What Role for Cities in the EU Green Deal? Analysis of Policy Framework, Interlinkages and Contribution to the 2030 Agenda

Urban environments are at the forefront of the European Union (EU) climate ambitions as envisaged by the European Green Deal (EGD). Cities are also central to delivering most of the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, EU cities face severe implementation challenges in operationalising the EGD and SDGs. This research aims to support EU cities in implementing the EGD by providing a coherent framework, aligning green transition policies with the SDG targets and indicators. The framework may support policy coherence and ambition alignment among governance levels. Specifically, the research identified 22 SDG targets matched to 76 EGD policy targets requiring implementation at the urban level, with SDGs 7, 13 and 15 being the most addressed. Furthermore, the application of the framework allows for informing SDG interlinkage assessment among policy targets also at the urban level, acknowledging potential caution areas, especially when implementing EGD targets directly linked to SDGs 7, 13, 6 and 9. Major implications include (i) the opportunity to align local development programmes with identified overarching priorities, unlocking the 2030 Agenda's potential to inform policy-making at the urban level, and (ii) the need to properly address trade-offs when implementing EGD policies to exploit EU cities' potential towards the EU green transition.