(21 June 2019) – The Finnish city of Lahti is the winner of the European Commission’s European Green Capital Award for 2021. The title of European Green Leaf 2020 for smaller cities went to the Belgian city of Mechelen and Irish Limerick.
The European Green Capital Award is awarded annually to a European city with over 100,000 inhabitants that has shown itself to be a leader in environmental, social and economic sustainability.
The first European Green Capital was awarded in 2010 and with this edition, twelve cities have been awarded the title thus far.
Additionally, the European Green Leaf Awards are given to towns and cities with populations between 20,000 to 100,000 citizens, for their potential to act as a ‘green ambassadors’ for smaller cities.