Bristol has been named runner up in the European Green Capital Award for 2014.

In an awards ceremony, Bristol’s strong bid was praised by judges. Copenhagen was named as the host city for 2014, beating runners-up Bristol and Frankfurt.

Council Leader Simon Cook said: "To get so far in this competition has been a remarkable achievement for Bristol, particularly when we were up against such strong competitors. It is testament to the huge amount of progress made on the green agenda, the vision we have for the city in years to come and the great working relationship in Bristol between the public and private sector, community groups and academia.

"We are the only UK city to have ever reached the finals in this competition, and we have done so for the second time. This sends a clear message that we are a green city that is inspiring change across Europe. It provides us with a platform to market the city as a place to do green business and a great place for international tourists to visit.


"As a signal of our intent to press ahead, I can confirm today that the council will support Bristol’s Big Green Week in 2013 with the ambitions to turn the festival into a world-class event for the city."

The judging panel from the European Commission said that Bristol’s finalist presentation demonstrated the best example of partnership working. Out of the 18 cities that entered, Bristol was ranked second overall and number one in three areas: climate change, air quality and noise pollution.

Chair of the Bristol Green Capital Partnership, Professor Martin Bigg said: "On behalf of Bristol’s Green Capital bid team, a huge thank you to everyone who has played a part in getting Bristol into the final of these prestigious awards. Our businesses, community groups, residents, public sector, schools and universities are all contributing to making Bristol a more sustainable, low carbon city with a high quality of life for all. We have learnt and continue to learn and share the challenges and opportunities of being a green city. We have amazing green creativity, culture and ethos in Bristol, and it is thanks to all this that the city is being recognised at an international level.

(CD/GK)