Brașov is the only city in Romania qualified in the competition for the title of European Green Capital, alongside eight other cities from the EU.
The Directorate-General for the Environment of the European Commission has announced the candidate cities for the title of European Green Capital – 2026.
Thus, the 9 cities that have passed the first stage of this competition are:
- Braga (Portugal),
- Brașov (Romania),
- Córdoba (Spain),
- Guimarães (Portugal),
- Heilbronn (Germany),
- Klagenfurt (Austria),
- Linz (Austria),
- Riga (Latvia),
- Rybnik (Poland).
"It is for the second consecutive year that Brașov is selected in this competition, being the only one from Romania that has reached this level in recent years.
As I mentioned last year, we have a lot of work to do, but we already have concrete results, so we managed to pass the first selection stage, alongside important cities in Europe, which honors us.
This competition is not just a fight for a title, but a path that we have set out to complete in the shortest time possible, so that our city can have an improved quality of life and be a pioneer in implementing green policies. A truly green city, environmentally friendly, attentive to its valuable natural heritage," said Mayor Allen Coliban.
In the coming weeks, in the first stage, a group of seven independent experts will evaluate each application form, based on 7 environmental indicators. Based on the technical evaluation of the experts, the Commission will announce the finalist cities in the summer of 2024. Last year, Brașov missed out on qualifying for the final. Vienna, Guimaraes, and Vilnius were the cities that qualified then.
In the second stage, the finalists will present a summary of how they govern their ecological transition, in front of an international jury chaired by the European Commission.
The winner of the competition will be announced on October 24, 2024, at a festive ceremony in Valencia (Spain), the current European Green Capital.
The winner of the title of European Green Capital will receive a financial prize of 600,000 euros to implement key actions in seven areas with an impact on sustainability and to organize awareness events with and for citizens.
The European Green Capital is an initiative launched by the European Commission in 2010, aiming to recognize and reward the efforts of local communities to improve the environment and, consequently, the economy and quality of life of their citizens. The award is given annually to a city that is a leader in promoting an environmentally friendly urban environment, more citizen-friendly.
The evaluation process of the applications takes into account several indicators, both from the perspective of the current situation and the last 10 years, as well as future plans: air quality; water quality; biodiversity, green areas, and protected natural areas; waste management and circular economy; noise; combating climate change; adaptation to climate change.