Towards a European Climate Resilience Framework that works for cities and regions

Europe is moving closer to a new European Climate Resilience and Risk Management Integrated Framework, expected in autumn 2026. The initiative comes at a critical moment: climate impacts are intensifying across the continent, placing local and regional governments increasingly at the frontline of responding to heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires, health risks and infrastructure disruptions. As these pressures grow in frequency and severity, strengthening local capacity to anticipate, prepare for and manage climate-related risks has become more urgent than ever.

For the European Covenant of Mayors community, this Framework matters because it could shape how climate adaptation is planned, financed, monitored and implemented across the EU. As it was highlighted in the Covenant of Mayors session that took place during the European Urban Resilience Forum 2027 in Guimarães, Portugal back in June, local energy resilience and digital, risk-informed planning should be put in the centre of the discussion. For mayors and local leaders, this could translate into clearer guidance on risk assessments, more consistent access to funding, stronger technical support, and better alignment between local plans and national and EU priorities. If designed well, it can help close the gap between climate risk awareness and concrete action at the local level. If designed too narrowly, it risks becoming another layer of reporting without delivering the tools and resources needed for implementation.

The European Commission’s public consultation on the Integrated Framework showed strong support for more ambitious and coordinated action. With 670 contributions from all over Europe (see figure 1), stakeholders broadly called for a more consistent approach to climate risk assessment, stronger integration of resilience into policies and investments, increased use of nature-based solutions, stable long-term financing, and greater attention to climate-related health impacts. The outcome of this consultation was published in a report, which can be accessed here.

Figure 1 Distribution of respondents to the public consultation by country of origin (n=670) (copyright to EU Commission)

The European Resilience Partnership has collectively contributed to shaping these priorities through position papers, policy input and expert engagement in events and workshops. Their contributions converge on a central message: Europe needs a coherent framework that links a shared understanding of climate risks with practical tools, resources and support to enable effective action at local and regional level.

This means moving beyond risk identification and towards delivery. It requires clearer roles across governance levels, as well as ensuring that cities and regions have access to the data, tools, capacity and finance needed to act. For Covenant signatories, this challenge is familiar. Many local authorities already have a clear understanding of their climate risks, but continue to face barriers to accessing funding, developing investable project pipelines and securing the long-term support needed to turn plans into action.

These issues were further discussed at an EU Resilience Framework Workshop on 4 June 2026 in Brussels, convened by E3G and I4CE with the DG CLIMA team leading the Framework’s development. Participants broadly supported the ambition of the emerging Framework, while emphasising that it must translate into tangible support for implementation.

A key takeaway from the workshop was the need to shift from risk ownership to risk governance, linking responsibilities with mandates, resources and accountability. This includes strengthening support structures for cities and regions, such as the EU Mission Adaptation Community, capacity-building programmes like P2R’s Regional Resilience Journey, and well-resourced National Adaptation Hubs, to ensure that local actors can effectively implement adaptation measures.

Looking ahead, the coming months will be decisive. Although the public consultation has concluded, the Covenant of Mayors community can continue to shape the process by engaging political leaders and institutional stakeholders across all levels of governance and keeping local and regional priorities firmly on the agenda. This includes outreach to Members of the European Parliament, national governments and EU institutions to help build the political backing needed for the Framework to advance. By sharing practical evidence from local climate planning, highlighting implementation barriers and demonstrating co-benefits, cities and regions can build the case for a more ambitious, practical and actionable Framework.