The municipal group of PSOE in it Córdoba City Council will present a motion to the plenary session on the 15th in which they propose to present the city of Cordova to the candidacy for the European green capital 2026 award. This award was launched in 2008 by the European Comission to encourage cities to be greener and cleaner, and thus improve the quality of life of their citizens. This is a recognition of the efforts of the cities, with more than 100,000 inhabitants, that are committed to nnew actions in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal and, more specifically, with the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the Circular Economy Action Plan and the Biodiversity Strategy, ultimately recognizing the achievements of cities committed to protecting the environment.
The PSOE spokesperson, Antonio Hurtadoencourages the City Council of Córdoba to apply for this city award committed to sustainability that recognizes the efforts of the municipalities of the European Union to reduce their impact on the local and global environment, improving the quality of life of their inhabitants.
The main EU policy that supports this award, explains Hurtado in his motion, is the Europe 2020 strategy together with the 7th EU environmental action program Live well, within the limits of our planet, in which efforts were focused on creating a “sustainable and inclusive smart strategy.” This policy was supported by the Amsterdam Pact, which set the urban agenda for the EU in May 2016. The vision for future cities in the Europe 2020 strategy is that they should aim for “smart, sustainable and inclusive” growth. This is generally aligned with similar objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to “make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”
Twelve environmental indicators
The selection of the award-winning city for the award will be evaluated on the basis of the following twelve environmental indicators: climate change: mitigation; climate change: adaptation; sustainable urban mobility; sustainable land use; nature and biodiversity; air quality; noise; waste; water; green growth and eco-innovation; energy performance, and governance.
A jury appointed by the commission will select the winning city which will be announced in October 2024 in Valencia (European Green Capital 2024). The city that achieves the title of European Green Capital 2026 will receive a financial prize of 600,000 euros to implement your strategy and involve citizens and interested parties. In addition to the financial prize, the winning city will join a network of European cities that share a common vision and experience and inspire others to follow in their footsteps. But the importance is not only economic, but also the change it can mean for the city and the publicity it means for it throughout the European Union.
Other winning cities
Cities such as Stockholm (2010), Hamburg (2011), Vitoria-Gasteiz (2012), Nantes (2013), Copenhagen (2014), Bristol (2015), Ljubljana (2016), Essen (2017), Nijmegen (2018) and Oslo (2019) or Valencia (2024) have been involved in this award and have been awarded, also taking a step forward towards sustainability and turning them into friendlier cities for their citizens and being an example for others to follow. Until that moment, in Spain only Vitoria and Valencia have achieved this award.
The Green Capital not only attracts talent and investment, positioning the city as an environmental benchmark in Europe, but also highlights the city as a place that offers quality of life, ecological innovation and sustainability. As the main objective of this Award is to highlight and reward the efforts of cities in reducing their local and global environmental impact, while improving the quality of life of their residents by promoting social, environmental and economic transformation and taking into account the steps taken in this regard by the city of Córdoba when its City Council approved in plenary session on Municipal Plan against Climate Change, your membership in the Revers Network,