The German city of Essen has been announced as European Green Capital 2017 at a ceremony in Bristol (UK), the current European Green Capital.

EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella presented the award, saying: ‘Essen has used the lessons from its industrial past to build an environmentally sound future.

‘They have applied the principle of working with nature and reaped spectacular results. We have a great deal to learn from Essen’s green infrastructure and indeed from its ambitious plans for the future.’

‘They have applied the principle of working with nature and reaped spectacular results. We have a great deal to learn from Essen’s green infrastructure and indeed from its ambitious plans for the future.’
Transport played a significant role in Essen’s win, with the city’s shift towards more sustainable transport modes decreasing its historically high rate of car use. Today, five per cent of journeys are undertaken by bicycle and 19 per cent by public transport.
Mollet del Vallès (Spain) and Torres Vedras (Portugal) were also announced as the inuagural winners of the European Green Leaf 2015 competition, a separate award scheme for cities with between 50 000 and 100 000 inhabitants.

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