Climate Neutral Cities

Climate Neutral Cities 

The European Commission with the TSI project "Climate Neutral Cities" supports Dutch cities in their local climate transitions. By exploring the potential new role of the National Support Structure (NSS) and building multi-level governance capabilities, the project is expected to help accelerate cities toward climate neutrality by 2030/2035, improve intergovernmental coordination, and create a scalable model for broader city engagement. 

Context

Seven Dutch cities, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Groningen, Helmond, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht, are part of the EU's "100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030" mission, committing to accelerate their transition paths towards climate neutrality by 2030/2035 that align with the EU's Green Deal and its smart cities agenda. However, implementation of climate measures in these cities and other Dutch cities is still hampered by limited financial resources, capacity constraints, siloed organisational structures, and fragmented governance. Key decisions, such as grid infrastructure investment, sit at national level, while coordination between national and local authorities remains insufficient, collectively slowing the transition and threatening the delivery of climate commitments. 

Support delivered

The TSI project will provide targeted capacity-building for Dutch cities and the National Support Structure (NSS). Between 2026 and 2028, support will include capacity-building workshops, policy labs, and participatory research methods such as learning histories. Governance tools, practical pilots in real urban settings, and a learning guidebook will be developed to embed new ways of working. All activities are designed to strengthen multi-level, multi-actor collaboration, connecting city administrations, national government, businesses, civil society, and residents around shared climate goals. 

Results achieved

The project aims to explore the potential future role of the NSS and turn it into a structured learning and coordination framework, significantly improving intergovernmental collaboration between local and national authorities. In addition, cities are expected to develop stronger capabilities for multi-level governance, enabling more effective engagement with businesses, civil society, and residents. A practical learning guidebook and suite of governance tools will be produced and institutionalized through the NSS in which the Dutch Association of Municipalities (VNG) will be involved. The model is designed to be scalable beyond the initial seven cities, and is expected to better align policy, regulatory, and financial efforts, putting Dutch mission cities on a firmer footing to accelerate climate neutrality by 2030/2035.