Chairman of the Council Tiit Terik said that for Tallinn, which is running for the title of Green Capital of Europe 2023, matters of the environment are important.

"Tallinn has already earlier joined the mayors' climate and energy pact 2030, which aims to make cities carbon neutral by 2050. Joining the European Green City Accord is a logical step towards these goals. A cleaner living environment is in the interest of all residents of the city," Terik said.

Based on the accord, the city of Tallinn commits to set environmental goals in five areas that have to be achieved by 2030. These are achieving a significant improvement in air quality by moving closer to respecting the WHO's air quality guidelines and ending exceedances of EU air quality standards as soon as possible; making significant progress in improving the quality of water bodies and the efficiency of water use; making considerable progress in conserving and enhancing urban biodiversity; advancing towards the circular economy by securing a significant improvement in the management of household municipal waste, an important reduction in waste generation and landfilling, and a substantial increase in re-use, repair and recycling; as well as significantly reducing noise pollution in cities.

As part of the effort, Tallinn will contribute to shaping the EU environmental policy through becoming part of a community of like-minded cities driving the transition towards a clean and healthy Europe, have the opportunity to participate in networking events and benefit from capacity-building opportunities, as well as share its good practices and learn about the practices of other cities. 

Twenty-one cities of Europe had joined the accord by March 3.

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