“What we can do is contribute to EU goals”: Latvia’s strategic narrative challenges in pursuing climate neutrality

The European Union aims for climate neutrality by 2050, requiring strong commitment from its member states to implement effective policies. The strategic narratives framework highlights that narratives converging across the formation, projection, and reception phases can aid in adopting and implementing these measures. Through narrative analysis of 1739 text units and 39 interviews with Latvian policymakers, media, enterprises, and civil society, we critically examine Latvia’s efforts to create and communicate a persuasive domestic narrative supporting its transition to climate neutrality. We find that while climate change gains attention, Latvia’s strategic narrative focuses on compliance with the EU regulations, with contestation over their relevance to Latvia, economic and societal costs, funding availability, and the inclusiveness of policymaking. This technocratic approach overlooks broader debates on climate change and its specific impacts on Latvia, failing to inspire action beyond compliance with regulatory requirements.