EU shortlists eight cities for 2028 Green Capital and Green Leaf Awards

On 30 June, 2026, the European Commission published a shortlist of eight cities for the final round of the 2028 European Green Capital and Green Leaf Awards, which honour cities’ achievements in urban sustainability.

The five finalists competing for the 2028 Green Capital title are:
• Aalborg (Denmark), noted for its climate adaptation planning and citizen engagement;
• Bielsko-Biała (Poland), which has put in place more than 30 measures cutting emissions from heating and buildings;
• Košice (Slovakia), praised especially for embedding air quality data into spatial planning processes;
• Porto (Portugal), recognised for water resilience and ecosystem restoration;
• Zaragoza (Spain), which has built a Green Infrastructure Master Plan linking green spaces across the city.

In the Green Leaf category, three smaller cities were selected:
• Benidorm (Spain), for balancing high tourism levels with emissions reduction;
• Chiclana de la Frontera (Spain), for its carbon-monitoring tools and public participation campaigns;
• Estarreja (Portugal), for promoting active mobility alongside…