Vitoria-Gasteiz – a Lighthouse of Sustainable evelopment

Ten years ago, Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque Autonomous Community, won the European Green Capital award, and in 2019, it reaffirmed its strong commitment to sustainable development. In June, it became one of three lighthouse cities, along with Tartu and Sonderborg, selected as part of the European SmartEnCity program, which aims to create smart cities with zero CO2 emissions. And in September it received the global Green City Award, sponsored by the United Nations.

Vitoria-Gasteiz has been thinking green for many years. On 21 October 2010, Vitoria-Gasteiz became the first medium-sized city to win the European Green Capital award. The EU selected Vitoria from 17 other European city bids. The award made the capital of the Basque Country a green representative of the type of city in which over 80% of Europe’s citizens now live. Vitoria’s political consensus, technical work and public commitment were decisive factors in its success. 

The Green Capital selection panel was particularly impressed by the key role played by the people of Vitoria-Gasteiz in the bid. Indeed, it was the combination of the public commitment and the city’s outstanding green policy that finally convinced the jury.

 Text: Irina Tsvetkova

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