Sarajevo Functional Urban Area moves from planning to action on climate neutrality

Over two days in Sarajevo, CapaCITIES 2.0 and NetZeroCities joined local, regional and European partners to take stock of the Sarajevo FUA’s Climate City Contract and lay the groundwork for a multi-stakeholder Mission network in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Sarajevo Functional Urban Area (FUA), which brings together the City of Sarajevo and the City of East Sarajevo, is at the forefront of climate neutrality efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In September 2026, CapaCITIES 2.0 and NetZeroCities partners spent two days in Sarajevo with representatives of both cities, the Sarajevo Economic Region Development Agency (SERDA), the City Development Agency East Sarajevo (RAIS), the University of Sarajevo and many other actors working on climate action in the region.

Day 1: A Cities Mission Event at Sarajevo Energy and Climate Week

The visit opened with a NetZeroCities Cities Mission Event, held as a side session of the Sarajevo Energy and Climate Week (SECW). The session included a presentation of the CapaCITIES 2.0 project and the opportunities it offers for fast-tracking the national narrative for climate-neutral urban futures in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Speakers then presented the current state of the Sarajevo FUA’s Climate City Contract and outlined three priority projects the cities are pursuing: decarbonising heating, renewable energy communities, and mobility and public transport. They stressed that an upgrade of the electricity grid is essential to deliver all three.

As the FUA shifts from planning to implementation, attention is turning to allocating resources and unlocking investment. SERDA shared how it is already supporting this transition and acknowledged that further effort and funding will be needed to match the cities’ ambitions.

Day 2: Building a Mission network for the Sarajevo FUA

On the second day, SERDA, the CapaCITIES 2.0 country partner in Bosnia and Herzegovina, hosted a full-day workshop that brought together key climate actors from across the region.

The goal was to build a collaborative, multi-stakeholder Mission network that coordinates efforts and introduces a new way of working to speed up the delivery of climate projects. This network is the seed of a local EU Mission ecosystem.

CapaCITIES 2.0 partners contributed experiences from across Europe. Olga Krajewska (ICLEI Europe), Maria Neneciu (M100 HUB) and Emina Pasic (representing Viable Cities) spoke about the value of aligning and connecting European initiatives and networks.

They also shared how National Mission Platforms in their own countries have helped local, regional and national authorities work together.

Looking ahead

The two days showed how much the Sarajevo FUA is already managing and the energy behind its climate neutrality journey. CapaCITIES 2.0 will continue to support the FUA as it builds its Mission network and moves its priority projects forward.

The CapaCITIES 2.0 team thanks the hosts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Sarajevo FUA team, SERDA for its hospitality, and all colleagues who took part.