The Spanish city of Zaragoza will be the European Green Capital for 2028, Euronews reports. The title, awarded each year by the European Commission, was announced at a ceremony in Guimarães, Portugal, on 8 October and comes with €600,000 to put towards environmental projects.
Zaragoza was chosen ahead of four other finalists: Aalborg in Denmark, Bielsko-Biała in Poland, Košice in Slovakia and Porto in Portugal. The jury praised its strong governance and long-term commitment, along with its urban wildlife, its green spaces and the way it uses land. The city has a master plan to expand its green infrastructure and join it up from one neighbourhood to the next.
Two smaller places share the companion Green Leaf award, for towns of 20,000 to 100,000 people. Benidorm, also in Spain, was recognised for looking after its environment under the pressure of mass tourism, and Estarreja in Portugal for moving beyond its industrial past. Each receives €200,000. Environment commissioner Jessika Roswall said cities are “at the heart of Europe’s environmental transition.”
Source: Euronews