Photo credit: Riga City Council
“Mobility is much more than getting from point A to point B,” said Vilnis Ķirsis, Mayor of Riga, as the city hosted the 2025 Eurocities Mobility Forum. “It is about our health, about how we meet fellow citizens, and about the independence of our children. Mobility is about our everyday quality of life.”
From 19-21 March, the Latvian capital hosted local leaders from 45 European cities. ‘Collaborating beyond boundaries: sustainable mobility for all’ is the theme that guided this year’s discussions on how European cities are tackling pressing mobility challenges.
The theme reflects a growing recognition that cities are not only mobility implementers but strategic players in shaping Europe’s transport future. By fostering collaboration, rethinking infrastructure, and prioritising equity and sustainability, cities are rethinking mobility as a tool for improving quality of life, rather than simply a means of moving from point A to B.
Navigating the complex web of governance in large-scale projects
The panel entitled ‘Strategies for collaborative large-scale projects across regions and countries’ was a standout session at the Forum, making clear the importance of strategic collaboration between cities, regions and countries for large-scale mobility projects. The discussion brought together city leaders from Riga, Budapest, and Malmo, alongside Isabelle Vandoorne, Acting Head of Unit of the Innovation and Research Unit at DG MOVE at the European Commission, to explore how to navigate the political, financial, and governance complexities of delivering Europe’s most ambitious infrastructure projects.
Navigating the complex web of governance across multiple political and geographical levels is a major challenge for cities involved in megaprojects. For example, Europe’s major infrastructure plans, such as the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), rely on more than national strategies and EU frameworks. They also depend on cities. As the panel discussion demonstrates, collaboration between local, regional, and national governments with EU institutions is crucial to ensure that projects are effectively planned, funded, and executed.
Mobility is about our everyday quality of life.
Shaping the future of Rail Baltica in Riga
In Riga, Mayor Vilnis Ķirsis highlighted the city’s central role in Rail Baltica, a flagship project connecting the Baltic states to the European rail network. As part of the TEN-T plan, Rail Baltica is designed to enhance regional integration and offer a greener, more sustainable transport option. Riga is playing a key role in shaping the project’s local integration, ensuring it aligns with both EU-wide priorities and local needs.
The city has established a dedicated unit to coordinate large-scale infrastructure projects and signed memorandums of understanding with NGOs to ensure transparency throughout the development process. Riga has also invested in over 30 complementary projects around the central station, including new pedestrian-friendly spaces, multimodal transport hubs, and improved cycling infrastructure. These investments aim to not only enhance connectivity but also make Riga’s urban environment more sustainable and citizen-focused.
With Rail Baltica, Riga is working to integrate the new rail network seamlessly into the city’s existing transport infrastructure, ensuring that the benefits of the project extend beyond just improving connectivity between cities. By enhancing local transport options and creating new green spaces around the station, Riga is using Rail Baltica as a catalyst for improving the quality of life for its residents.
Rethinking debt and investment in Malmo
In Malmo, Deputy Mayor Stefana Hoti presented plans for a new cross-border metro line linking the Swedish city to Copenhagen. Designed to relieve pressure on the existing Oresund Bridge, the metro would cut commuting time in half and unlock new labour market opportunities.
The Oresund Metro project highlights the importance of national support for cross-border infrastructure, particularly in rail investments. Linking Malmo and Copenhagen, the project shows how cities can drive innovation with buy-in from national governments. However, as Deputy Mayor Stefana Hoti emphasised, achieving political alignment remains a major challenge. “Cities are at the forefront when it comes to leading the green transition, but we can also feel alone in that battle,” she said.
While the project requires significant investment, Hoti explains that it’s more than just an expense: “We must rethink what we think of as a debt and what we think of as an investment. If we build roads that increase pollution, then that is a debt. On the other hand, if we build rail that lowers emissions, that is an investment.”
She has the numbers to back this up. Hoti explains, “Every Swedish krona we invest returns 1.23,” underlining the project’s long-term economic and social value, and the importance of securing national attention for investments that benefit both countries.
We must rethink what we think of as a debt and what we think of as an investment.
