The Estonia capital Tallinn was announced as the European Green Capital 2023 at an awards event in Finland. Tallinn follows in the footsteps of previous winners including Stockholm, Hamburg, Oslo, and Lisbon.
On a mission to make the city a sustainability powerhouse, Tallinn’s vision to deliver actions that support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, along with its strong climate-neutral roadmap, which commits it to a 40% reduction in emissions by 2030 – in advance of hitting net zero by 2050, were among the reasons it won the title and €600k to invest in green solutions.
“Since the beginning of this year, Tallinn has been leading the European Network of Sustainable Cities, which aims to support the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in cities. In addition, Tallinn has started to develop a dashboard which will enable it to monitor the fulfilment of the city’s development goals in the future,” the Tallinn green capital web page says.
According to the Mayor of Tallinn, Mihhail Kõlvart, it is a great pleasure to receive such a high recognition. “I thank the jury for this honour and the great responsibility that comes with the title of European Green Capital. Participation in the competition has allowed us to better formulate our efforts, create cooperation networks and adopt strategies. But our incentive is not just titles and directives, but, above all, people. For us, a green capital means that Tallinn is inviting, comfortable, and clean – a city of the future,” said the mayor and added that a lot of work is still ahead. “I would like to thank my team and all colleagues who have dedicated and contributed to their work on behalf of green Tallinn over the past years.”
In his speech, the mayor reminded that the idea of a green capital was born 15 years ago in Tallinn, and presented to the European Commissioner a historical souvenir celebrating that day – a bronze oak leaf.
Tallinn reached the final of the prestigious competition together with Helsingborg, Sweden; Krakow, Poland; and Sofia, Bulgaria. A total of 16 cities applied for the title of European Green Capital.
Further information on Tallinn’s journey to the European Green Capital 2023 and its activities for a greener urban environment can be found on the Green Capital website.
