EU Cities Mission. Limited resources and tight timelines may inadvertently lead to “mission washing” where existing policies are reframed under the mission without implementing the systemic changes required for significant climate impact. In such cases, the ambitious sustainability outcomes envisioned by the mission might not be fully realized (Wittman et al., 2021).
Compounding this issue is the involvement of private sector actors, which, while often beneficial in providing expertise and resources, introduces additional complexities. Economic interests might sometimes overshadow social and environmental objectives, creating the risk of greenwashing and further limiting the mission’s transformative potential (Mazzucato, 2018; Cullenward, 2020). To address these interconnected challenges, cities must strike a careful balance—leveraging external support, including private sector expertise, while prioritizing internal capacity building and maintaining a strong focus on long-term, inclusive climate action.
So, how might Spanish cities move forward? The answer lies in strengthening approaches that are not entirely new but require still focus. One possible approach is to place a stronger emphasis on community participation and empowerment. In some cases, these aspects may have been underdeveloped, which could contribute to power imbalances where society is less represented than, for example, private sector (Avelino et al., 2024; Walker, 2010). By making efforts to more actively engage these groups in the decision-making process, cities might create more inclusive and equitable climate strategies that address the needs of a wider range of residents. Political support is another important factor to consider. While municipal technicians have played a crucial role in maintaining the mission’s progress amid political fluctuations—helping cities stay on course despite changes in leadership or priorities (Kivimaa et al., 2019; Kivimaa, 2014)—there may be opportunities to enhance and sustain political commitment further. Stronger and more consistent backing could provide the stability and momentum needed for cities to navigate their transition to climate neutrality more effectively.
In Spain, alongside the efforts of municipalities, local intermediaries such as universities and research centers have provided valuable support to the climate mission. These intermediaries have contributed to knowledge production, experimentation, and reflexive processes, often offering more tailored, place-based solutions than broader European-level initiatives like NetZero Cities (Kivimaa, 2019; Soberon, 2022).These actors have helped address governance gaps, mitigate some of the costs associated with climate transitions, and assist cities in aligning their strategies with broader national and European objectives (Kivimaa et al., 2019; Soberon et al., 2023). In addition, intermediaries often play a role in supporting cities to incorporate just transition principles, aiming to ensure that climate actions are fair and inclusive (Barrie & Kanda, 2020; Hyysalo et al., 2022).
Opportunities: What we’ve gained so far
Despite the challenges, the EU Cities Mission has played a key role in advancing progress in Spain. The mission has encouraged more systemic governance approaches, prompting cities to move toward cross-sector collaboration that involves public institutions, private actors, civil society, and academia. This shift has helped cities gradually align their climate efforts with urban planning, economic development, and environmental policies, fostering a more integrated and long-term mindset.
Additionally, the mission has offered cities a shared narrative, enabling them to coordinate their actions more effectively, both with one another and within the broader European climate agenda. This alignment has supported the exchange of best practices, knowledge, and resources, helping Spanish cities explore innovative solutions and address environmental challenges in a more coordinated and impactful manner.
Conclusion
Spain’s cities are making strides in addressing the governance challenges that impact their climate neutrality goals, though there is still progress to be made. Tackling the fragmentation of governance, addressing resource constraints, and enhancing citizen engagement will require continued innovative approaches and strong collaboration across public and private sectors. Platforms like CitiES2030 provide valuable support by fostering collaboration, sharing best practices, and helping local administrations navigate the complexities of climate governance (CitiES2030, 2022). By actively confronting these challenges, Spain’s cities are laying the groundwork for a future that is not only climate-neutral but also more sustainable and resilient for generations to come.
Ana Escario-Chust, INGENIO (CSIC-UPV), Universitat Politècnica de València