The European Commission has announced the six finalists of two awards which honour the actions of European cities in developing and promoting sustainable approaches to urban mobility. European Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, in charge of transport, and Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potočnik will present the awards at a ceremony on 24 March in Brussels, Belgium.

With 75 % of Europe’s population expected to be living in urban areas by 2020, it is even more important that our transport choices do not negatively impact on the liveability of our cities. European cities are leading the way in integrating sustainability into their urban mobility plans and raising public awareness.

This year’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) award recognises cities with SUMPs illustrating the ‘integration of economic, social, and environmental policy criteria’, the theme of the 2013 awards. The award is presented to local authorities which demonstrate excellence in developing and implementing their sustainable urban mobility plans to address their city’s mobility challenges. An expert jury evaluates the applications on their achievements and selects a winning city to receive the prize of EUR 10 000. Last year’s winner was Aberdeen City Council, this year’s winner will be revealed at the ceremony on 24 March. 21 applications from 11 EU countries have been submitted.

The finalists for the 2013 SUMP award are:

• Rivas Vaciamadrid (Spain)
• Strasbourg (France)

• Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain)