Ljubljana’s civitas recognition
Ljubljana has won recognition for outstanding achievements in the field of urban transport and for actively representing the CIVITAS initiative.
Each year as part of the CIVITAS initiative, the European Commission gives awards to the cities that have done most to introduce cleaner urban transport. The CIVITAS Award is an opportunity for cities to highlight their achievements and the most outstanding, ambitious and innovative solutions in the field of sustainable mobility. The winners or recipients of this award are publicly declared to be excellent examples of good practice and models for other cities that can copy their measures, utilise their knowledge and experience and be inspired by their actions.
CIVITAS awards are divided into categories, for technical innovation, public participation and CIVITAS City of the Year 2011. Ljubljana was nominated for the latter this year, which was won by Utrecht, hotly pursued by Stockholm. Utrecht also celebrated victory in the technical innovation category, (the runners up were Stockholm and Treviso), Ghent, a partner city in the CIVITAS ELAN project, took the prize for the best steps in the public participation category (the runners up were Burgos and Brighton & Hove).
Despite the fact that Ljubljana did not manage to come home with a ‘statue’, it was given recognition for outstanding achievements in the field of urban transport and for actively representing the CIVITAS initiative. “Through clear political leadership and continuous consultation with experts and local stakeholders the city has successfully planned, implemented and evaluated various transport measures. In this context Ljubljana has shown that it can be considered a paradigm of excellence that inspires and serves as a model to guide and promote the ongoing development of sustainable mobility initiatives in Europe.
The European Commission’s nomination of Ljubljana for a CIVITAS award in the third category is recognition as one of the best European cities which make a genuine contribution to Europeans’ quality of life”, was written in the recognition signed by Felix Leinemann, member of the cabinet of the European Commissioner for Mobility and Transport, and the new President of the CIVITAS initiative’s political advisory committee Bruno Pereira, who has succeeded Ljubljana city councillor Roman Jakič in this position.