On Wednesday, 25 June 2025, the final event of the project “Technical Assistance to the Net Zero Mission for the Sarajevo Functional Urban Area” took place, marking the completion of the Climate City Contract for the Sarajevo Functional Urban Area. 

The Climate City Contract paves the way for even closer cooperation between the Sarajevo Functional Urban Area and the European Union, as well as with other European cities striving to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. As part of its obligations, the Sarajevo Functional Urban Area will now submit the Climate City Contract to the European Commission. The contract is conceived as a digital living document, regularly updated to reflect progress, integrate new stakeholders, and adapt to findings from ongoing monitoring and evaluation.

“The finalisation of Sarajevo’s Climate City Contract marks a key step forward in the city's commitment to a sustainable future. Through the “100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030” EU Mission, we are building a common European future: one that is climate-neutral, inclusive, and driven by cooperation across all levels of society. Sarajevo Functional Urban Area - which encompasses Sarajevo Canton, the City of Sarajevo, and the City of East Sarajevo as a spatially, economically, and environmentally interconnected area - is now part of that shared effort and we look forward to continuing this journey together,” said Stefano Ellero, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

The scope of Sarajevo Functional Urban Area’s mission is ambitious. It includes Sarajevo Canton, the City of Sarajevo, and the City of East Sarajevo - a diverse but interconnected area facing shared environmental, social, and economic challenges. These challenges - ranging from air pollution and energy efficiency to mobility, biodiversity, and green space management - require joint and coordinated solutions.

In addition to a broad group of stakeholders – such as the Enterprise Alliance, international financial institutions, embassies, and the Civic Platform – the contract also incorporates the voices of citizens from the first Climate Citizens' Forum, held in May 2025. On that occasion, citizens focused on the practical aspects of everyday life. Citizens focused on practical aspects of everyday life.

Sanda Midžić Kurtagić, Team Leader of the Technical Assistance to the Net Zero Mission, said: “Citizens presented some of the most important recommendations that local authorities can use to develop sustainable and effective climate measures. A total of 49 citizen recommendations have been directly integrated into Sarajevo’s Climate City Contract.”

The EU Mission “100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030” has the aim of making the wider Sarajevo area one of Europe’s “Net Zero” climate-neutral cities/regions. Sarajevo Functional Urban Area was selected from among 375 applications and is one of only three chosen from the Western Balkans.

This initiative is funded by the European Union and implemented by NTU International.