Benidorm, among the four finalists to win the 2027 European Green Leaf Award

Benidorm is one of four cities selected for the final phase of the European Green Leaf 2027 award, granted by the European Commission and which annually recognizes the work and results achieved by municipalities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants in the face of "urban environmental challenges related to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss."

This was announced this afternoon by the European body's Directorate-General for the Environment, which noted that the shortlist of finalists emerged after evaluation by a panel of independent experts, who also assessed the cities nominated for the European Green Capital award, reserved for municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants.

Upon learning of the news, Mayor Toni Pérez stated 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 endorses Benidorm's planning, deployment, and management as a city and tourist destination." Planning, deployment, and management "based on environmental, economic, and social sustainability."

Toni Pérez highlighted "the dedication, commitment, and professionalism with which the Benidorm team, comprised of municipal staff and Visit Benidorm, has prepared this nomination, with which we establish ourselves as a benchmark city in sustainable resource management, strengthening our international position."

Specifically, both awards analyse the achievements of Europe's leading sustainable cities in seven 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.

According to a statement from the European Commission, during the evaluation phase, "Benidorm received high marks for its excellent air quality and strong performance in climate change mitigation." The experts also noted 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, "Benidorm also showed steady progress towards sustainability with commendable scores in biodiversity, green spaces, and the circular economy."

Along with Benidorm, the cities of Assen (Netherlands), Saint-Quentin (France), and Siena (Italy) will compete for the European Green Leaf 2027. Delegations from the four finalist cities will defend their candidacy on October 1 and 2 in Vilnius, Lithuania, for European Green Capital 2025.

The European Green Leaf title for which Benidorm is nominated 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 further transformation. In the European Green Capital category, the prize money increases to €600,000, the same amount that Debrecen (Hungary), Heilbronn (Germany), and Klagenfurt on Lake Wörthersee (Austria) are vying for.