Galway has been officially launched as the 2017 European Green Leaf .
Galway became the first Irish city to receive the EU title last June.
The Green Leaf award was officially conferred on the city by European Commission representatives on Wednesday.
The title aims to encourage “green growth” in European cities and towns of between 20,000 and 100,000 residents.
Galway beat off competition from Mikkeli in Finland and Cornellà de Llobregat in Spain to secure this year's title.
Galway is already a Unesco city of film and will be the European Capital of Culture in 2020.
As part of the award, the city will have to “demonstrate a good environmental record and a commitment to generating green growth”, according to the European Commission.
European Commission deputy director-general of environment Joanna Drake was among those who travelled to Galway for Wednesday's event.
Previous European Green Leaf cities include Mollet del Vallès in Spain and Torres Vedras in Portugal.
Response
Dr Sharon Carroll, of Galway City Council, said that the title "not only celebrates our past environmental achievements, but also challenges our city to continually improve the quality of life of our citizens and reduce our impact on the global environment".
She said a series of projects and events have been planned for the year, focusing on waste management, resource efficiency, energy performance, climate change, biodiversity, air quality and water.
