Grand Finale : Lessons learned from the Policy Support Facility

In 2 years of activities, the Policy Support Facility (PSF) programme has collected experiences from around 300 cities and regions around Europe. Developed under the initiative as one of the main outcomes of EU Adaptation Strategy, the PSF aimed to support Europe’s journey from planning to action in climate adaptation.  

In our latest podcast episode on adaptation, we discuss with Luca Arbau, Resilience and Adaptation Expert, Max Beijneveld, Project and Policy Coordinator, and Alison De Luise, Urban Adaptation Specialist on the lessons learned and insights gained from the Policy Support Facility. 

Adaptation at the heart of European concerns

In recent years, adaptation has become a priority at various levels, from European to national, regional and local. It's time to understand the growing climate hazards such as drought, wildfire and flooding, so that cities can adapt and find solutions to tackle climate change.

The Policy Support Facility has played a key role in highlighting the importance of responding to local needs and challenges. This programme was designed to support local and regional governments take climate action and implement a resilient transformation in Europe. Many cities and regions are now assessing, selecting, and implementing climate adaptation measures to reduce exposure to climate risks while strengthening the capacity of individual and communities to respond effectively to climate change.

However, while local authorities must be recognised as a pillar of adaptation, they still need support from the European and national levels. Municipalities are still extremely weak when it comes to implementing environmental measures, which is why, multi-level support is needed. National governments play an essential role in empowering local action, and are also best placed to provide essential financial and technical capacity. 

“We need the European, national, regional and local levels all on board, but we still need still to understand and recognise that it's the local level which implements and makes this change possible” Luca Arbau

The importance of collaboration

Collaboration has emerged as a key element of the PSF programme, particularly in terms of horizontal, multi-level governance. Cities and regions working together, and collaborating can strengthen their impact by sharing knowledge, experiences and ideas, accelerating actions and promoting the replication of successful strategies. Many activities have been organised to facilitate mutual learning between cities, with national workshops or peer learning programmes, which have enabled smaller municipalities facing similar challenges to visit each other and observe the solutions implemented, as demonstrated by the exchange between Braga and Pau.

Tune into our podcast for more! 

Listen to the full podcast episode to find out more about the lessons learned by the Policy Support Facility.