News

During the European Green Belt Days, we celebrate the impressive natural and cultural heritage along the whole European Green Belt. Get creative and apply with your ideas for a small grant by the European Green Belt Association, to financially support your European Green Belt Day celebration in your region!

The European Green Belt Scientific Committee is pleased to announce the opening of the Publication Mini-Grant call. This funding scheme provides small-scale financial support to help cover eligible costs related to publishing scientific work connected to the European Green Belt.

As part of the BESTbelt project 'Making Lake Fertő more climate resilient', ten public events in small Hungarian settlements on the shores of Lake Neusiedl were organised and publications on the lake's hydrological history and the relationship between landscape use presented. The feedback confirmed that ecological restoration of the Fertő landscape and increasing its resilience to climate change are key issues for the community.

A new vibrant children’s brochure with Scooper, the newt-detection dog, has been produced by the BESTbelt project 'Discovering Hidden Gems: An Educational Journey through the March-Thaya Floodplain Green Belt for All Ages'. The protagonist sniffs out rare amphibians and becomes a gentle companion in school nature classes, inspiring curiosity, conservation, and laughter through playful storytelling and cheerful illustrations for kids.

The final BESTbelt Pan-European Conference is a key opportunity to strengthen the BESTbelt and European Green Belt communities, to connect, to share learning and to jointly develop opportunities for scaling up or follow-up initiatives.

In January 2026, the Board of the European Green Belt Association established a European Green Belt Scientific Committee. The Committee will safeguard research integrity, support networking and joint research across the European Green Belt, and provide independent scientific advice for initiatives along Europe's longest green network.

Through nature-based forest restoration in Bukovikj in North Macedonia, the Macedonian Ecological Society is strengthening a vital ecological corridor for the endangered Balkan lynx.

Members of the European Green Belt Association, the European Hiking Federation and the European Mountaineering Association have met for a productive 2-day meeting in Austria to finalise a project concept for implementing a future European Green Belt Hiking Trail.

A new project on cross-border management of protected areas will be implemented in two transboundary pilot regions: Jablanica-Shebenik (North Macedonia and Albania) and Prokletije-Albanian Alps (Albania and Montenegro). The project will help to build capacities in the participating countries in setting up monitoring schemes that are fit for Natura 2000.

The European Green Belt welcomed a new model municipality in January 2026! For the first time, the award goes to two municipalities at once for their outstanding transboundary commitment.