2025: Europe’s largest solar farm will operate in Portugal
It will supply electricity to a population twice the city of Porto
Portugal / Development / Energy efficiency
Bulgaria / Sofia / Green City / Innovation and Research
Sofia launches drones against air pollution
The flying machines will help pinpoint polluted districts much more accurately
Portugal / Development / Energy efficiency
2025: Europe’s largest solar farm will operate in Portugal
It will supply electricity to a population twice the city of Porto
Denmark / Economy and Finance / Green City
Danish deposit-return system for bottles and cans is now 100% circular
The solution which has been progressing to that end for the past several years proves that there can be a circular business model
Belgium / Mobility / Public Spaces
This mediaeval gem in Ghent will become public bike parking lot
Local authorities say that this is a good way to preserve the 15th-century market building while providing a public service
Italy / Innovation and Research / Mobility
Genoa is testing out this futuristic tram-bus
The latest generation of public transport vehicles are taking over European streets
Luxembourg / Differdange / Development / Mobility
New intercity cycling connection links the whole southwest of Luxembourg
The route goes between Differdande and Niederkorn
Sweden / Stockholm / Green City / Innovation and Research
First in Sweden: Near-infrared technology sorts out plastic and metal
In fact, the more precise term is post-sorting, and it cuts down CO2 emissions by 75%
Germany / Culture and Tourism / Public Spaces
Lights turn old industrial site in Dortmund into an immersive art piece
Phoenix des Lumières will be an ongoing exhibition until 31 December 2023
France / Paris / Green City
Pocket forests: a trending strategy to save Paris from heatwaves
The tree-planting method is borrowed from a Japanese scientific idea developed in the 1970s
Germany / Stuttgart / Public Spaces / Welfare and Health
Stuttgart is looking for the most climate-friendly canteen in town
The food people eat during the day can have an enormous impact on their habits at home
Czechia / Energy efficiency / Innovation and Research
Robots make the beer come faster – Pilsen’s new take on tradition
Plzeňský Prazdroj’s new brewery warehouse launched an automated rail system capable of storing more beer and loading it onto trucks much more efficiently
Germany / Development / Energy efficiency
The first European charging corridor for e-trucks is a reality
This is set to transform the logistics sector on the continent by fast-tracking freight along one of the busiest roads in Germany
Germany / Berlin / Economy and Finance / Green City
Berlin to issue sustainability bonds worth 750 million euros
This move will open green and social public projects to wider investments
New European Bauhaus
Teens can discover the New European Bauhaus with dedicated routes
The new itineraries are part of the DiscoverEU programme, which lets 18-year-olds travel by train between important European sites
Belgium / Culture and Tourism / Public Spaces
Once again, Belgium’s Tomorrowland is the world’s best music festival
2020 and 2021 were zero years for these types of events, but the break has not diminished its reputation
Netherlands / Politics and Reforms / Welfare and Health
Dutch government to ban ownership of flat-faced dogs
Citing concerns about humaneness, the legislation aims to discourage the proliferation of the so-called designer pet breeds
Denmark / Economy and Finance / Politics and Reforms
Denmark cancels religious holiday to fill up state coffers
Naturally, many aren’t happy - not because of the reduced possibility for prayers, but because they felt it was an attack on welfare
Finland / Botoșani / Brussels / Gabrovo / Turku / Energy efficiency
Finnish and French cities chart Europe's path to clean energy
As Europe strives to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, Turku and Dijon are among a group of cities seeking to reach this goal two decades earlier
France / Innovation and Research / Mobility
First driverless vehicles are already running in Europe
Some autonomous shuttles in France are now doing their rounds without a human supervisor inside
Portugal / Innovation and Research
Offshore wind farms move ahead full sail with underwater help
Europe is striving to cut the costs of operating wind turbines on water
Poland / Warsaw / Energy efficiency
Warsaw will save over 4 mil euros a year with integrated energy-saving system
It will practically pay for its own expansion
France / Rennes / Digital transformation / Green City
Get to know a tree in Rennes, with the help of an interactive map
38,000 of these fellas help to purify the city air, so why not become friends with them?
