Romania’s Brașov again in the race for European Green Capital title
<p>Brașov, a popular mountain city in central Romania, has again entered the competition for the European Green Capital award for the second year in a row. This time, the Romanian city entered the race for the 2026 title alongside eight other cities with over 100,000 inhabitants from Portugal, Spain, Germany, Austria, Latvia, and Poland.</p>

<p>By entering the competition, the cities want to show that they are already on the green transition path, creating a healthier environment for their citizens.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/which-cities-are-competing-2026-european-green-capital-green-leaf-awards-2024-05-16_en?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2oz2yEG0ZMKSKuc0MgvMyRdmJHWZVP5YTI_s_EQZF3bpziaWKo0abjJ8k_aem_AQ2vhFISy2hqHwjlT9h4PEn-8i0JS2Qs697sdooekFEBD7sRAR83EA-z_RnILP_r6EvsVTkLNKcTRgFwNNFdeZGz" rel="noopener" target="_blank">nine candidates</a> for the European Green Capital 2026 title are Braga (Portugal), Brașov (Romania), Córdoba (Spain), Guimarães (Portugal), Heilbronn (Germany), Klagenfurt (Austria), Linz (Austria), Riga (Latvia), and Rybnik (Poland).</p>

<p>“Brașov continues to invest in the projects that transform it into a sustainable, environmentally friendly city. It is for the second year in a row that Brașov has been selected for this competition, being the only one in Romania that has reached this level in recent years,” <a href="https://www.brasovcity.ro/ro/stiri_pe_larg/28260/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1265EjYHdE4v1MN_x_lGJLguwWq2wlNvLDugEbD7G9238AVincIL9TRkY_aem_AQ2El4U8l51rUfKg8aLZKpN8HhPs0jJZOvCuffOogj-coS4RL-d9IKmBc5qNLppRisLils81nPHgnSD8NM3828ay" rel="noopener" target="_blank">said</a> mayor Allen Coliban.</p>

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<p>In the coming weeks, in the first stage, a panel of seven independent experts will evaluate each application on seven environmental indicators. This will take until June to complete. Individual technical assessment reports will be drawn up, and a shortlist of finalist cities will be announced in the summer of 2024.</p>

<p>Then, in October, the finalist cities will be invited to an international jury panel chaired by the European Commission. The winners will be announced on October 24 at a festive Awards Ceremony in Valencia, Spain, Europe’s 2024 Green Capital.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Apart from a trophy, the European Green Capital winner will receive a financial prize of EUR 600,000. The prize money is intended to support key actions across the seven indicator areas in the city and organize awareness-raising events with and for the citizens.</p>

<p>The winners will join the 16 cities already awarded in the Green Capital category since 2010.</p>

<p>Brașov also competed for the European Green Capital Award 2025 but <a href="https://www.romania-insider.com/romanian-brasov-exists-race-european-green-capital-2025" rel="noopener" target="_blank">was not selected among the finalists</a>.</p>

<p><i>irina.marica@romania-insider.com</i></p>

<p><i>(Photo source: <a href="https://www.dreamstime.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Sorin Colac/Dreamstime.com</a>)</i></p>