Across Europe, cities, towns and regions are already dealing with heat, flooding, coastal erosion, drought, water stress, and other climate risks [EEA 2024]. But while implementation happens locally, the conditions for effective adaptation are shaped across multiple governance levels. Municipalities need clear frameworks, stronger coordination, better access to knowledge and finance, and more opportunities to connect with peers and stakeholders and break down silos between sectors and institutions. This is exactly where AdaptationHubs comes in. As an EU-funded initiative of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, the project is establishing 27 National Adaptation Hubs across Europe to improve coordination on climate adaptation and strengthen climate risk management.
The website adaptationhubs.eu is now live, where readers can explore the project and get a first impression of the 27 national hubs across Europe.
All 27 National Adaptation Hubs are established and operational, and partners across Europe are beginning to convene stakeholders, identify governance needs and strengthen connections between national adaptation priorities and local realities. With 27 national expert organisations already in place, the project has moved quickly from set-up into implementation, launching these hubs across the EU. Designed to foster collaboration among governments, regions, cities, experts and communities, the network supports the turning of climate strategies into action through peer learning, twinning, and a global outreach programme.
A key part of the project is the Central Support Facility, which will increase access to expert guidance, training, and shared resources for the hubs and their stakeholders. It also supports a helpdesk linked to EU tools and knowledge sources, including Climate-ADAPT, helping connect national hub activities with the broader European adaptation landscape. This structure is also being strengthened through formalised cooperation with MIP4Adapt, the Mission’s implementation platform, which provides adaptation knowledge, tools and guidance at European level.
Looking ahead, several core activities are now beginning. The peer-learning programme will soon support exchange between regions within countries and across borders, boosting collaboration between communities facing similar adaptation challenges. This can help connect local experience with national support structures, surface workable solutions, and strengthen cooperation across governance levels.
A dedicated Global Outreach Programme will engage other adaptation hub-like mechanisms beyond the EU-27 through mutual capacity-building webinars. AdaptationHubs will join forces with ICLEI’s World Secretariat and the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) initiative of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) ICLEI in this endeavour.
Overall, AdaptationHubs is designed to close a persistent gap in adaptation governance: while local and regional actors are increasingly expected to deliver adaptation, they often still lack the coordinated support, strategic alignment and enabling conditions needed to do so effectively. By improving cooperation and learning between governance levels, the project aims to support more strategic, connected and actionable adaptation across Europe. In doing so, it also contributes to wider EU policy goals under the European Green Deal, the EU Adaptation Strategy and the EU Climate Law, with the broader goal of making European communities more resilient, safer and better prepared for the future.
