The prestigious title of European Green Leaf is awarded every year to smaller European cities and towns with 20,000 to 100,000 inhabitants, to recognise and promote their efforts towards better environmental management and outcomes. The European Commission's competition to find the next winner of the European Green Leaf title is open, until 14 October 2019. Will your city or town follow in the footsteps of Limerick (Ireland) and Mechelen (Belgium)?

 
If you think your city or town can be a green ambassador that will encourage other cities to progress to better sustainability, as well as actively develop citizens’ environmental awareness and involvement, then you should apply.

 
If your city or town is interested, the first step is to register your interest by following this link. Once you have registered, you will have access to the full set of application forms. Registration is obligation free and does not require your city to enter the competition at a later date - this allows your city to explore the application process to determine whether you wish to make a formal entry. The application deadline is 14 October 2019 at 23:59 CEST (GMT +2).
 
For an overview of the application process, please visit the European Green Leaf Award website here.

Benefits of being a European Green Leaf Winner

Being a European Green Leaf brings many benefits including a greater focus on environmental projects, increased international media coverage of your city, a boost in local pride and increased foreign investment, in turn developing the local economy and helping to create employment. The winner of this title will also receive € 75,000¹ to kick-start its environmental programme for its laureate year.

 
Winners and finalist cities also gain access to the exclusive European Green Leaf Network - a network of 14 cities that share knowledge and environmental best-practice and discuss challenges they face and how to overcome them. In addition, previous applicants have said that the application process itself proved beneficial in evaluating their environmental progress and benchmarking themselves against their European peers.

For more details on eligibility, the application and evaluation process, and competition updates:

• Email: info@europeangreenleaf.eu
• Phone: +353 87 361 90 39
• Visit the European Green Leaf Award 2021 competition application portal
• Visit the European Green Leaf Award website

Follow our social media channels & competition hashtag #EGLA2021 for latest news on the competition: Twitter: @EU_GreenCapital & Facebook: @EuropeanGreenCapitalAward

[1] Subject to the approval of the EU 2020 Budget and approval by the College of the 2020 Financing Decision for the EU Life Programme.