Press Release: Commissioner Dimas presents European Mobility Week awards to the cities of Léon, Budapest and Bologna

European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas presented the 2007 European Mobility Week award to the Spanish city of Léon on 7 February 2007. Second prize went to Budapest and third prize to Bologna. European Mobility Week (EMW), supported by the European Commission and held annually, promotes sustainable mobility in towns and cities by encouraging use of low- or non-polluting alternatives to private cars, such as walking, cycling, public transport and car-sharing. The introduction of permanent measures to facilitate these alternatives is a condition of participation. The awards were given for the best contribution to last year's EMW, focused on combating climate change, which attracted 1,322 participating cities with a combined population of over 200 million. Léon was chosen as the winner by an independent jury of experts for both the breadth of its EMW activities and its strong communications strategy on sustainable mobility. Commissioner Dimas presented the awards at a workshop held at the Committee of the Regions in Brussels to prepare European Mobility Week 2007, which will take place from 16 to 22 September.