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.
How to become a GCA signatory (EU cities)
If your city is interested in signing the GCA, please notify the secretariat by sending an email to contact
greencityaccord [dot] eu (contact[at]greencityaccord[dot]eu). The secretariat will confirm your eligibility and provide assistance during the process.
There are three steps to becoming a signatory:
- The GCA commitment is presented to the municipal council (or equivalent decision-making body), which adopts a positive resolution
- Once the council has officially agreed, the mayor (or equivalent representative) signs the GCA political commitment.
- The city administration communicates the political commitment to the secretariat using this notification form adding a copy of the municipal council decision in the national language together with an English translation if it is available.
Who is eligible to join?
The GCA is open to cities within the European Union with a population of 20 000 inhabitants or more. A ‘city’ refers to an urban area with an administrative unit governed by a city council or another democratically elected body. This includes large metropolitan areas as well as urban agglomerations.
As of 2025, cities from non-EU Member States can be part of the GCA as associated cities. The associated cities can come from EFTA countries which are part of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), and from EU acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidate countries (in alphabetical order Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine). Associated cities can participate in the GCA activities and events. Similarly, organisations from these countries can become associated supporters.
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.
- български
- español
- čeština
- dansk
- Deutsch
- eesti
- ελληνικά
- français
- hrvatski
- italiano
- latviešu
- lietuvių
- magyar
- Nederlands
- polski
- português
- română
- slovenčina
- slovenščina
- suomi
- svenska
How to become an Associated city (non-EU cities)
Associated cities are non-EU cities that formally commit to the principles of the Green City Accord and want to be recognised for their dedication to sustainable urban development and environmental ambition.
Who can become an Associated City?
Cities with more than 20,000 inhabitants located in the following countries are eligible:
- EEA EFTA countries: Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein
- EU acceding, candidate and potential candidate countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine
What are the benefits of becoming an Associated City?
- You will get public recognition of your environmental commitment
- You will have the opportunity to benefit from GCA capacity-building services and activities
- You will participate in networking events exchange knowledge and experiences with EU GCA signatories
- You will get support in aligning with EU environmental goals
Associated cities commit to the same reporting framework and environmental objectives as EU signatories. This ensures consistency, transparency, and mutual accountability across the entire Green City Accord community.
How to Apply
To join the Green City Accord, a political commitment needs to be 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 an 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.
