The Portuguese city competed with Heilbronn (Germany) and Klagenfurt (Austria), having now become the winner, after, last year, having already been among the three finalist cities.

Guimarães has just been elected European Green Capital 2026. The prize was awarded today, in Valencia, Spain, a city that holds the distinction of European Green Capital 2024. The Portuguese city competed with Heilbronn (Germany) and Klagenfurt (Austria), having , now, the winner, after being among the three finalist cities last year. As part of the award, the municipality of Guimarães will receive financial support that will be applied to sustainability projects and initiatives, within the scope of the strategy carried out by the municipality.

Throughout the various phases of the award, the panel responsible for evaluating applications for the European Green Capital 2026, made up of seven independent experts, highlighted Guimarães for its exceptional performance in seven environmental parameters – “air quality”; “noise”; “water”; “biodiversity, green areas and land use”; “waste and circular economy”; “climate change: mitigation; and “climate change: adaptation” –, recognizing the municipality’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability.

Domingos Bragança, president of the City Council, expresses his great satisfaction with this award, which he considers deserved, for the path that has been taken since 2013: “I want to congratulate the entire work team, technical and political, and all the elements of Guimarães 2030 Mission Structure, for the resilience they demonstrated throughout this process of three applications. But above all, I want to congratulate, with special emotion, the entire Guimarães community, from the students at our schools to the Green Brigades, from the scientific to the business community. Everyone was important in this success due to the involvement they demonstrated, and everyone will be fundamental for 2026 to be another great moment of collective celebration for Guimarães”, said the mayor.

Guimarães: More than a decade of climate transition

Guimarães’ candidacy for European Green Capital is supported by more than a decade of work on the climate transition, focused on the seven areas of environmental indicators defined by the European Commission. It is recalled that Guimarães had presented its first candidacy for the award in 2017 – having reached fifth place among the 13 competing cities. This year, and like last year, the candidacy was made up of a broad portfolio of environmental initiatives that have already earned international recognition. As an example, it should be noted that the municipality of Guimarães is one of the 100 European cities committed to climate neutrality by 2030, demonstrating a joint effort between the local community, the private sector, academia and the municipal administration.

This commitment is reflected in the Guimarães 2030 Strategic Plan and Governance Ecosystem, which promotes integrated and multidisciplinary environmental management, involving various sectors of society: research, citizen involvement and environmental education. At this point, we highlight the action of the Landscape Laboratory and the PEGADAS program, through which Guimarães has promoted awareness of environmental issues, encouraging more sustainable behaviors among citizens and schools. This commitment is also reflected in innovative projects such as Desporto Carbono Zero and Bairro C, initiatives that aim to decarbonize and create sustainable communities.

Guimarães is also a signatory of the Green City Accord and received the prestigious Mission Label from the European Commission, within the scope of the EU Mission: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities. The city is also involved in several European missions related to oceans, soils and climate change, with projects already in the implementation phase.

Now becoming the European Green Capital 2026 – the second Portuguese city to obtain the title, after Lisbon (2020) –, Guimarães will continue the city’s revitalization projects, promoting new initiatives with a view to climate neutrality by 2030, as well as initiatives to improve territorial conditions, waste management and biodiversity protection.

About the European Green Capital award

The European Green Capital award is awarded annually, aimed at European cities with more than 100 thousand inhabitants that distinguish themselves in matters of environmental, social and economic sustainability. The awarding of the prize results from a rigorous selection process, during which candidate cities must present arguments and evidence of what has already been implemented to date and what will still be done to become more sustainable.

By Setup Guimarães | | In Geral |