Tallinn bids for 2023 European Green capital title

Estonia’s capital has unveiled its climate strategy and is leading a network of 19 European cities on track to sustainable development

Tallinn has officially applied to become the European Green Capital in 2023, following two previous unsuccessful bids, reports ERR. Last year, the city was a finalist for the title awarded each year by the European Commission to a city, which is leading the way in environmentally friendly urban living. Grenoble received the European Green Capital Award for 2022. Tallinn also made the award shortlist in 1919.

Alongside Tallinn, 15 cities from 12 countries have applied to become the next Green Capital: Helsingborg (Sweden), Dublin (Ireland), Logrono (Spain), Cagliari (Italy), Zagreb (Croatia), Belgrade (Serbia), Skopje (North Macedonia), Sofia (Bulgaria), Košice (Slovakia), Izmir and Gaziantep (both in Turkey), Gdansk, Warsaw, Krakow and Rzeszow (all in Poland). The finalists will be announced in April.

Climate strategy

Tallinn’s green ambitions and unceasing involvement in environmental initiatives put the city in the media spotlight quite often. Just days ago, Tallinn has unveiled its Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Adaptation Plan, and is seeking feedback from citizens until 7 April.

By making changes in energy consumption, transportation and construction, Tallinn aims to reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030 compared to 2007, and achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

Contributing to the goals of the EU's Green Deal

Tallinn is leading a newly launched network of 19 European cities, which aims to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals at the local level and contribute to the targets of the EU's Green Deal. The Strategic Partnership project "Implementing Sustainable Development Goals in Cities - SDGs in Cities" will create a working group of experts in each partner city, which will share experiences and examples of good practice.

In addition to Tallinn, the project ,which runs from March 2021 until the end of 2022, involves Braga (Portugal), Bratislava (Slovakia), Dzierżoniów (Poland), Glasgow (Great Britain), Gävle (Sweden), Heraklion (Greece), Jihlava (Czech Republic), Klaipeda (Lithuania), La Rochelle (France), Manresa (Spain), Mouscron (Belgium), Ozalj (Croatia), Reggio Emilia (Italy), Schiedam (Netherlands), Solingen (Germany), Veliki Preslav (Bulgaria), Veszprém (Hungary), and Trim (Ireland).