In a statement the Lisbon councillor for green policies, José Sá Fernandes, described the achievement as “historic”. He added: "in recent years, the city has been improving substantially in all environmental parameters: green infrastructure, water, energy, mobility, quality of public space and waste."
The other finalists - in a category for which competitors must have more than 100,000 inhabitants - are Ghent (Belgium), Lahti (Finland), Oslo (Norway) and Tallinn (Estonia). The winners will be announced on 02 June 2017 in Essen, the German city that was the European Green Capital for 2017.
The European Commission attributes this award with the aim of rewarding efforts and commitment to improving the urban environment and raising awareness of the need for environmental changes at city level.