How to join the Green City Accord

Why should cities join?

By signing the Green City Accord, cities will become part of a growing movement to safeguard the natural environment and improve the quality of life of Europeans. Cities will also be supporting the European Green Deal and the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In particular, cities will:

gain Europe-wide visibility in recognition of their environmental actions and achievements
contribute to shaping EU environmental policy
become part of a community of like-minded cities driving the transition towards a clean and healthy Europe
increase their transparency, accountability, and credibility within the local community
gain access to information concerning EU funding opportunities
participate in networking events and benefit from capacity-building opportunities
receive tailored guidance and support via a dedicated helpdesk

The Green City Accord is in connection with the EU Green Capital and EU Green Leaf Awards. These awards recognise and reward cities leading the way in environmental sustainability, further complementing the goals of the Green City Accord.

Who is eligible to join?

The Green City Accord is open to any cities of 20,000 inhabitants and above located in the European Union.

The term “city” means an urban area with an administrative unit governed by a city council or another form of a democratically elected body. This includes large metropolitan areas, as well as agglomerations.

Cities in European Economic Area countries and in Switzerland will be able to join in the second phase. Other cities in the wider European region may be eligible to join at a later stage.

Sign the commitment

To join the Green City Accord, a political commitment needs to signed. You can view the commitment here. Please note that only the Mayor (or equivalent representative) can sign.

If your city is interested in signing the Accord, please notify the Green City Accord secretariat by sending a message through our contact form. Once the secretariat confirms eligibility, there are two steps to become a signatory:

The Accord is presented to the municipal council (or equivalent decision-making body).
Once an official resolution has been adopted by the council, the Mayor – or equivalent representative – signs the Green City Accord political commitment document electronically. To sign, please fill out this form.

The signatures of the political commitment are collected using an EUSurvey form (it is not used as a survey in this case). To upload the signed political commitment document in the system, you must set up and EU login. More information about how to create a EU login is available here.

Please note that when you enter the signed political commitment in the system, you will also have to upload a copy of the Municipal Council decision in the national language, unless an English translation is available.