The EIB has published a report on urban investment in Europe. According to the Research, majority of European cities are striving to invest more in combating climate change. The research covered 1002 cities with a total population of about 26 million people. This is about 6% of the total EU population.
56% are aiming to increase investments in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and 53% intend to increase budgets for social infrastructure over the next three years. At the same time, about 50% of the respondents also plan to increase investments in adaptation measures to climate risks. This means protection from floods, heat and fires.
43% of municipalities reported a shortage of staff for project management. 34% indicated a lack of specialists to prepare technical documents. 55% of respondents note the lack of coordination between different levels of government makes it difficult to develop and implement climate measures. The lack of qualified specialists, combined with administrative problems and increased funding, is an obstacle to a high-quality fight against climate change.
