Tallinn Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart will today participate in the international conference "Champion Cities Summit 2023: Champions Think Bold" in Vilnius, which will open the events and celebrations of Vilnius' 700th anniversary week.

At the conference, city leaders from Europe's major cities will share their success stories and best practices. The key themes are urbanization, green cities, smart mobility, diversity and education. 

Participating in the Green Cities panel, Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart presented the key challenges of Tallinn's Green Capital Year, as well as Tallinn's image as a green city. "Today, 30% of our city is covered by green spaces, so I want to draw attention to the fact that green spaces must not only be protected, but also developed. My dream is that in years to come, 40% of Tallinn will be green". The Mayor of Tallinn also stressed the need for alternative energy sources. "Tallinn's perspective is to move towards energy from the sea and from wastewater."

The Mayor of Tallinn will also participate in a special panel on Ukraine, where the role of cities and their cooperation in helping Ukraine will be discussed, and experiences in hosting refugees will be shared. The panel will bring together mayors from Lviv, Warsaw, Tallinn, Vilnius and Riga.