Green Cities Newsletter

A new year means a new European Green Capital! On 11 January 2024, Valencia kicked off its title year with an outstanding opening ceremony at the Palau de la Música. Representatives from the European Commission and the network were present for this key moment.

Velenje (Slovenia) also embarked on its historic journey as a Green Leaf city on 14 January 2024, presenting its ambitious plans to citizens, and organizing a number of festivities to commemorate this occasion.

One of the European Green Leaf winners Elsinore (Denmark) launched its title year with a successful opening ceremony on 29 January 2024, incorporating presentations and performances from civil society and renowned artists.

Tallinn ended its title year as the European Green Capital on a very high note with its participation at COP28, the UN Climate Change Conference at the United Arab Emirates.

The call for applications is open until 30 April 2024. Interested cities as of 20.000 habitants still have time to apply for the Green Leaf titles and above 100.000 habitants for the Green Capital title for the year 2026. We recently organised a workshop for potential applicant cities. To receive the application forms, just register on EU Survey and you’ll get them automatically in your inbox.

To guide potential applicant cities for the 2026 application process, the secretariat of the European Green Capital and Leaf Awards organised the annual ‘Applicant City Workshop’ on 1 February 2024. More than 50 participants attended, represented by 30 cities.

Valencia, our Green Capital this year, has a long tradition of good water management. A Euronews episode on water featured the city last year in it’s first edition of their TV show “The Road to Green” – we encourage you to watch other episodes with interesting urban development ideas.

The Committee of the Regions' newsletter includes the Green Deal Funding Alert, bringing your city the latest opportunities. Thus, we highly recommend subscription. After signing up, preferences for the type of content received can be managed to only include the Green Deal newsletter items by clicking on the preferences link presented below.

Join this online event to find peers for your actions on sustainability! The European Urban Initiative provides financial support and assistance for city-to-city capacity building actions, including visits and exchanges.

Are you a European mayor who is ‘fit for 55’? Then we welcome you to join this conference organised by the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU. We believe that the local level should be embedded in the heart of the Green Deal because it has the power to mobilize. It’s time to let the mayors speak!

The 10th European Summit of Regions and Cities will bring a new perspective on topics at the heart of people's concerns, such as democracy, sustainable development, the future of the European Union and its enlargement, the need to ensure social, economic and territorial cohesion. Organised by the European Committee of the Regions.

Cities’ representatives can participate free of charge in this programme aiming to connect local leaders with business solutions to address cities' sustainability needs. 35,000 participants from 120 countries are expected to participate. The EU Smart Cities Marketplace will join with a stand.

The ‘donut economy’ meets the essential needs of every person living within the planetary boundaries. Watch the online workshop held on 31 January 2024.

On 6 February 2024, the European Commission (DG Environment) hosted a webinar about low noise road surfaces to disseminate information to local authorities and relevant stakeholders on how to use them efficiently.

The Commission has welcomed the provisional agreement on the revised Ambient Air Quality Directive. With the new law, the 2030 EU air quality standards will be better aligned with the WHO global air quality guidelines and Zero Pollution ambition.

The Commission has welcomed the provisional agreement on the proposal revising the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, which will strengthen the protection of human health and the environment towards Zero Pollution from harmful discharges of urban wastewater.

The Commission has approved new minimum hygiene standards for materials and products that come into contact with drinking water. These standards, set to take effect from December 2026, aim to prevent microbial growth and reduce the risk of harmful substances leaching into our water supply.

Cedefop, one of the EU’s agencies, launched a survey to gather information on how cities evaluate the impact of the green transition in the professional context and how they create policies in favour of green skills and jobs. The survey takes about 15 minutes. Your contribution will help raise the voice of cities among policy makers and provide inspiration on how to become greener in the future.