Taking the pulse of European mayors

Empowering EU cities for a resilient and thriving future

Today, 75% of the EU population lives in cities. The wellbeing of our Union depends on vibrant, sustainable urban areas that can tackle current challenges and prepare for the future. Cities must deliver quality public services and foster environments where citizens and businesses thrive through affordable housing, modern infrastructure, clean water, education, healthcare, and sustainable transport.

The overall sentiment is largely optimistic, with 73% of mayors rating their optimism between seven and ten. Neutral perspectives account for 25%, while pessimism remains rare, with only 2% of mayors expressing low confidence in the EU’s future. These results suggest that city leaders continue to see the EU as a key partner for urban progress, investment, and governance, despite existing challenges.

Cities in Western and Southern Europe tend to be the most optimistic while cities in Eastern and Northern Europe tend to be less so. Several key factors appear to shape mayoral optimism. Cities that are heavily involved in EU-funded projects and economic integration tend to report higher levels of confidence. Political alignment and decentralisation also plays a role.

Comparing these findings to broader public sentiment, mayors tend to be more optimistic than EU citizens. According to recent Eurobarometer data, 62% of European citizens express optimism about the EU’s future, compared to 73% of mayors in this survey. While 11% of citizens report pessimism, only 2% of mayors share the same view. The gap between citizen and mayoral sentiment may be explained by the fact that mayors work directly with EU institutions, funding programmes, and city partnerships, giving them a more pragmatic and engaged perspective on European cooperation. In contrast, citizens may view the EU through the lens of national politics or media narratives, which can create a more sceptical outlook.

The correlation between trust in the EU and optimism about its future is statistically significant suggesting a moderate positive relationship: mayors who have higher trust in EU institutions are more likely to be optimistic about its future. This reinforces the idea that institutional trust plays a key role in shaping mayoral perspectives on the EU’s future.

Looking ahead, these findings suggest that mayors see the EU as a critical force for urban progress, investment, and governance. Mayors’ strong optimism highlights their role as key advocates for European cooperation and integration, ensuring that cities continue to be central actors in shaping the EU’s long-term resilience and development.

The economic sentiment among mayors highlights a clear divide between how they perceive their local economies and the broader national economic landscape. While the majority of mayors remain confident about their city’s economic future, their views on national economies are more neutral or negative.

When rating their local economies, 64% of mayors gave high scores between seven and ten, reflecting strong optimism and a positive outlook. Many city leaders see urban economies as resilient, innovation-driven, and better positioned to navigate economic challenges than their national counterparts. In contrast, when assessing their national economies, responses were more cautious, with around half of mayors (50%) giving scores between four and six, indicating uncertainty and a more neutral outcome. A smaller number (19%) rated their national economies below four, pointing to concerns about economic stagnation, inflation, and budgetary constraints.

This divide is particularly evident in cities that report strong local economic confidence despite national economic pessimism. These cities are key economic engines, benefitting from strong local investment, innovation hubs, and urban-led policies that stimulate growth. However, they remain concerned about wider economic conditions, such as national-level policy stagnation, inflationary pressures, and slow fiscal reforms.

In contrast, some cities report aligned economic sentiment, where mayors rate both their local and national economy with similar scores. This suggests a more stable economic outlook, where national policies support local development, and macroeconomic conditions remain favourable. Cities such as Barcelona, Braga, Vienna, Gdansk, and Essen fall into this category, reflecting perceptions of both strong local governance and national economic stability.

A smaller group of cities express pessimism about both their local and national economies. These cities face significant financial pressures, including economic stagnation, fiscal constraints, or external shocks such as war or climate hazards, inflation, or the decline of key industries.

When asked about the cooperation with other levels of government over the past 10 years, nearly seven in ten mayors (69%) across Europe report an improvement in multi-level cooperation, reflecting a growing recognition of the importance of collaborative governance to address urban challenges. At the EU level, progress is evident through initiatives like the Urban Agenda for the EU and the enhanced urban dimension of Cohesion Policy. Nationally, as the OECD reported, governments are aligning urban actions through national urban policies, helping to create a more coordinated approach to urban development. Generally, there has been a broader acknowledgement of the crucial role cities play in tackling major challenges such as climate change, migration, and sustainable urban development.

However, despite these advances, there remains substantial room for improvement. While many cities have seen positive developments, a small but notable portion of mayors (7%) feel that cooperation has either declined or stagnated. These critical voices often come from regions where centralisation has increased, leading to challenges in engaging with national governments.

Mayors’ perspectives on accessing funds from regional, national, and EU sources reveal major disparities in financial support for cities.

EU funding appears to be the most challenging financial source for cities to access. Only 33% of cities report ease in securing direct EU funding, with many citing complex application processes, slow approval mechanisms, and dependence on national intermediaries. Cities that have benefitted from direct forms of EU funding – either those who perceived easier access to Cohesion Policy and have higher envelopes or those who manage to secure direct funds through Horizon Europe or the European Urban Initiative – tend to have more positive experiences.

Access to national funding presents a more complex picture. Some mayors highlight political considerations as a barrier, with funding decisions sometimes influenced by national political dynamics rather than local needs.

Overall, regional funding is the most accessible for cities, with nearly half of respondents rating it as easy to obtain. The findings reinforce the need for more streamlined and direct financial mechanisms that allow cities to access funding efficiently.

City access to funding at regional, national and EU levels

Fiscal autonomy in EU cities

Mayors’ perspectives on fiscal autonomy highlight major disparities in the financial independence of European cities. While some cities report strong control over their budgets, taxation, and investment decisions, many remain financially constrained, relying heavily on national and regional governments for funding. These limitations affect cities’ ability to implement long-term strategies and respond effectively to local challenges. Only 28% of mayors feel their city has high fiscal autonomy (scores 7–10), demonstrating that most local governments remain financially constrained in delivering strategic priorities.

This small group of cities, especially those with strong decentralised governance structures, such as in Switzerland, Germany, and the Nordic countries, indicate that they have the necessary fiscal tools to meet their objectives effectively. Their financial independence enables them to take decisive action on housing, infrastructure, and climate policies without waiting for approval or funding from higher levels of government.

However, nearly 20% of mayors (16 out of 86) report low fiscal autonomy (scores 0-3), highlighting that many cities struggle to collect and manage their own revenues effectively. These cities face severe restrictions on taxation powers, limited ability to raise independent revenue, and heavy dependence on national financial transfers that often come with strict conditions. Many mayors in this category express frustration with national policies that centralise financial control, preventing cities from responding flexibly to local needs. Some also highlight that national budget cuts or shifting political priorities have led to sudden reductions in municipal resources, further weakening their ability to invest in infrastructure, housing, and essential services.

Even among mayors with high optimism for the EU’s future, only a minority believe their city has the fiscal tools to implement key policies effectively.

The link between fiscal autonomy and trust in higher levels of government is also evident. Cities with low fiscal independence tend to have lower trust in their national governments. Mayors with high fiscal autonomy tend to be more optimistic about their city’s economic future and about the EU’s long-term prospects.

Our duty is to be the optimists of Europe

The world today feels like a turning kaleidoscope – what once seemed stable is now in motion. Familiar patterns break apart. The future feels fragmented, unpredictable. But change is not only destruction – it is also creation. From disorder, new forms emerge. From broken pieces, new patterns take shape.