2028 European Green Capital and Green Leaf Awards: Meet the applicants

A new group of cities is competing for the prestigious 2028 European Green Capital and Green Leaf Awards, marking the 16th edition of this initiative. The applicant cities are dedicated to becoming greener, cleaner, and more sustainable urban centres.

The 17 eligible cities applying for the European Green Capital Award 2028 - each with over 100,000 inhabitants - are:

Aalborg (Denmark), Bielsko-Biała (Poland), Brescia (Italy), Gdańsk (Poland), Košice (Slovakia), Lugo (Spain), Mataró (Spain), Miskolc (Hungary), Murcia (Spain), Nîmes (France), Podgorica (Montenegro), Porto (Portugal), Rome (Italy), Setúbal (Portugal), Ternopil (Ukraine), Terrassa (Spain) and Zaragoza (Spain).

The 10 eligible cities applying for the European Green Leaf Award 2028 - with populations between 20,000 and 100,000 inhabitants - are:

Ávila (Spain), Benidorm (Spain), Chiclana de la Frontera (Spain), Errenteria (Spain), Esplugues de Llobregat (Spain), Esposende (Portugal), Estarreja (Portugal), Mafra (Portugal), Sant Joan Despí (Spain) and Vratsa (Bulgaria).

Next steps of the competition

Following the admission of applicant cities, a panel of seven independent experts will conduct a technical assessment of each submission. They will evaluate performance across seven key areas:

• Air pollution
• Noise pollution
• Water management
• Waste management
• Biodiversity
• Climate change mitigation
• Climate change adaptation

When the individual technical reports are finalised, the list of finalist cities entering the second stage of the assessment will be announced in early July.

The finalist cities will make their case before an international jury panel, chaired by the European Commission, on 7-8 October. Finalists must outline their communication strategy and present their action plan for delivering proposed initiatives if awarded the 2028 European Green Capital or Green Leaf title.

The 2028 winners will be announced on 8 October 2026 during a festive awards ceremony in Guimarães (Portugal), the current European Green Capital.

Benefits of winning

In addition to a commemorative trophy, the European Green Capital winner will receive a €600,000 prize. The European Green Leaf winner(s) - one or two cities - will each receive €200,000.

The money is intended to support the implementation of key actions across the seven indicator areas, as well as facilitate awareness-raising events with - and for - the citizens.

Being a European Green Capital or European Green Leaf brings long-term benefits, even after the designated year ends. Winning cities gain European and international visibility, local pride and optimism, attracting investors and strengthening national support.

More information

European Green Capital Award | European Commission