TCB Conference 2026: Subnational Clean Economy Diplomacy | How-to-guide (Breakout Event 2)

Breakout Event 2 of The Clean Economy Bridge Conference spotlights the growing role of subnational governments, states, provinces, regions, and cities, in advancing the clean economy through cross-border cooperation. As climate and industrial policies accelerate on both sides of the Atlantic, subnational actors are increasingly shaping real-economy outcomes: attracting investment, building clean infrastructure, enabling permitting and planning, and creating the policy certainty that projects and supply chains depend on.



This session explores practical lessons from subnational governments forging partnerships across borders and driving clean economy progress from the ground up. Drawing on experiences from Canada, Germany, and the United States, it will examine what makes subnational cooperation effective, whether focused on clean industry clusters, grid and transmission planning, clean transport corridors, hydrogen and CCUS value chains, or innovation and skills ecosystems.



The discussion will span three interconnected themes: how subnational actors identify shared priorities and translate them into concrete cooperation formats, e.g. MOUs, joint roadmaps, pilot projects, and investment promotion; how they navigate governance challenges such as mandates, funding, data-sharing, and alignment with national and EU frameworks; and how they can design partnerships that deliver measurable benefits, jobs, competitiveness, emissions reductions—while ensuring accountability, durability beyond election cycles, and trust with communities and business.