European Green Capital

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The title European Green Capital or European Green Capital is awarded annually by the European Commission to a city in Europe that has succeeded in combining environmental protection and economic growth in an excellent quality of life for its residents.

The award as European Green Capital ( english European Green Capital Award ) is intended to encourage cities to set an example to other European cities and promote best practices.

The first two title holders Stockholm (2010) and Hamburg (2011) prevailed against other competitors, who were chosen as role models because of their initiatives to improve urban living conditions (measures to deal with air pollution, the problem of traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions).

Emergence

The initiative for this title came from various European cities with a green vision and the former mayor of the Estonian capital Tallinn , Jüri Ratas . The concept was presented at a meeting organized by Ratas in Tallinn on May 15, 2006, so that 15 European cities and the Association of Estonian Cities sign an agreement to award such an environmental label. In 2006, Ratas formulated his conviction that a green and sustainable Europe is essential for improving the health and quality of life of its citizens. Since then, more than 40 cities have joined the initiative, which are now supposed to compete for the title in a constructive way as mutual role models.

requirements

All cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants in one of the 28 member states of the European Union , as well as the candidate countries for joining the European Union and the countries of the European Economic Area , can apply for the title, which is awarded for one year.

The applicant cities are checked against various environmental criteria. The criteria include, for example, the protection of nature and biological diversity, traffic, air and water quality, existing initiatives to combat climate change or waste generation and management. The cities should distinguish themselves through a high level of environmental protection and strive for permanent ambitious environmental goals and improvement as well as sustainable development.

The title is awarded by a jury made up of representatives from the European Commission, the European Environment Agency and key European and international environmental organizations.

Title holder

In a two-stage process, the respective cities are selected from the applicants:

  • In February 2009 the title was first awarded to Stockholm (Sweden) for 2010 and Hamburg (Germany) for 2011.
  • In October 2010 the title for 2012 was given to Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain) and for 2013 to Nantes (France).
  • In June 2012 the title was awarded to Copenhagen (Denmark) for 2014 and Bristol (England) for 2015 .
  • In June 2015 the title was awarded to Ljubljana (Slovenia) for 2016 and to Essen (Germany) for 2017 .
  • In June 2016 the title for 2018 was given to Nijmegen (Netherlands).

Stockholm 2010

The Swedish capital Stockholm became the first environmental capital ( Miljöhuvudstad ) in Europe. The title was awarded as a result of the city's continuous efforts to improve the environment, which sought to improve the quality of life in Stockholm through measures to reduce noise pollution, improve water quality, lower emissions and promote waste treatment, and which aims to completely eliminate fossil fuels by 2050 .

Two projects supported these measures: the transformation of an industrial area into a climate-adapted urban district ( Royal Seaport ) and the transformation of a suburb into an energy-efficient urban district ( Sustainable Järva ).

Train of ideas in Hamburg on the Lombard Bridge.

Hamburg 2011

The jury justified the award to the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg by stating that the German city-state "has achieved great achievements in recent years and has achieved excellent environmental standards across the board. The city has very ambitious plans for the future that include additional improvements promise." In all evaluation categories, such as climate protection, mobility, air quality, water consumption and land use, Hamburg was in the upper evaluation range and at the same time offered scope for improvement in almost all categories. The nature conservation associations criticized this very positive assessment. A number of associations founded the Green Capital Hamburg Environmental Association Initiative UHU, which critically examined the topics of the Green Capital. She wanted to compare the demands and the reality of urban environmental and nature conservation in Hamburg. The Nature Conservation Youth (NAJU) at NABU Hamburg organized the youth environment summit “We make the city” on the Green Capital in September 2011 . Hamburg is one of the few metropolises in Germany that has not introduced an environmental zone in the entire city.

On December 15, 2010, Hamburg took over the title from Stockholm.

The train of ideas from the Green Capital Hamburg traveled all over Europe to present the “visions for the cities of the future ”.

Vitoria-Gasteiz 2012

On December 15, 2011, the title “European Green Capital” was passed on from Hamburg to the northern Spanish city of Vitoria-Gasteiz . The award was given in recognition of their efforts in urban planning, green spaces, recycling, sustainable mobility and water use. The project of a “green belt”, which forms a green ring around the city center, had a particular response. All residents have access to public green spaces within a maximum of 300 meters from their home.

Nantes 2013

For 2013 Nantes was awarded the title. The sixth largest city in France has been strongly committed to sustainable urban development over the past ten years, according to the EU Commission's justification. To reduce car traffic, an electric tram was introduced and the cycle path network expanded. The city was able to reduce its CO 2 emissions.

Copenhagen 2014

In 2014, Copenhagen was Europe's green capital. The Copenhageners are very good at leaving their car in the garage and getting on their bikes instead, it said. You could swim in the clean water of the port and Copenhagen had published a green report that impressively shows how much CO 2 emissions have been reduced.

Bristol 2015

In 2015, Bristol carried the title.

Ljubljana 2016

In 2016, Ljubljana was Europe's green capital.

Essen 2017

In 2017, Essen was the green capital of Europe. In the justification, the role model role of the city of Essen for many cities in structural change and the role of the city of Essen within the Ruhr Metropolis were highlighted. The jury was impressed by the holistic approach of the application. The proposed solutions for the future of a “liveable city” taking into account the effects of the structural change from a coal and steel city “to the greenest city” in North Rhine-Westphalia were highlighted.

Nijmegen 2018

In 2018 Nijmegen was the green capital of Europe.

Oslo 2019

In 2019, Oslo was the European Green Capital.

Lisbon 2020

In 2020, Lisbon will be Europe's Green Capital.

Lahti 2021

Lahti will be the European Green Capital in 2021 .

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Environment: Commission launches application process for the title “European Green Capital” for 2012 and 2013, PM of 23 October 2009
  2. ↑ Website of the European Commission on European Green Capital (English, accessed on November 24, 2010)
  3. ↑ EGCA: Winning Cities , accessed April 25, 2016.
  4. ↑ EGCA: 2018 - Nijmegen , accessed on April 25, 2016.
  5. ↑ News from ETAP policy: Stockholm is committed to sustainable urban development. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on July 25, 2010 ; Retrieved December 15, 2010 .
  6. ^ FHH, Authority for Urban Development and the Environment: Hamburg - European Green Capital 2011. Archived from the original on July 23, 2010 ; Retrieved December 15, 2010 .
  7. ↑ FHH - BSU: Hamburg is now officially "European Green Capital 2011" - State Councilor Dr. Jäger receives title in Brussels. Retrieved December 15, 2011 .
  8. ↑ Train of Ideas - Visions for the Cities of the Future. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 19, 2011 ; Retrieved May 21, 2011 .
  9. ↑ Environmental protection: Commission awards Vitoria-Gasteiz the title “European Green Capital”. europa.eu, December 15, 2011, accessed April 30, 2012 .
  10. ↑ Copenhagen's Grand Opening. EGCA, accessed January 29, 2014 .
  11. ↑ Essen becomes the green capital of Europe. Retrieved February 24, 2017 .
  12. ↑ Application documents Essen. Retrieved May 18, 2017 .
  13. ^ Norway - Oslo becomes "European Green Capital" , deutschlandfunk.de, accessed on June 2, 2017.
  14. ↑ EU Commission: European Green Capital award for 2020 goes to Lisbon, Portugal , June 22, 2018.
  15. ↑ EU Commission: Green city awards go to Lahti, Limerick and Mechelen! , June 20, 2019.