Netherlands / Amsterdam / Public Spaces
Amsterdam unveils 2 giant underwater bicycle shelters
That is an occasion for a big party this weekend
Belgium / Development / Education and Sport
Belgium will host Europe’s biggest sportainment park
The facility will be located in Hasselt and is set to welcome its first visitors this spring
Spain / Madrid / Development / Mobility
Madrid debuts new anti-vandalism city bikes
The public service is undergoing a major facelift with everything, from rebranding to easier payments, targeted to make residents fall in love with soft mobility
Green City / Politics and Reforms
EU proposes free movement for bees, to save them from extinction
For this purpose, special ecological corridors will be created for the pollinators to travel safely
Poland / Development / Green City
Wałbrzych, Poland, wants to turn plastic into hydrogen
Instead of incinerating them, the former coal mining city plans to derive energy from non-recyclable plastics
France / Paris / Development / Green City
Paris heritage swimming pool roof is upcycled into new furniture
It was where legendary swimmer Johnny Weismuller showed off his style 99 years ago
Germany / Munich / Mobility / Politics and Reforms
Munich’s new polluting car ban runs like clockwork
Local authorities will launch a low-pollution zone covering a large part of the city
Politics and Reforms
EU legalizes snacking on insects
Here it may seem like an odd novelty, but the rest of the world has been doing it since the dawn of times
Belgium / Economy and Finance / Innovation and Research
Coming soon: 500 satellites a year made in Charleroi, Belgium
The Megafactory is expected to start production in the first quarter of 2025
Culture and Tourism
21 spots compete for European Best Destination 2023, Cast your vote!
In fact, you can vote once every 24 hours until 10 February to crown the continent’s best getaway
Spain / Culture and Tourism / Welfare and Health
Spain aims to nudge cities to replace horse-drawn carriages with electric equivalents
Animal welfare groups and municipal governments have been campaigning to end this anachronistic tourist practice
Belgium / Education and Sport / Mobility / Politics and Reforms
Limburg asks citizens: "Why drive to the gym?"
The Belgian region will organise public discussions to examine why people opt for cars instead of public transport or bicycles
Spain / Barcelona / Social City
Barcelona prepares to host the Congress of Feminist Economics
The event will focus on the gender aspects of the digital economy, among other things
Greece / Thessaloniki / Politics and Reforms / Welfare and Health
Homeless people can get two years of rent covered by the city of Thessaloniki
The new social scheme is aimed at helping people to transition into independent living
Sweden / Helsingborg / Digital transformation
Helsingborg digitalizes even its rain gutters
Smart sensors will warn of potential blockages, and that in turn will prevent moisture from destroying the buildings’ facades
Bulgaria / Sofia / Culture and Tourism / Mobility
Gallery: Sofia turned a tram into a rolling disco for a day
The Party Tram featured live music and performance art, as well as a campaign against vandalism and hate speech in public transport
Sweden / Stockholm / Green City
Swedish Xmas trees go into lakes to become fish nests
Here’s a good example of the concept of upcycling, if there ever was one
Finland / Tampere / Innovation and Research / Public Spaces
Tampere asks kids for feedback on innovative crosswalk system
The pilot project tests the viability of shining the spotlight on pedestrians as a way to improve road safety
Ireland / Dublin / Culture and Tourism / Digital transformation
AR app lets visitors re-live Dublin’s history
The app will work at the city’s Docklands, an iconic space which moved Dublin through the centuries
Austria / Vienna / Culture and Tourism / Public Spaces
In 2023, art will be a role model for the green transition in Vienna's Museum Quarter
The exhibitions will feature an artistic piece in the form of a 250 square metre green area in а public space
Italy / Rome / Culture and Tourism
Rome comes on top as world’s best food destination
It’s not just about pasta and pizza, either, and the Tripadvisor grassroots reviewers certainly know their thing
Italy / Culture and Tourism / Energy efficiency
Pompeii features ‘invisible’ PV panels in the form of roof tiles
This paves the way forward to introducing modern technology in heritage sites without spoiling the aesthetics
Ireland / Mobility / Politics and Reforms
Ireland wants EV charging stations every 60 km, by 2025
The new mobility strategy for the republic calls for a rapid expansion with millions of euros of investment
Spain / Madrid / Green City / Mobility
Madrid is now the largest European city with 100% clean-powered buses
Starting 2023 in style and setting a benchmark both for air quality and public transit services
Bulgaria / Sofia / Digital transformation / Mobility
Smart system on Sofia buses will know the exact coordinates of potholes
While doing their routes camera buses will be constantly updating a Geographic Information System by documenting their surroundings
Croatia / Culture and Tourism / Mobility
Small-town Croatia wants to be a hotspot for bike tourism
Apart from the crystal shores of the Adriatic Sea, the country is a hidden gem for inland destinations that have yet to be discovered
Digital transformation
Nine European cities propose AI transparency standard for all
The aim is to define the ethics of this sphere while it is still in its infancy stage
France / Paris / Mobility / Politics and Reforms
Paris to decide whether to ban e-scooters with referendum
Could this be the first major city to turn its back on the soft mobility option that has taken the urban landscapes by storm?