Recognition of exemplary projects
The European Landscape Convention provides for a Council of Europe Landscape Award which recognises policies or measures adopted by local or regional authorities or non-governmental organisations to protect, manage and/or plan their landscape which have proved lastingly effective and can thus serve as an example to other territorial authorities.
On 20 February 2008, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted Resolution CM/Res(2008)3 on the rules governing the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe. The Award and special mentions are conferred every two years on the basis of a Committee of Ministers’ decision following a proposal by a jury and the Council of Europe steering committee tasked with monitoring the implementation of the Convention. Four criteria have been established for the conferment of the Award: sustainable territorial development, exemplariness, public participation and awareness-raising.
Sessions of the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe
The Awards, special mentions and acknowledgments have been conferred on the basis of decisions by the Committee of Ministers, according to the proposals of the International Jury of the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe and of the Council of Europe steering committee responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Convention. In accordance with the Rules, the Awards are presented by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe or his/her representative at a public ceremony. six sessions of the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe have been held: Session 1 (2008-2009), Session 2 (2010-2011), Session 3 (2012-2013), Session 4 (2014-2015), Session 5 (2016-2017) and Session 6 (2018-2019). Session 7 (2020-2021) is now under way.
Council of Europe Landscape Award Forum of National Selections
Biennially organised by the Council of Europe in co-operation with a hosting State, the Council of Europe Landscape Award Forums aim to highlight the selections made at national level within the framework of the Landscape Award, as sources of inspiration.
Reference documents
Proceedings of the Council of Europe Meetings of the Workshops for the implementation of the Convention:
- “Council of Europe Landscape Award Forum of National Selections – 1st-Session 2008-2010 and 2nd Session 2010-2011”, Carbonia (Italy), 4-5 June 2012
- “Council of Europe Landscape Award Forum of National Selections – 3rd Session 2012-2013”, Wroclaw (Poland), 11-12 June 2014
- “Council of Europe Landscape Award Forum of National Selections – 4th Session 2014-2015”, Budapest (Hungary), 9-10 June 2016
- “Council of Europe Landscape Award Forum of National Selections – 5th Session 2016-2017”, Daugavpils (Latvia), 19-20 June 2018
- “Council of Europe Landscape Award Forum of National Selections - 6th Session 2018-2019”, Geneva, Switzerland, Autumn 2020
The Landscape Award Alliance of the Council of Europe
The Committee of Ministers adopted the Resolution CM/Res(2017)18 on the Landscape Award Alliance of the Council of Europe. It gathers the exemplary achievements presented by the States Parties to the European Landscape Convention, showing that it is possible to promote the territorial dimension of human rights and democracy by improving the landscape features of people’s surroundings.
Depending on the case, these achievements promote landscape protection through measures to preserve the significant and characteristic features of the landscape; landscape management through action from a sustainable development perspective to ensure the regular upkeep of a landscape in order to guide and harmonise change; or landscape planning through forward-looking action to enhance, restore or create landscapes. They foster landscapes for living, in urban and peri-urban areas; landscapes to discover, through the provision of roads or country paths; landscapes both historical and alive, between nature and culture; or landscapes that enable people to get to know the countryside and take action to support it, by establishing methodologies and other landscape promotion tools.
Reference documents
Publications:
- European Landscape Convention: The Landscape Award Alliance of the Council of Europe - Volume 2, Territory and Landscape Series, 2020, No.120
- European Landscape Convention: The Landscape Award Alliance of the Council of Europe - Volume 1, Territory and Landscape Series, 2018, No.105
Online presentation of the achievements of the Council of Europe Landscape Award Alliance