The award was formally launched by European Union (EU) Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas who said: "I hope that this award will act as a powerful incentive for local governments and authorities to improve living conditions for Europe's city dwellers. Many cities are already committed to improving protection of their environment: I am confident that this award will encourage many more to follow suit."
The award scheme is open to the 27 EU member states, candidate countries (Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey) and European Economic Area countries (Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein).
Cities with a population of more than 200,000 can now apply for the first awards for 2010 and 2011. Entries will be assessed on the basis of 10 environmental criteria including climate change, transport, air, waste and water.
