The European Union’s commitment to climate action is deeply intertwined with multilevel governance (MLG), a process that fosters collaboration across all levels of government, from local municipalities to national bodies. The Covenant of Mayors is at the heart of this collaborative effort, creating a space for local authorities’ climate action to align with regional and national level action.
Effective MLG embodies a set of collaborative mechanisms to ensure that key stakeholders have a voice in those matters most relevant to them. Though MLG is very suitable to enhance policy-making processes at all tiers of government, focus is put here on national-level.
Therefore, it aims to show that, rather than just a top-down approach, in which national representatives draft and decide on policies with which subnational actors must align, MLG builds on:
- Vertical integration of other levels’ insights (i.e. local and regional authorities) to enhance and align higher-level decisions with subnational needs, and;
- Horizontal integration to engage peers at the same level from parallel ministries, relevant public agencies, etc. to ensure synergies and avoid misalignment.
Multilevel Governance (MLG) is an essential ingredient for modern, comprehensive policymaking applicable at any level, from local up to EU policies (and, of course, even beyond Europe).
It can strengthen a variety of processes, especially supporting and accelerating climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as effectively tackling energy poverty, providing a coherent framework for the just transition and enhancing many other crucial issues. When addressing the scale and scope of solutions necessary to address the complex global challenge of climate change, effective MLG is a key asset to accelerate cost-effective and socially inclusive actions.
Local governments play a critical role in achieving the green, competitive and clean transition. Involving them in the planning, design and implementation of climate and energy policy at regional, national and EU levels is essential for these to be successful.
To set up effective MLG, two key elements – namely “structures” and “dialogue-processes” – should be established.
- Structures refers to the formal/ informal frameworks and platforms: who is involved and how they are represented
- Dialogue-processes considers opportunities for dialogue: which interactions exist between stakeholders and what they each contribute.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to establishing MLG structures and dialogue-processes. Rather, MLG must be tailored to local, regional and national contexts to enhance policy frameworks.
The EU Covenant of Mayors is ideally placed to demonstrate a multilevel platform that enables low-carbon, resilient and inclusive development in collaboration from local to national levels. By reinforcing know-how on conducive governance mechanisms, multi-faceted planning, streamlining investments to manage impacts and promoting an engagement in a resilient and green recovery, the Covenant Europe can provide key support to the implementation of a successful just, clean and competitive transition.
The targets and actions of Covenant Europe Signatories can contribute to the objectives and targets of the Paris Agreement in meaningful ways, while also serving as key instruments for the governance of the Energy Union and the implementation of key European policies and legislation.
The actions designed, implemented and transparently monitored by Signatories can clearly complement relevant national policies contributing to international goals. At the same time, they can simultaneously generate direct, sustainable and long-term impacts in a variety of cross-cutting sectors (e.g. nature-based solutions, biodiversity, circular economy, health, social inclusion, etc.) tailored for the local communities they represent.
Many Covenant Coordinators and Supporters leverage the Covenant framework to ensure coordinated climate action across levels of governance, particularly in planning, financing and implementation.
- Covenant coordinators are public authorities at national, regional, and sub-regional levels that formally pledge to offer strategic guidance, as well as financial and technical support, to Covenant signatories. Operating within their respective geographical areas, they engage in a variety of activities, such as promoting the Covenant of Mayors, providing technical and/or financial assistance for the development and implementation of Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans, and facilitating networking among Covenant signatories.
- Covenant supporters are non-profit organisations, such as associations of local and regional authorities, energy agencies, and civil society groups, that promote the Covenant of Mayors and support local governments in achieving its goals. They work within their areas of expertise (like energy, environment, water, and air) and across various governance levels (European, national, regional, local). With deep knowledge of regulatory, legislative, and financial frameworks, they provide tailored advice and help align efforts with existing initiatives.
