Green Urban Pioneers: Vilnius Among European Green Capital Finalists

Vilnius has successfully secured its place as a finalist in the European Green Capital 2025 competition, competing in the category for cities with populations exceeding 100,000 residents. This annual award recognizes a city’s exemplary commitment to sustainable and eco-friendly urban living. 

This achievement underscores Vilnius’s unwavering dedication to addressing pressing environmental challenges, including pollution, climate change, and the biodiversity crisis, which are becoming increasingly urgent concerns. 

The judging panel acknowledged Vilnius’s contemporary efforts to enhance air quality and create new parks. They also commended the city for embracing cutting-edge environmental conservation technologies such as computer modelling and drone-based data collection. 

In this competition, Vilnius faces strong contenders from the Arqus alliance, including Graz in Austria and Guimarães in Portugal. The announcement of the winners will take place during the European Green Capital event in Tallinn, Estonia, on October 5, 2023. 

The European Green Capital award comes with a substantial financial prize of EUR 600,000. This prize will play a crucial role in advancing the winning city’s strategic initiatives and encouraging active participation in sustainability efforts by residents and stakeholders. 

Winning the European Green Capital award would not only enhance Vilnius’s prestige and visibility but also facilitate the attraction of additional investment and EU funding. Moreover, it would bring substantial benefits to the meeting industry by attracting eco-conscious event organizers and improving the city’s sustainability infrastructure.