The planting of over 122,000 trees, the return of the city center to the pedestrian, the increase of the number of parks and playgrounds, and the addition of bicycle lanes dedicated to bicycles as an ecological alternative to transport, ranked Tirana on the list of contending cities to win the prize "European Green Capital", organized annually by the European Commission.
Tirana has been selected by the European Commission alongside 9 other cities from all over Europe, including European Union countries, competing for the "European Green Capital for 2021". In addition to Tirana, other selected European cities are Budapest (Hungary), Cagliari (Italy), Dijon (France), Lahti (Finland), Lille (France), Skopje (Macedonia), Strasbourg (France) and Västerås (Sweden).
Carmen Vella, the European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, spoke about the competition and expressed her satisfaction with the competing cities, welcoming the efforts made by these cities to improve the local environment and the quality of life of their citizens.
"I am very pleased to see the European Green Capital. These cities are working hard to be the best places for their citizens to live, work, and spend their lives. I have no doubt that all applicants are famous and we can welcome these extraordinary efforts and achievements," he said.
Following this step, a panel of 12 independent and internationally recognized experts will start a technical assessment of each competitor to choose a short list of cities competing for this award. This panel of experts will evaluate the applications of the European Green Capital based on 12 environmental indicators: mitigation of climate change, adaptation of climate change, sustainable urban mobility, sustainable land use, nature and biodiversity, air quality, noise, waste, growth of green economies and eco-innovation, energy performance and governance. The finalists will be announced in April 2019 and will then be invited to present their cases before an international jury. The jury will assess cities' engagement for sustainable urban development, their ability to act as a model for other cities, and their communication and engagement strategy with their citizens. The winner will be announced at a reward ceremony in Oslo in June as the The European Green Capital of 2019.