30 July 2025
Sites across nine countries raise the prestigious Green Flag Award after reaching the international quality standard for parks and green spaces.
Sites across nine countries raise the prestigious Green Flag Award after reaching the international quality standard for parks and green spaces.
Winners in Ireland, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden have reached the high standards required to receive a coveted Green Flag Award in 2025, environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy revealed today. This is in addition to the 2,250 UK winners that received their awards earlier this month.
The Green Flag Award recognises a wide variety of different types of parks and green spaces, including nature reserves like Kesselse Heide in Antwerp, Belgium; university campuses like Ultuna Campus in Uppsala, Sweden and public gardens such as Jardins do Palácio de Cristal in Porto, Portugal.
Carl McClean, International Development Manager for the Green Flag Award, said:
“Europe has some of the best parks management teams in the world, and it’s great to see all their hard work being recognised with an international standard like the Green Flag Award.”
“All the volunteers, management and staff involved, as well as the politicians who support the local green agenda, will be proud today to raise the flag for their communities”
In France, Nantes collected three awards for the fifth consecutive year, including one for the Jardin des Plantes, the city’s botanical garden.
Alexandre Piette, Head of Public Relations Service for the Nature & Gardens Department of Nantes said:
"We are delighted to have renewed our Green Flag Awards again. The Green Flag Award is always a valuable opportunity for constructive dialogue, helping us to continually improve the quality of our parks and gardens for both local, national and international visitors"
In Ireland an impressive 111 winners met the Green Flag Award standard, including sites in Cork, Galway and Dublin. This total also includes 25 Green Flag Community Award winners (for sites specifically run by the local community) and 17 Green Heritage Site Accreditations (for sites of significant local or national historic importance). The award is managed in Ireland by An Taisce Environmental Education Unit.
Meanwhile, Finland celebrated a record-breaking 24 winners this year, with several new sites raising the flag. The award has been managed and developed in Finland by Viherympäristöliitto - The Finnish Association of Landscape Industries - where it has grown every year since 2018.
More than 90 parks and green space organisations are involved in the Green Flag Award programme across Europe, including cities like Dublin in Ireland, Guimarães in Portugal, Kotka in Finland and León in Spain. This articles cover image features Stadtpark Norderstedt in Germany who won the award for their 4th consecutive year.
Mireille Colson, Provincial Deputy for Provincial Green and Recreational Parks for the Province of Antwerp, Belgium said:
"We are proud of our parks, like parents are proud of their children. Everything we do there - the investments we make, the programmes we develop, the quality of the services we provide - we believe it’s all top-notch. Yet we still learn through the Green Flag Award what we are doing well and what can be improved further. That’s why the Green Flag Award is an excellent benchmark.”
Explore all the winners
The Green Flag Award winners’ map features accredited parks and green spaces around the world. Explore the various profiles to learn more about our current winners*.
And as the Green Flag Award programme continues to grow around the world, so too does our judging reach. In the past 12 months new judges have been trained in Finland, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal and the USA.
*Please note that Finland and Ireland have yet to name their winners but have confirmed the number. Both will announce more details separately.
To find out more about the Green Flag award or to apply for an award, whichever country you are based in, visit the Green Flag Award website or alternatively click here.
