Filenews 11 January 2024
As of 11 January, Valencia, Spain is officially the European Green Capital for 2024, succeeding Tallinn, Estonia. At the opening ceremony, Mayor María José Catalá will receive the Green Paper from the Deputy Mayor of Tallinn, Mr Tiit Terik.
Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius said: "Valencia won the title of Green Capital because of its ambitious sustainability strategy and lessons learnt from the past. For many decades, the city has been innovating thanks to a bold citizens' movement that advocates for real change. Valencia's advantage is its people. This year will be an opportunity to enhance citizens' experiences and support them even more to make the change we all need for a better future a reality."
Valencia won the title thanks to its past and contemporary achievements in sustainable tourism, climate neutrality, and a just and inclusive green transition. As demonstrated by the city's motto 'Together, on a mission', which stresses the importance of people, Valencia effectively combines tackling environmental and social challenges.
97% of the city's residents live within 300 meters of urban green areas. The city has also been demonstrably committed to improving air quality and restoring natural ecosystems such as the dunes and wetlands of the Devesa region. Valencia is also promoting a healthier, more sustainable and inclusive food production through its 'Neighbourhood and Food Programme'.
Over 300 activities and events are planned for different audiences: from events for specialist audiences on sustainability, production and business issues to events for all Valencians.
The European Green Capital Award encourages cities to become greener and cleaner and improve the quality of life of their inhabitants. The call for applications for the next award cycle is now open and runs until 30 April 2024.
More information about Valencia as Green Capital is available in this news, as well as on the European Green Capital and Green Leaf award website.
European Data Regulation enters into force, introducing new rules for a fair and innovative data economy
The European Data Regulation enters into force today. New rules define rights of access to and use of data generated in all EU economic sectors and facilitate the sharing of industrial data in particular.
The Regulation will ensure fairness in the digital environment by identifying who can create value from data and under what conditions. It will also boost a competitive and innovative data market by unlocking industrial data and providing legal clarity on the use of data.
Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age, said: "Today we take an important step in our digital transformation. By adopting clear data legislation, we give users control over the sharing of data generated by their connected devices, while ensuring the protection of trade secrets and the European fundamental right to privacy."
Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market, said: "The entry into force of the Data Regulation marks an essential step in our efforts to shape the digital space. It will enable the development of a thriving, innovative and open European data economy, on our terms. European citizens and businesses will benefit from the wealth of industrial data that will become available, leading to new data-driven applications, including in the field of artificial intelligence."
After its entry into force, the European Data Regulation will enter into force within 20 months, i.e. 11 September 2025.
