Borås (Sweden), Cartagena (Spain), Nuremberg (Germany) and Vienna (Austria) finalists for 2025 Access City Award

These cities have demonstrated best practice and highlighted their commitment to ensure accessibility to urban life for persons with disabilities, including for built environment and public spaces (such as buildings, roads or parks), public transport, facilities and services, as well as information and communication technologies.

Borås (Sweden), Cartagena (Spain), Nuremberg (Germany) and Vienna (Austria), have been selected as finalists for the 2025 Access City Award.

European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, said: "Cities must be accessible for persons with disabilities to exercise their fundamental rights and fully participate in society just like everyone else. The European Commission supports pioneer cities that truly leave no one behind. because accessibility is a cornerstone of inclusion. It is essential for the more than 100 million EU citizens with disabilities, and it improves life for all."

This year's edition is particularly important as it marks the 15^th anniversary of the Access City Award. It has also received the highest number of applications in the last decade: 57 cities applied for the award, of which 33 candidates were pre-selected by national experts. The four finalists were then shortlisted by an EU jury. Following the spirit of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Commission will award this year a Special Mention for "Accessible Sports Infrastructure".

The 2025 Access City Award winners will be announced at an award ceremony on 29 November 2024 during the European Day of Persons with Disabilities conference, organised jointly by the European Commission and the European Disability Forum. Journalists can register to attend in person. The ceremony, starting at 9.30, will be broadcast live, with international sign interpretation, audio-description and English captioning.

Accessible spaces, both physical and digital, are a crucial first step towards achieving equality. More than 100 million people in the EU have a disability. If persons with disabilities cannot access transport, shops, parks, or websites, they cannot make their own choices and take control of their lives.

Since 2010, the Access City Award celebrates cities that make accessibility their priority. The Award is also part of the Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030 to build a Europe without barriers.

The Award is given to the city that has demonstrably improved accessibility in fundamental aspects of city living, and that has concrete plans for further improvements.

Winners of the previous awards: 2024, San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Spain); 2023, Skellefteå (Sweden); 2022, Luxembourg City (Luxembourg); 2021, Jönköping (Sweden); 2020, Warsaw (Poland); 2019, Breda (The Netherlands); 2018, Lyon (France); 2017, Chester (United Kingdom); 2016, Milan (Italy); 2015, Boras (Sweden); 2014, Gothenburg (Sweden); 2013, Berlin (Germany); 2012, Salzburg (Austria); 2011, Avila (Spain).