"Vilnius doesn't need Olympic fanfare to make its waters swimmable. While Paris spent billions cleaning up the Seine for a splashy opening, the rivers and lakes in Lithuania's capital have long been open for a dip whenever the weather allows. Permitting urban swimming is just one way that the Baltics' largest city has sought to become more sustainable, helping it earn the title of European Green Capital of the Year 2025."
"Now Vilnius authorities want to use these green credentials to boost their global economic competitiveness too. "One of the biggest challenges we need to fight is the [lack of] awareness of Lithuania and of Vilnius," says Mangirdas Sapranauskas, a senior department head at the city's development agency, Go Vilnius, which oversees foreign direct investment (FDI) and international talent attraction. "The Green Capital title put us on the map.""
"Indeed, while recognizing the importance of clean air and water, access to nature, biodiversity and electric public transportation, his definition of sustainability goes much further. "We have to become more people-oriented, and that's the very important social part of sustainability," Nikitin says. "We don't want to be green because we're green; we want to be green because we want our city to be a very livable city, a very safe city, a very resilient city.""
Vilnius permits urban swimming in rivers and lakes and has long maintained waters safe for recreational dips. The city won European Green Capital of the Year 2025 after pursuing multiple sustainability measures. Vilnius aims to translate green credentials into improved global economic competitiveness and greater awareness. Foreign residents now exceed 12% of the population, and multinationals such as Moody's, Nasdaq and Thermo Fisher operate offices there. Go Vilnius leads a praised FDI strategy. Most residents live within 300 meters of parks; Vingis Park sits within walking distance of Parliament. Sustainability priorities include clean air and water, biodiversity, electric public transport and social livability.
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