The winners of the European Green Cities 2028 awards were announced today (8 Oct) at a festive ceremony in Guimarães, Portugal, the 2026 prizewinner.
Zaragoza (Spain) has been named European Green Capital 2028, while Benidorm (Spain) and Estarreja (Portugal) will share the European Green Leaf 2028 title, which celebrates smaller cities leading the way in environmental action.
What makes winning cities stand out?
The European Green Capital 2028 jury was impressed by Zaragoza’s strong governance and long-term commitment, helping the city respond successfully to growing climate challenges. Its approach demonstrates how ambitious environmental action can go hand in hand with social resilience and a community-oriented approach.
Benidorm and Estarreja also impressed the jury with their strong commitment to creating greener, healthier and more sustainable places to live.
Benidorm stood out for successfully managing mass tourism pressures while also maintaining environmental protections and sustainable development. Estarreja was recognised as a compelling example of green transformation, successfully moving beyond its industrial legacy through collaborative action.
“Our cities are at the heart of Europe’s environmental transition. They are where we can turn policies into visible change by bringing nature back into our neighbourhoods to cool our streets, reduce air, water and noise pollution, and improve waste management, to create healthier, more sustainable places for people to live and thrive.
The 2028 European Green Capital and Green Leaf winners show that this is already happening in cities across Europe. I warmly congratulate Zaragoza, Benidorm and Estarreja. Their commitment and creativity show what can be achieved when local action, community engagement and ambition come together.
Many cities from Spain and Portugal are true frontrunners in urban sustainability and I hope their experience will inspire many more European cities and accelerate the transition towards greener, more resilient communities.”
Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy
Their achievements show that cities of different sizes across Europe can make a real difference in tackling environmental challenges and improve the lives of their communities.
These cities’ ambitions are closely aligned with the direction Europe is now taking. The Nature Restoration Regulation sets a clear goal for urban areas: by 2030, there should be no net loss of urban green space and tree cover, followed by a steady increase in the years that follow.
The 2028 winners already show what this ambition can look like in practice — demonstrating that greener, more biodiverse and more resilient cities are not just a vision for the future, but are being shaped today.
Background
The European Green Capital Award recognises cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants that demonstrate a long-term commitment to sustainability. The European Green Leaf Award celebrates the environmental achievements of smaller towns and cities with between 20,000 and 100,000 inhabitants.
Winning also grants financial support to help turn ambition into further action. As European Green Capital 2028, Zaragoza will receive €600,000, while Benidorm and Estarreja will each receive €200,000 as European Green Leaf 2028 winners.
27 cities from across Europe competed for the 2028 titles. An international panel of urban sustainability experts assessed their applications across seven environmental areas: air quality; water management; biodiversity, green areas and sustainable land use; waste and circular economy; noise pollution; climate change mitigation; and climate change adaptation. Seven cities made it through to the final stage.
The finalists were given the opportunity to present their achievements and ambitions to a jury comprising representatives from the European Commission, the European Committee of the Regions, the European Environment Agency, the EU Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, and the European Environmental Bureau.
Guimarães (Portugal) is the European Green Capital 2026, while the 2026 European Green Leaf winners are Águeda (Portugal) and Vaasa (Finland).
In 2027, the baton will pass to Heilbronn (Germany) as European Green Capital, together with two European Green Leaf cities: Assen (The Netherlands) and Siena (Italy).
More information
European Green Cities Award: Current and previous winners | European Commission
