Green Cities Newsletter February 2024

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Green Capital-Green Leaf-Green City Accord News   Events   Update on legislation   Open survey News

Opening ceremony of Valencia as the 2024 European Green Capital A new year means a new European Green Capital! On 11 January 2024, Valencia kicked off its title year with an outstanding opening ceremony at the Palau de la Música. Representatives from the European Commission and the network were present for this key moment.   See also www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVIH8llMfqY   more   Opening ceremony of Velenje, 2024 Green Leaf winner Velenje (Slovenia) also embarked on its historic journey as a Green Leaf city on 14 January 2024, presenting its ambitious plans to citizens, and organizing a number of festivities to commemorate this occasion.   more     Opening ceremony of Elsinore, 2024 Green Leaf winner One of the European Green Leaf winners Elsinore (Denmark) launched its title year with a successful opening ceremony on 29 January 2024, incorporating presentations and performances from civil society and renowned artists.   more     Tallinn’s representatives at COP28 – the Estonian capital showcased their frontrunning green ideas Tallinn ended its title year as the European Green Capital on a very high note with its participation at COP28, the UN Climate Change Conference at the United Arab Emirates.   more     Call for applications to be European Green Capital and Green Leaf 2026 The call for applications is open until 30 April 2024. Interested cities as of 20.000 habitants still have time to apply for the Green Leaf titles and above 100.000 habitants for the Green Capital title for the year 2026. We recently organised a workshop for potential applicant cities. To receive the application forms, just register on EU Survey and you’ll get them automatically in your inbox.   See also circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/c6e126de-5b8c...   more   Welcoming the applicant cities for 2026 with the ‘Applicant City Workshop’ To guide potential applicant cities for the 2026 application process, the secretariat of the European Green Capital and Leaf Awards organised the annual ‘Applicant City Workshop’ on 1 February 2024. More than 50 participants attended, represented by 30 cities.   more     Valencia’s water management showcased by Euronews Valencia, our Green Capital this year, has a long tradition of good water management. A Euronews episode on water featured the city last year in it’s first edition of their TV show “The Road to Green” – we encourage you to watch other episodes with interesting urban development ideas.   more     Subscribe to receive updates about funding opportunities! The Committee of the Regions' newsletter includes the Green Deal Funding Alert, bringing your city the latest opportunities. Thus, we highly recommend subscription. After signing up, preferences for the type of content received can be managed to only include the Green Deal newsletter items by clicking on the preferences link presented below.   See also Subscription options   more   Events

City-to-City exchanges: Online matchmaking event on sustainable urban development - 11 March Join this online event to find peers for your actions on sustainability! The European Urban Initiative provides financial support and assistance for city-to-city capacity building actions, including visits and exchanges.   more     'Translating the EU Green Deal into Local Action’, 300 mayors already registered! - 15 March Are you a European mayor who is ‘fit for 55’? Then we welcome you to join this conference organised by the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU. We believe that the local level should be embedded in the heart of the Green Deal because it has the power to mobilize. It’s time to let the mayors speak!   Registration ep-events.secure.europarl.europa.eu/even...   more   European Summit of Regions and Cities 2024 - Mons, 18 and 19 March The 10th European Summit of Regions and Cities will bring a new perspective on topics at the heart of people's concerns, such as democracy, sustainable development, the future of the European Union and its enlargement, the need to ensure social, economic and territorial cohesion. Organised by the European Committee of the Regions.   Registration register.euconf.eu/mons-2024/index.php?l...   more   Sustainable Cities Program in the ChangeNOW conference. Paris, 27 March Cities’ representatives can participate free of charge in this programme aiming to connect local leaders with business solutions to address cities' sustainability needs. 35,000 participants from 120 countries are expected to participate. The EU Smart Cities Marketplace will join with a stand.   Registration click here to register   more   Looking back at the online workshop on ‘Donut Economics’ for cities The ‘donut economy’ meets the essential needs of every person living within the planetary boundaries. Watch the online workshop held on 31 January 2024.   See also doughnuteconomics.org/themes/1   more   Online webinar on Solutions for Low Noise Road Surfaces On 6 February 2024, the European Commission (DG Environment) hosted a webinar about low noise road surfaces to disseminate information to local authorities and relevant stakeholders on how to use them efficiently.   more   Update on legislation

Provisional agreement for cleaner air in the EU advances Zero Pollution ambition The Commission has welcomed the provisional agreement on the revised Ambient Air Quality Directive. With the new law, the 2030 EU air quality standards will be better aligned with the WHO global air quality guidelines and Zero Pollution ambition.   more     Zero Pollution: Provisional agreement for strengthened urban wastewater management The Commission has welcomed the provisional agreement on the proposal revising the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, which will strengthen the protection of human health and the environment towards Zero Pollution from harmful discharges of urban wastewater.   more     Towards Zero Pollution: new EU hygiene standards for drinking water contact materials The Commission has approved new minimum hygiene standards for materials and products that come into contact with drinking water. These standards, set to take effect from December 2026, aim to prevent microbial growth and reduce the risk of harmful substances leaching into our water supply.   more   Open survey

Cedefop survey for cities on green skills Cedefop, one of the EU’s agencies, launched a survey to gather information on how cities evaluate the impact of the green transition in the professional context and how they create policies in favour of green skills and jobs. The survey takes about 15 minutes. Your contribution will help raise the voice of cities among policy makers and provide inspiration on how to become greener in the future.   more