Green Capital and Green Leaf 2027 awards

The European Commission has launched the call for entries for the European Green Capital and European Green Leaf awards for the 15th time. The awards, mindful of the need to strive for a transformation towards a greener, cleaner and more sustainable city, recognize and reward local efforts to both improve the environment, the economy and the quality of life in cities.

These activities are part of the implementation of the ambitions of the European Green Deal or the Zero Pollution Action Plan.

The overarching message of the initiative is that Europeans have the right to live in healthy urban areas. Cities should therefore strive to improve the quality of life within their borders and reduce their environmental impact.

Being a European Green Capital or European Green Leaf winner still brings benefits many years after receiving the award. Winning cities, by creating a positive climate in their area, attract more investors, more national support, tourists and more residents proud to be a part of it.

General background

Europe faces many environmental challenges. Two out of three Europeans live in cities, so urban areas are considered one of the sources of today’s environmental challenges. Therefore, it is expected that local governments and authorities should demonstrate the commitment and innovation necessary to solve locally emerging problems and work to improve or maintain the environment. A greener city is a place that attracts investors, tourists and provides a better quality of life for its residents.

European Green Capital and European Green Leaf Awards

For years, the European Commission has emphasized the important role that local authorities play in the pursuit of environmental improvement and has encouraged their involvement in the activities leading to it.

The European Green Capital and European Green Leaf awards are initiatives to promote and reward efforts to address these challenges. They recognize cities that are including their citizens in the transformation, improving the urban environment, combating pollution, mitigating and preparing for climate change.

The title of European Green Capital is the result of an initiative taken by 15 European cities (Tallinn, Helsinki, Riga, Vilnius, Berlin, Warsaw, Madrid, Ljubljana, Prague, Vienna, Kiel, Kotka, Dartford, Tartu and Glasgow) and the Association of Estonian Cities on May 15, 2006 in Estonia. It is awarded to cities with more than 100,000 residents.

The European Green Leaf Award was created in response to the success of the European Green Capital title and the need to recognize smaller cities. The competition is open to European cities with a population between 20,000 and 100,000.

Awards in both competitions are given to cities that:

• consistently achieve high environmental standards and provide them with public recognition;
• are committed to ambitious goals for further environmental improvement and sustainable development;
• are a role model and inspiration, and promote best practices in other European cities.

The European Commission’s Green City Awards. They recognize and reward local efforts to transform towards a greener and more sustainable future. They give impetus to bolder actions. They show how green transformation can be carried out in cities.

Cities vying for the title of European Green Leaf and European Green Capital 2027

Application for the competitions ended on April 15, 2025.The cities competing for the title of European Green Leaf 2027 are: Assen (Netherlands), Ávila (Spain), Benidorm (Spain), Cannes (France), Cayenne (France), Riba-roja de Túria (Spain), Saint-Quentin (France), Sant Feliu de Llobregat (Spain), Siena (Italy) and Vratsa (Bulgaria).

Competing for the title of European Green Capital 2027 are Bielsko-Biala (Poland), Khmelnytskyi (Ukraine), Chernivtsi (Ukraine), Debrecen (Hungary), Heilbronn (Germany), Kosice (Slovakia), Klagenfurt (Austria), Lviv (Ukraine), Rivne (Ukraine) and Ternopil (Ukraine).

Selection of the European Green Capital and winner of the European Green Leaf 2027

Cities in both categories are evaluated on the basis of seven environmental indicators:

1. air quality;
2. water;
3. Biodiversity, green spaces and sustainable land use;
4. waste and the circular economy;
5. noise;
6. Climate change: mitigation;
7. climate change: adaptation.

The evaluation process consists of two stages:

1. A preliminary technical assessment conducted by a panel of experts;
2. Final evaluation by the jury.

The awards will be presented to the winners at a ceremony in Vilnius in the fall of 2025. In addition to a commemorative trophy, there will be a financial prize of 600,000 euros for the European Green Capital and 200,000 euros for the winner of the European Green Leaf.

Our editors hope that the title of European Green Capital 2027 will go to Bielsko-Biala.