Commission kicks off EU Diversity Month with winners of the 2025 European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Award

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

…and the winners of fostering diversity and inclusion are from the Netherlands, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Poland. Cities and municipalities from these countries are this year´s leading examples that promote inclusion on the grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. The winners  have just been announced in the fourth edition of the European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Award by the European Commission.

The winners that have just been announced in the fourth edition of the European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Award are:

In the category of ‘local authorities with more than 50,000 inhabitants’:

• The Gold Award goes to the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands for its impressive city-wide commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion, embedded across all departments and backed by robust structures, leadership and funding.
• The Silver Award goes to the city of Bilbao, Spain for its intersectional and values-driven initiatives on employment, education, transports, security, youth, and sports.
• The Bronze Award goes to the city of Kraków, Poland for programmes supporting diverse individuals in public spaces, in health, education, and culture.

In the category of ‘local authorities with less than 50,000 inhabitants’:

• The Gold Award goes to the city of Mariehamn, Finland for its inclusive approach across municipal workplaces, education, and newcomer integration, guided by a clear intersectional vision.
• The Silver Award goes to the town of Usurbil, Spain for its inclusive vision and a dedicated focus on gender equality, migrant integration, and co-responsibility in care.
• The Bronze Award goes to the city of Settimo Torinese, Italy, for an outstanding approach rooted in participatory budgeting, inclusive fora, public engagement, and cross-sector collaboration to amplify the impact of municipal policy, such as with local businesses, law enforcement or schools.

Specific award for inclusive housing

• The Gold Award goes to the city of Braga, Portugal for its strategy supporting older persons, people with disabilities, lone parents, Roma, migrants, and victims of domestic violence.
• The Silver Award goes to the town of Gualdo Tadino, Italy for its innovative housing initiatives supporting women, LGBTIQ individuals, persons with disabilities, and migrants.
• The Bronze Award goes to the city of Zaragoza, Spain for its multi-layered approach to preventing homelessness and supporting access to housing for diverse individuals.

The public choice award, for which the audience voted during the Awards ceremony, goes to Zaragoza.

Today’s ceremony, which took place in Brussels, also marks the launch of the 2025 European Diversity Month, which celebrates efforts to help build equal and inclusive environments for the benefit of all.

Background

Launched as part of the EU’s Anti-Racism Action Plan 2020-2025, and the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025, the annual European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Award is part of the Commission’s work towards a Union of Equality. The Award recognises the work done by cities, towns, or regions in the European Union to promote inclusion and create discrimination-free societies. They cover initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion in terms of gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, and LGBTIQ equality. The awarding jury also evaluates the authorities’ attention to intersectionality, the interconnected relationship of multiple risks of discrimination and disadvantage.

In April, the European Commission launched two open public consultations to lay the groundwork for a new LGBTIQ Equality Strategy post-2025 and the first EU Anti-Racism Strategy. Both strategies will build on the achievements of their predecessors. The consultations are open for contributions for 12 weeks, respectively until 24 June for the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy and until 8 July for the Anti-Racism Strategy. Everyone is welcome to contribute to the open public consultations. Applications for the fourth edition of the Award were open from 26 November 2024 to 7 February 2025. A jury of experts evaluated the applications based on a range of criteria, including the nature and scope of initiatives, ownership and level of commitment, quality and sustainability of initiatives, and the involvement of people exposed to discrimination in policy-making.

The European Diversity Month initiative is part of the Commission’s commitment to fight discrimination and promote diverse and inclusive workplaces. It was first held in May 2020 as part of the 10^th anniversary of the EU Platform for Diversity Charters.