Europe chooses its next green capital and Italy follows the race from the stands. Today, Thursday 8 October, the European Commission will reveal the winners of the European Green Capital and Green Leaf Awards 2028 during a ceremony in Guimarães, Portugal, the city that holds the title for 2026. These are the awards with which Brussels rewards centers capable of improving the urban environment with results that are tangible and therefore measurable. Of the eight finalists, none are Italian.
The finalists for 2028
The following cities are in the running for the title of Green Capital, reserved for centers with more than 100 thousand inhabitants:
As for the Green Leaf, designed for cities with between 20 thousand and 100 thousand residents, the following will compete for it:
@environment.ec.europa.eu
In short, the Iberian peninsula places five finalists out of eight. We remind you that there were 27 eligible applications, and that last June a panel of independent experts sifted them on seven fronts, from air quality to water management, from biodiversity to waste, up to noise and the double issue on the climate, i.e. cutting emissions and adaptation.
What convinced the experts
Zaragoza achieved the best scores on biodiversity and urban greenery thanks to a green infrastructure plan that aims to connect parks, banks, wetlands and trees into a single network. Porto has distinguished itself in water management and climate adaptation: in the last decade it has recovered the course of the Tinto river and created parks that retain rain during storms. Bielsko-Biała has initiated more than thirty targeted actions that have reduced heating and building emissions, Aalborg can boast very efficient waste management, while Košice, according to the Commission, does well in all sectors.
The most curious case remains Benidorm, for decades synonymous with skyscrapers on the sea and mass tourism. Brussels recognizes that it has cut emissions despite pressure from visitors. Since 2012, the city has increased public gardens from 350 thousand square meters to over 1.5 million and has almost quadrupled the trees: today 92% of residents live less than 300 meters from a public green area. In Estarreja, however, more than half of internal travel takes place on foot or by public transport.
What you win
The finalists presented their projects to the jury on 7 and 8 October, close to the ceremony. The winner of the major title, that of European Green Capital, will receive 600 thousand euros to carry out their program together with citizens and local entities, while the Green Leaf can be awarded to one or two cities, each with 200 thousand euros. As mentioned at the beginning, the title of European Green Capital 2026 belongs to Guimarães, while the 2027 title has already been assigned to the German Heilbronn. In the meantime, to see an Italian candidate reach the final, we will have to wait at least until the 2029 edition.
