Across the forum, discussions highlighted the need to better connect policy ambitions with local realities, placing leadership and innovation in small and medium-sized cities at the centre. Key themes included financing innovation in nature-based solutions, breaking down silos and building bridges for effective implementation, planning resilient landscapes, and integrating social justice into climate adaptation. Key challenges identified in the discussion of integrated and cross-sectoral approaches included short term policy solutions, institutional fragmentation, and limited financial resources. Key takeaways from the forum include:

» Cities are already taking significant action, though this is not always explicitly linked to EU policy frameworks, even when aligned with binding targets, broader objectives, and informal goals. 

» Implementation challenges vary significantly depending on capacity, governance structures, and resources, requiring more coordinated and context-sensitive approaches. Local governments are expected to deliver ambitious climate and biodiversity goals but often lack sufficient resources, funding, and decision-making capacity to implement them. 

» Resilience governance is a social exercise. It is fundamentally built on trust, inclusion, and cross-sector cooperation. The ability to bring people together, make them feel heard, and foster a safe environment for cooperation across their respective fields through strong communication is vital. Stronger collaboration across governance levels is needed, alongside efforts to break down institutional silos and involve citizens more directly in shaping resilient and sustainable urban environments. 

» Implementation challenges look very different, depending on capacity and different management structures. As climate resilience spans a variety of policy fields, linking the management of these issues across sectors regardless of the legal breakdown of EU policy at the regional and local levels presents a real challenge. From a regional perspective, citizen participation, financing structure, and coordination of capacity building and restructuring are vital factors for effective implementation. 

» Strengthening public sector capacity and enabling local ownership should be central to investment strategies, with cities and citizens playing a leading role in shaping their shared future. Current stringent fiscal rules are self defeating, blocking investments urgently needed while creating greater financing pressures tomorrow. Broad fiscal reforms could address the financing needs cities are facing. 

» Climate health and social justice are inseparable from climate adaptation and resilience building.