Over 300 Professionals Trained to Implement Low Emission Zones in Barcelona

June 2025 marks the completion of the fifth and final edition of the Low Emission Zones (LEZ) course in Barcelona, training over 300 officials in charge of implementing LEZs from more than 30 Catalan municipalities. The programme was aimed at public administration professionals in order to provide them with the knowledge and necessary tools to successfully implement a low-emission zone in Catalonia.

In the past years, public authorities of Barcelona and its Metropolitan Area (AMB), have made a great effort to move towards a more sustainable mobility ecosystem by introducing one of the biggest LEZ in Europe. However, as cities across Europe increasingly adopt LEZs to curb emissions and improve urban air quality, municipalities face challenges such as the lack of a standardised framework, technological barriers, enforcement complexities, and governance gaps.

The LEZ course has been specifically designed to allow technical staff from municipalities to overcome those obstacles. To achieve its goal, the offered sessions were led by experts from UPC, AMB, other public entities, and leading companies in the field, offering participants the chance to learn from real-world experiences and the latest innovations.

For the past five years, participants have consistently highlighted the practical relevance of the sessions, the high quality of the speakers, and the opportunity to connect with other participants. This highlights the course as a key resource to help them navigate the complexities of LEZ implementation within their local context, and work in a more aligned approach to implement sustainable mobility systems in their municipalities.

Considering student feedback, the LEZ course has evolved slightly with each edition. More practical content has been introduced, where students engage directly with different community groups to better understand their concerns. This approach ensures that the development of Low Emission Zones incorporates citizen perspectives and remains centred on their needs.

Organized by CARNET, the course has been developed in collaboration with the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB), and the UPC School, and co-funded by EIT Urban Mobility.