Who can apply, and how it is judged
Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants can apply for the European Green Capital Award. Smaller cities, from 20,000 to below 100,000, can apply for the European Green Leaf title.
In recent calls, applications are assessed across seven indicator areas: air quality, water, biodiversity, green areas and sustainable land use, waste and circular economy, noise, climate change mitigation (including energy performance) and climate change adaptation.
Tallinn has a special link to this story. The European Commission notes that the concept of a European Green Capital was originally conceived in Tallinn, linked to an initiative by the city’s former mayor, Jüri Ratas, and later developed into the award scheme. A 2006 memorandum also documents Tallinn’s role in presenting the idea to the European Commission.
Recent European Green Capital winners (official list)
Lisbon (2020), Lahti (2021), Grenoble (2022), Tallinn (2023), Valencia (2024), Vilnius (2025), Guimarães (2026), Heilbronn (2027).
Beyond prestige, the awards are designed to help cities accelerate real change. Recent European Commission calls describe financial support for winning cities to help deliver high-impact environmental initiatives during their title year.
If you want to explore the official details, start here: European Green Capital and Green Leaf winning cities and rules, eligibility, and indicators.