Overcoming bottlenecks in Budapest
In Budapest, the challenge lies in overcoming capacity bottlenecks while maintaining connectivity between the city and several key trans-European corridors. As Dávid Vitézy, Chair of the Committee for Urban Development, Climate and Transport in Budapest, explained, Hungary is a critical transport hub, linking Eastern and Western Europe through its rail network. Budapest sits at the crossroads of three major TEN-T corridors, with passenger and freight trains passing through the city’s already congested stations. Expanding the railway network and adding a new railway tunnel are key to meeting growing demands, but the project faces complex political and financial challenges.
Vitézy noted that Budapest’s railway network is crucial for regional and continental connectivity, but it is facing complex issues with major bottlenecks, particularly as for freight trains struggling with waiting times. He also discussed the political challenge of securing funding for rail upgrades, as Hungary has been investing heavily in motorways rather than rail.
Vitézy discussed how Hungary’s rail network is key to improving regional and continental connections but faces bottlenecks due to lack of coordination in infrastructure investments. Political and financial challenges, such as competing priorities for motorways, compound the issue. He remarked that the major challenge is to shift the focus from motorways to rail, to manage this balancing act between local needs and national priorities.
Risk management and phased delivery are essential. As Vitézy puts it, “You can’t eat an elephant in one bite. You have to go bite by bite and break large scale projects into manageable phases, knowing from the very beginning who is responsible for what.” Shared risk and collaboration across government levels are essential for overcoming these challenges. Cities are finding that managing large-scale mobility projects requires building multi-level partnerships, ensuring clear allocation of risks and responsibilities.
Alignment, capacity, and sharing the risk
Cities often have the vision but struggle with the capacity and resources to implement it without national support. Coordinating funds and integrating various investment sources – EU, national, and private – remains a crucial hurdle. Cities must advocate for flexible financing mechanisms to bridge gaps between what is needed and what is funded.
You can’t eat an elephant in one bite.
Securing funding and navigating political landscapes are critical hurdles for cities embarking on large-scale mobility projects. Collaboration between local governments, national ministries, and EU institutions is essential for the success of these projects, but cities often face challenges in aligning these various interests. Hoti explains, “Cities have a lot of responsibility. There is a lot of coordination to do with a lot of stakeholders without the actual funding. In my view, besides just getting the funding, it’s really important for us to actually get help with the coordination. Help us to get the stakeholders to the table, with the pressure on the government. We can actually risk missing out on investments because of tensions on local and national levels. It’s important to share the risks as well with the revenues that come afterwards.”
Flexible financing mechanisms are crucial to making these projects feasible. While EU funding tools like the Cohesion Funds and Recovery and Resilience Facility offer significant support, they are often not enough on their own. Cities must coordinate these funds with national budgets and private investments to ensure the success of mobility projects. The ability to combine different funding sources and to adapt to diverse timelines and priorities is vital for delivering infrastructure on time and within budget.
Local leadership is key
As cities grapple with the challenges of mobility megaprojects, their role in driving change has never been more crucial. Through strategic collaboration with national governments, EU institutions, and the private sector, cities are laying the groundwork for a more connected, sustainable, and resilient transport system across Europe.
The examples of Riga, Malmo, and Budapest show that local leadership is key to ensuring that large-scale projects not only meet the needs of the present but also create long-term benefits for all citizens. From Rail Baltica to cross-border metro systems, cities are demonstrating that sustainability, equity, and innovation must be at the heart of transport investments.
The path forward is not without challenges. Political alignment, capacity, and funding remain significant hurdles, as cities must balance local priorities with national and European goals. Shared risk and flexible financing mechanisms will be essential to ensure that projects succeed in the long run. Cities will need to continue advocating for multi-level governance approaches that enable cross-border collaboration and ensure that mobility projects are not only built but maintained for future generations.
As Europe looks to strengthen its transport infrastructure in the face of pressing challenges like climate change and urbanisation, the need for bold and inclusive action has never been clearer. By fostering stronger partnerships and inclusive decision-making, cities are paving the way for a more sustainable and integrated European transport network, one that serves the needs of all citizens and contributes to the wider European agenda of a greener, more resilient future.
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For further insights on how cities are advocating for improved transport connections across Europe, including the prioritisation of fast and high-quality passenger train services, visit Eurocities’ policy statement on this crucial topic here.
