EU-wide competition for towns and smaller cities

The title of European Green Leaf is awarded every year to recognise and promote the efforts of towns and smaller cities (20,000 up to 100,000 population) towards better environmental management and outcomes. The first cities were awarded the title in 2015.

Now in its 6th year, the European Commission is launching the competition to find the winner(s)1 of the European Green Leaf 2021 title. The winner(s) of this title will also receive a financial incentive of €75,000 to kick-start their environmental programme for the year.

1There can be up to two winners each year.

Will your city be the next European Green Leaf winner?

#EGLA2021

Two-thirds of Europeans live in towns and cities – that’s about 500

million people. Their health and well-being depend on how well city

authorities address environmental challenges.

With the prestigious European Green Capital and European Green Leaf Awards, the European

Commission is recognising the remarkable efforts of cities that are genuinely committed to

becoming better, greener places.

By showcasing the achievements of these sustainable cities, the Awards act as an inspiration,

demonstrating that urban environmental challenges can be tackled in ways that benefit citizens

and their environment at the same time.

As our pioneering winners have shown year after year, any city can go green. I hope potential

applicants will want to follow in their footsteps, demonstrating that there are many ways and paths

to becoming a modern green city.

Together we can green our urban living, and make cities more enjoyable places to live, work, play

and grow old. I encourage all cities to apply for the European Green Leaf Award as a first step to a

more sustainable future.

Karmenu Vella

EU Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

A message from EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella

Visit ec.europa.eu/europeangreenleaf for more information on

how to apply or email info@europeangreenleaf.eu

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Towns and cities ‘growing greener’Today, about 70% of Europeans live in towns and cities and this

number is predicted to rise. Urban areas concentrate most of the

environmental challenges facing our society, but also bring together

commitment and innovation to resolve them.

The European Green Leaf Award promotes and rewards a city’s environmental efforts, recognising

cities that demonstrate a good environmental record and commitment to generating ‘green’ growth

and new jobs to improve our urban living environment.

The competition for the European Green Leaf 2021 Award opens in May 2019 and closes on 14

October 2019.

Financial incentive2

The Commission will award €75,000 to the winning city of the 2021 European Green Leaf title to

help them kick-start their green year. All of the details regarding this financial incentive and winning

city obligations are contained in the Rules of Contest 2021, available on the website.

Who can apply? The European Green Leaf Award competition is open to:

• Towns and cities from EU Member States3, EU Candidate Countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein,

Norway and Switzerland.

• All towns and cities from the countries listed above which have a population of 20,000 and up to

100,000 inhabitants.

Eligibility

• A ‘city’ is understood to be an urban area and an administrative unit governed by a city council or

another form of democratically elected body.

• In countries where there is no city with more than 20,000 inhabitants, the largest city is eligible to

apply.

Rules of Contest

• In any given year, cities can apply for either the European Green Capital Award or European Green

Leaf Award, but not both at the same time.

• Past winners may not apply for a period of ten years after they have been awarded the European

Green Leaf title.

Subject to the approval of the EU 2020 Budget and approval by the College of the 2020 Financing Decision for the EU LIFE Programme.

For British candidates or applicants: Please be aware that after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, the rules of access to EU financial competing procedures of economic operators established in third countries will apply to candidates or applicants from the UK depending on the outcome of the BREXIT negotiations. In case such access to the EU market is not provided by legal provisions in force candidates or applicants from the UK could be rejected from the financial procedure.

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How to Apply

The Application Form has two sections per topic area:

• Describe the current situation and strategic approach.

• Describe citizen participation and public awareness.

1 Climate Change and Energy Performance

2 Sustainable Urban Mobility

3 Nature, Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use

4 Air Quality and Noise

5 Waste and Circular Economy

6 Water

Evaluation Process

A panel of twelve independent, internationally acknowledged experts carries out a technical

assessment of the received applications and then provides a ranking of the applicant cities along

with a shortlist to go to the next stage of the competition.

The European Green Leaf Award finalist cities are then invited to present their achievements

and future vision to the Jury, chaired by the European Commission. At this presentation, the Jury

assesses:

The competition to find the European Green Leaf 2021 opens in May

2019 and closes on 14 October 2019. To apply, cities must register to

access the full set of application forms. Information on how to register

and submit the application can be found at ec.europa.eu/environment/

europeangreencapital/europeangreenleaf/application/

If you think your town or city 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!

Every applicant town or smaller city will be assessed based on their performance in the following six

environmental topic areas:

• The city’s overall commitment, strategy and enthusiasm, as conveyed by the presentation;

• The city’s efforts to communicate to citizens and the level of citizen engagement in

environmental activities;

• The city’s potential to act as a ‘green ambassador’, promoting environmental good practice and

spreading the EGLA concept further.

The Jury makes its final decision based on the quality of this presentation. The findings of the Expert

Panel and Jury are made publically available on the website.

For inspiration, see applications from previous winners here: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/europeangreencapital/europeangreenleaf/egl-winning-cities/

• Galway

• Torres Vedras

European Green Leaf Winners to date • 2019 / Cornellà de Llobregat

• 2019 / Horst aan de Maas

• 2018 / Leuven

• 2018 / Växjö

• 2017 / Galway

• 2015 / Torres Vedras

• 2015 / Mollet del Vallès

✓ Positive international media coverage

✓ Increased international profile, networking

and new alliances

✓ Momentum to continue improving

environmental sustainability

✓ More emphasis on environmental projects

through sponsorship and grants

✓ New jobs – a European Green Leaf is more

attractive to foreign investors

✓ Attracts public financial support

✓ Increased tourism

✓ Boosts local pride and generates a feeling

of belonging

✓ Access to the European Green Leaf Network

of previous winners and finalist cities to

share environmental knowledge and best

practice to inspire change in other European

cities.

Being a European Green Leaf brings many benefits including:

In addition, previous applicants have said that the application process itself proved beneficial in

evaluating their environmental progress and benchmarking themselves against their peers.

• Leuven

• Växjö

Cornellà de LlobregatMollet del Vallès

• Horst aan de Maas

The European Green Leaf and European Green Capital Awards (for cities with +100,000 inhabitants)

are both initiatives of the European Commission.

All information on the Green City Award, including past winners, how to apply, the selection process

or any other questions, can be found on our website:

ec.europa.eu/europeangreenleaf

2021 Award: Key Dates May 2019: Competition opens

14 October 2019: Competition closes

November 2019 – March 2020: Assessment of applications by the Expert Panel

April 2020: Announcement of finalist cities

May/June 2020: Finalist cities make presentations to Jury

May/June 2020: Awards Ceremony to announce Winner(s)

• Växjö

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2019

© European Union, 20189

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