Tallinn was announced as the European Green Capital 2023 at an awards event in Finland. The Estonian capital follows in the footsteps of previous winners including Stockholm, Hamburg, Oslo, and Lisbon.

Tallinn reached the final of the competition together with Helsingborg, Sweden; Krakow, Poland; and Sofia, Bulgaria. A total of 16 cities applied for the title of European Green Capital.

Among the reasons it won the title and 600.000 € to invest in green solutions were Tallinn’s vision to deliver actions that support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, along with its climate-neutral roadmap, which commits it to a 40% reduction in emissions by 2030 – in advance of hitting net zero by 2050.

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 website says.

According to the Mayor of Tallinn, Mihhail Kõlvart, it is a great pleasure to receive such a high recognition. “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.

He also 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.

Further information on Tallinn’s journey to the European Green Capital 2023 and its activities can be found on the Green Capital website.