Major European cities including Tirana (Albania); Ghent, Leuven and Mechelen (Belgium); Prague (Czechia); Copenhagen, Høje-Taastrup and Roskilde (Denmark); Helsinki, Lappeenranta, Oulu, Tampere and Turku (Finland); Grenoble (France); Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany); Budapest (Hungary); Florence and Prato (Italy); Wiltz (Luxembourg); Guimarães (Portugal); Bergen and Oslo (Norway); Ljubljana and Maribor (Slovenia); Seville (Spain), and Eskilstuna, Malmö and Umeå (Sweden) have joined forces to support and act on the transition to a circular economy and signed the European Circular Cities Declaration. The Declaration was launched at the 9th European Conference on Sustainable Cities & Towns – Mannheim2020, at the policy panel Circular Economy in Cities.

Signatories recognise the need of accelerating the transition from a linear to a circular economy in Europe, and are committed to act as ambassadors and champion a circular economy that leads to a resource-efficient, low-carbon and socially responsible society, in which resource consumption is decoupled from economic growth.

The Declaration has been launched by Anni Sinnemäki, Helsinki’s Deputy Mayor for Urban Environment. “Helsinki is ready and willing to promote circular economy. Our declaration includes crucial fields for cities, such as construction work. Cooperation is essential in leading the transition: Helsinki is willing to learn more from other cities and also to share our own experiences,” said Deputy Mayor Sinnemäki. Launching signatories invite cities and regions from across Europe to join them in signing the Declaration.

Cities and regions are cradles of innovation and socio-economic transformation with an enormous potential to lead the transition to a circular economy. Local and regional governments manage a number of key sectors in urban areas. As such, they are ideally placed to foster a circular economy and lead the way towards a more sustainable, resilient future. The European Circular Cities Declaration provides a common, shared vision of a circular city that helps ensure cities act as a joined force on the road to circularity.

The Declaration has been developed by a broad group of European organisations committed to enabling the transition to a circular economy at the local level, including ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, Circular Flanders, CSCP, ECERA, the European Investment Bank (EIB), Ellen McArthur Foundation, Eurocities, LWARB, UN Environment Programme and the WCYCLE Institute.

For more information about the Declaration and to learn how to sign, visit: www.circularcitiesdeclaration.eu