Spain has secured two major European urban sustainability titles for 2028, one city named European Green Capital 2028 and another awarded the European Green Leaf 2028 title.
The winners were announced on 8 October 2026 at a ceremony in Guimarães, Portugal, which holds the European Green Capital title for 2026.
Zaragoza recognised for long-term environmental action
The European Green Capital Award is given to cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants that demonstrate a long-term commitment to sustainability. The award was given to Zaragoza for 2028.
The jury highlighted Zaragoza’s strong governance and long-term commitment, saying these had helped the city respond successfully to growing climate challenges. It also pointed to the city’s approach of combining environmental action with social resilience and a community-oriented focus.
The European Commission said the 2028 winners illustrate how local environmental action can shape greener, more biodiverse and more resilient urban areas.
Benidorm recognised for managing tourism pressure
Benidorm has been named a European Green Leaf 2028 winner, an award that celebrates environmental achievements in towns and cities with between 20,000 and 100,000 inhabitants.
The jury recognised Benidorm for managing mass-tourism pressures while maintaining environmental protections and sustainable development.
27 cities competed for the 2028 titles
A total of 27 cities from across Europe competed for the 2028 European Green Capital and Green Leaf awards. Seven progressed to the final stage.
An international panel of urban sustainability experts assessed applications across seven areas:
- Air quality
- Water management
- Biodiversity, green areas and sustainable land use
- Waste and circular economy
- Noise pollution
- Climate change mitigation
- Climate change adaptation
Awards come amid EU green-space target
The awards come as the EU's Nature Restoration Regulation sets a target for urban areas to avoid any net loss of urban green space and tree cover by 2030, followed by a steady increase in later years.
According to the European Commission, Zaragoza and Benidorm show how cities of different sizes can address environmental challenges while improving conditions for their communities.
In 2027, Heilbronn in Germany will hold the European Green Capital title, alongside European Green Leaf winners Assen in the Netherlands and Siena in Italy.
Stay in the know about living in Spain as a foreigner—get our weekly newsletter for the latest travel, legal, and lifestyle news.
