Source: Eltis, Conall Martin

Originally scheduled to close on 25 March 2022, the EU Green Capital and EU Green Leaf awards have extended the application deadline to 28 April 2022, allowing an additional month for applications to be finalized.

The two awards aim to amplify a simple message – Europeans have the right to live in healthy urban areas and cities should strive to improve both quality of life and environmental impact. The awards are bestowed upon cities that have taken impressive green action, with funding granted to further these actions.

The EU Green Leaf Award is open to all cities and towns across Europe of population 20,000 – 100,000; up to two cities are selected as winners for this category. The EU Green City Award is open to larger cities with only a single winner selected.

The objectives of the European Green Leaf Award are threefold:

• To recognize cities that demonstrate a good environmental record and commitment to generating green growth;
• To encourage cities to actively develop citizens’ environmental awareness and involvement;
• To identify cities that are able to act as ‘green ambassadors’ and to encourage other cities to progress towards better sustainability outcomes.

EU cities are assessed by a Panel of Experts on the basis of 12 environmental indicators:

1. Air Quality
2. Noise
3. Water
4. Sustainable Land Use and Soil
5. Waste and Circular Economy
6. Nature and Biodiversity
7. Green Growth and Eco-innovation
8. Climate Change: Mitigation
9. Climate Change: Adaptation
10. Sustainable Urban Mobility
11. Energy Performance
12. Environmental Governance