Valencia is the 2024 European Green Capital

Helsingør (Denmark) and Velenje (Slovenia) are the EU Green Leaf winners

It’s official – the Spanish city of Valencia will be the European Green Capital of the year 2024. The winning title was granted this evening at a special ceremony in the French city of Grenoble, which itself is the current year’s Green Capital of the continent.

The prestigious event also announced the winners of the second coveted annual title in that sphere – the European Green Leaf. These are Velenje, in Slovenia, and Helsingør (also known as Elsinore), in Denmark.

The European Green Capital winner will receive a financial prize of 600,000 euros to implement their strategy and engage and mobilise their citizens and stakeholders. Each winner of the EU Green Leaf laureates is granted a financial prize of 200,000 euros to help organise their respective year and spark further transformational activities.

Valencia celebrates

The European Commission assessed the strength of Valencia’s candidacy on the first occasion it has been submitted. The candidacy was based on four pillars:  the increase of green infrastructure and the promotion of urban biodiversity, the climate mission and energy efficiency, sustainable mobility and the recovery of public space and sustainable food linked to the Horta.

Valencia celebrated the new title with a toast of horchata (typical local drink), which the councillors and the people who followed the broadcast of the award ceremony from the Ágora in the City Hall square were able to taste. At the same time, fireworks lit up the square with its multi-coloured palm trees and a green flag.

Throughout the night, the City Council will illuminate in green the facades of the City Hall, the Porta de la Mar, the Veles e Vents building, the Palau de Congressos, the Palau de la Música, the fountain in the Plaça de the Town Hall and the fountain on Avinguda del Cid. 

The European Commission's Green Capital Award recognises and rewards local efforts to improve the environment, and thereby the economy and the quality of life in cities. The Award is given each year to a city, which is leading the way in environmentally friendly urban living. 

The Award encourages cities to commit to ambitious goals for further environmental improvement.