Benidorm defends its candidacy for the European Green Leaf 2027 in Lithuania, highlighting its comprehensive environmental commitment

The city of Benidorm launched its round of submissions this Wednesday in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, to defend its candidacy as a finalist for the European Green Leaf 2027, an award granted by the European Commission to cities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants that demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability and environmental improvement. This recognition is awarded in parallel to the European Green Capital Award, aimed at larger cities. Both recognise the achievements of Europe's leading sustainable cities in seven specific environmental areas: Air Quality; Water Management; Biodiversity, Green Areas, and Sustainable Land Use; Waste and Circular Economy; Noise Pollution; Climate Change Mitigation; and Climate Change Adaptation.

The Benidorm delegation to Vilnius, European Green Capital 2025, is led by Mayor Toni Pérez and Councillor for Environment and Beaches Mónica Gómez. They were also accompanied by various technical representatives from Visit Benidorm, HOSBEC, the University of Alicante, and the Dinapsis Innovation Hub. The presentation included a defence of the municipality's environmental strategy and a round of questions from the jury.

Specifically, the City Council's defense of the candidacy was supported by Leire Bilbao, Director of Visit Benidorm; Laura García, specialist in Tourism Promotion, Marketing, and European Sustainable Tourism Projects at Visit Benidorm; Jorge Olcina Cantos, Professor of Regional Geographic Analysis at the University of Alicante and expert in Spatial Planning, Climatology, and Natural Hazards; Josep Ivars Baidal, Professor of Regional Geographic Analysis and Director of the University Institute for Tourism Research at the University of Alicante; Mayte García Córcoles, a graduate in Environmental Biology and executive director of HOSBEC; Cristina Baixauli Fons, executive director of DINAPSIS, a specialist in innovation and digital water management, sustainability, and smart city solutions; and Ciriaco Clemente, regional manager of Hidraqua.

“With this candidacy, we reaffirm Benidorm's compact, efficient city model, committed to urban and tourism sustainability, in line with the Spanish Urban Agenda, the European Green Deal, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” the mayor emphasized. In this regard, Toni Pérez stated that “the city demonstrates daily that it is possible to combine high tourist density with respectful territorial planning, advanced resource management, and continuous improvement in the quality of life, something that is increasingly valued within and outside our borders, setting Benidorm as an example of sustainability and comprehensive environmental commitment.”

“I endorse the city's planning and management.”
During the evaluation phase, Benidorm received particularly high ratings for its air quality and climate change mitigation strategy. Experts also acknowledged that “despite challenges such as heat waves and flooding, the city has reduced water consumption by 18% and achieved a water reuse rate of 36%.” Furthermore, the jury believes the city has also demonstrated solid progress in biodiversity, urban renaturalization, and the adoption of circular economy measures, with initiatives that promote efficient waste management and reduce environmental impact.

The Benidorm delegation will participate today in the defence of the bid and in an official reception at City Hall in the Lithuanian capital, hosted by its mayor, Valdas Benkunskas. Tomorrow, Thursday, there will be other presentations, meetings, and work gatherings, while in the afternoon, the European Green Capital and European Green Leaf awards ceremony will take place at the National Art Gallery starting at 6:00 PM (5:00 PM in Spain).

Benidorm City Council plans to broadcast this awards ceremony from the fifth floor of the El Torrejó Municipal Centre, which will be open from 4:45 PM for all interested parties who want to watch the gala and hear the jury's decision live.

Benidorm shares its status as a finalist city for the European Green Leaf 2027 award with three other European cities: Assen (Netherlands), Saint-Quentin (France), and Siena (Italy). This title is awarded to one or two cities, with each winner receiving a cash prize of €200,000 to help organise activities during the year of their designation and promote a greater green transformation. In the European Green Capital category, the prize increases to €600,000, a sum that Debrecen (Hungary), Heilbronn (Germany), and Klagenfurt on Lake Wörthersee (Austria) are vying for.

The jury in charge of selecting both cities is chaired by Patrick Child, Deputy Director-General for the Environment of the European Commission. It includes experts and institutional leaders such as Valdas Benkunskas, Mayor of Vilnius and member of the European Committee of the Regions; Frédéric Boyer (EU Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy); Bernhard Zlanabitnig (Vice-President of the European Environment Agency); and Ine Vandecasteele, urban adaptation specialist at the European Environment Agency.

While waiting to hear the jury's final decision, Mayor Toni Pérez reiterated that "the mere fact of being a finalist for such a prestigious and demanding European award is in itself a source of great satisfaction, as it once again represents a testament to the planning, deployment, and management of Benidorm as a city and tourist destination based on environmental, economic, and social sustainability."