Greenprint for the future

Welcome to our first edition back after an unusually eventful summer!

This time round, we're focusing on sustainable cities and what they're doing to futureproof themselves against climate change-related phenomena.

With a huge chunk of Europeans living in towns and cities, urban areas are, unsurprisingly, at the source of many of today’s environmental challenges.

It's why these places are at the forefront of innovative solutions to these problems.

The EU has long recognised this and, through initiatives such as the Green City Accord and Urban Nature Platform, is helping cities and towns tackle pressing environmental challenges.

There are also the Green Cities Awards, which aim to give impetus to bolder actions and spur local pride.

And to much fanfare, the annual awards ceremony is being held tonight in the 2025 European Green Capital, Vilnius. Some of Europe's greenest and most sustainable cities will go head-to-head for the night's coveted prizes.

Watch the livestream here from 5 pm (CEST) to find out which city will become the European Green Capital 2027, as well as the European Green Leaf 2027 cities.

In other news, the European Environment Agency (EEA) released its quinquennial Europe's environment report last week, providing a crucial and in-depth analysis.

And just in case you missed it over the summer, you can find the latest Environmental Implementation Review, which says that greater implementation of EU environmental rules is better for both human health and economic growth.

See you next time!