ICLEI Member Oslo (Norway) officially took over the title of European Green Capital 2019 at a handover ceremony, which took place recently, 4 January, in Oslo.

During the handover ceremony, ICLEI Member Nijmegen (The Netherlands), holder of the title in 2018, passed on the prestigious title to Oslo.

Oslo was awarded the title due to its holistic approach to urban sustainability, covering topics ranging from biodiversity, public transport, social integration and citizen health.

The city was particularly commended for working systematically to re-open 3,000m of streams and rivers, making them accessible to the public and facilitating the development and restoration of habitats.

The jury was also impressed with Oslo’s ambitious targets to cut emissions by 95% by 2030 and to become carbon neutral by 2050, along with improvements in cycling and public transport infrastructure, introducing car free zones and encouraging the use of electric vehicles.

During their year as European Green Capital, Oslo is set to bring together almost 200 partners to deliver more than 350 planned events, ranging from large, international conferences to small neighbourhood events.

For more information and to learn more about Oslo’s plans for their European Green Capital year, click here.