Metropolitan governance in Europe: a classification of current national models

New institutional configurations have emerged in Europe over time, reflecting the increasingly intricate relationships between core urban centres and their surroundings. While there is a general acknowledgement of the significance of metropolitan phenomena, defining and governing them remains contentious and various countries and regions across Europe have been experimenting through time with different institutional structures and instruments. As a consequence, metropolitan governance varies widely, often depending on historical institutional patterns. Aiming at shedding light on the matter, this contribution draws upon the findings from the ESPON COMPASS and METRO projects to survey and compare the national metropolitan governance models currently existing in Europe. In more detail, it categorises these models based on four variables: (i) the process leading to their institutionalisation, (ii) the institutional form, (iii) the alignment with functional phenomena, and (iv) the competences and instruments. The results of the analysis provide insights into navigating metropolitan governance in the EU and allow for the delineation of a preliminary classification.