Climate change poses a significant challenge for governance within the European Union (EU), requiring both horizontal cooperation across diverse sectors and vertical collaboration between the EU, national, regional, and local actors. This is particularly relevant following the EU’s commitment to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 followed by the European Green Deal initiative. The successful realization of EU climate and energy policies, as well as key milestones and targets aligned with the goal of climate neutrality, requires substantial changes at the national and local levels, deeply influencing economies, societies, and citizens.
Local and regional governments are uniquely positioned to advance the climate neutrality agenda (OECD, 2020), playing pivotal roles in areas such as energy savings, climate mitigation, and adaptation (Dahal et al., 2018). Innovative policies, including urban planning and smart city initiatives aimed at reducing energy consumption and traffic, alongside new governance arrangements such as the establishment of climate offices, offer numerous opportunities for active citizen participation.
Regions and municipalities, in collaboration with the private sector and citizens, are well-equipped to provide effective solutions. However, preparing regions and municipalities for achieving climate neutrality requires significant investments in innovation, the large-scale adoption of innovative solutions, infrastructure development, and habitat improvements.
This paper aims to investigate and address the opportunities related to democratic citizenship and evolving climate governance in Slovak regions and cities. It examines the involvement of eight regions functioning as sub-national entities (NUTS 3 level) and their respective capital cities and towns in the energy transition process and the pursuit of climate neutrality.
First, the paper explores how the climate strategies of local and regional authorities in Slovakia have evolved over time, focusing on how these strategies reflect escalating climate ambitions and how the local and regional authorities adopted the climate governance framework.
Second, it examines the intersection of regional governance and citizen engagement, investigating how climate policies and governance arrangements foster democratic participation and citizenship. Particular attention is given to the role of active regional actors, including local climate NGOs, energy communities, and local action groups. By exploring these dynamics, the paper seeks to identify opportunities to strengthen democratic citizenship in climate policy-making and governance.
