The Entente Florale Europe (, "Flowery Alliance of Europe") is an international

horticultural Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

competition established to recognise municipalities and villages in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

for excellence in horticultural displays. Trophies are presented annually by tourist boards and horticultural societies of European countries. There are three categories: *"

Cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

" (population over 30,000) *"

Town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

" (population of 5,000–30,000) *"

Village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

" (population of less than 5,000).

History

Entente Florale Europe is a competition for Towns and Villages. The competition name puns on the

Entente Cordiale The Entente Cordiale (; ) comprised a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and the French Third Republic, French Republic which saw a significant improvement in Fr ...

("Friendly Understanding", 1904). Each participating country puts forward a representative Town and Village. The Town and Village are visited by the Jury and an assessment is made. The competition was founded in 1975, initially between Great Britain and France. At present there are eleven member countries and further applications are being processed. Eguisheim-entente-florale

In 1996, an international non profit association (

AISBL Laws regulating nonprofit organizations, nonprofit corporations, non-governmental organizations, and voluntary associations vary in different jurisdictions. They all play a critical role in addressing social, economic, and environmental issues. Th ...

) was founded under the name of ''Association Européenne pour le Fleurissement et le Paysage'' (European Association for Blooming and the Countryside), with the responsibility of the overall organisation of the competition and to obtain support from official bodies in the different countries. The AEFP is incorporated under the Belgian Law of 8 September 1997, and the Statutes were published in the Belgian Monitor on 8 September 1998. The amended articles, by Law of 2 May 2002 were published in the Belgian Monitor on 28 April 2006. Since 1998 under the aegis of the 'Association Européenne pour le Fleurissement et le Paysage', the association and the competition Entente Florale Europe are open to all countries in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

as well as to the

EFTA The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The organization operates in parallel with the European Union ...

members countries (European Free Trade Association). The competition has enjoyed the support of the International Association of Horticulture producers (AIPH) since its inception. In individual countries the competition is supported and organised by Ministries/Department of Agriculture, Tourism, as well as horticultural bodies and associations. The President represents the association and is acting for 2 years. Each successive President shall be from a different country per alphabetic order.

Participation

Who can Enter ? The competition is open to all countries in the EU and in the EFTA subject to approval by the board of AEFP. There are three categories, every member country can put forward 2 entries from two different categories. * Cities/Towns (population over 30,000) * Towns (population between 5,000 and 30,000) * Villages (population below 5,000) How & When to Enter ? * Applications are made by the national organisation in charge of the competition. * New members are elected by the Board of Directors of the AEFP, by simple majority, at its twice yearly meetings (March & September). * Notification of entrants from existing members should reach the Secretariat before December 31 of the year prior to adjudication.

Organisation

Who organises the Competition? Overall organisations is by the "Association Européenne du Fleurissement et du Paysage" (A.E.F.P.). AEFP is a non-profit organization, incorporated under Belgian Law(s). Each participant country has its own organisation and is entitled to membership on the Board of Directors of the AEFP. The competition has enjoyed the support of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) since its inception. In individual countries the competition is supported and organised by Ministries/Departments of Agriculture, Environment, Tourism as well as horticultural bodies and associations. The Aim of the Competition The overall aim of the competition is the improvement of the quality of life for local urban and village communities. To this end the competition fosters: * The

greening Greening is the process of transforming living environments, and also artifacts such as a space, a lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle or a brand image, into a more environmentally friendly version (i.e. 'greening your home' or 'greening your office ...

of towns and villages * Flowers, shrubs, green spaces, parks * Development which is environmentally and

ecologically Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely re ...

sensitive * Educational and communication initiatives which promote environmental awareness. Advantages of Joining You will * Enhance the reputation of your town, village, country * Facilitate contacts of a tourist, cultural nature * Improve the appearance and fabric of your towns and villages * Foster community spirit and enhance the quality of life * Enable citizens to assume ownership of their local environment

Jury members in 2015

Austria (AT)
* Martin Wagner, Horticultural engineer; ''Vice-chair of the jury'' * Johanna Renat, Spatial planner Belgium (BE)
* Rudi Geerardyn, Landscape architect & Town planner; ''Chair of the jury'' Czech Republic (CZ) * Inka Truxova, Landscape architect * Petr Šiřina, Landscape architect * Jaroslav Brzak, Landscape architect Germany (DE) * Dr. Rüdiger Kirsten, Landscape architect & Town planner; ''Vice-chair of the jury'' * Hildegunde Franziska Henrich, Landscape architect & Town planner Hungary (HU) * Dr. Andrea Bocsi, Tourism expert & Economist * Dr. Ildikó Réka Báthoryné Nagy, Landscape architect * Szilvia Halász Spanyárné, Landscape architect Ireland (IE) * Eamonn De Stafort, Tourism consultant * Dr. Christy Boylan, Horticulturist & Landscape architect Italy (IT) * Anna Furlani Pedoja, Landscape architect * Jacopo Fontaneto, Agriculture and Green Journalist, Tourism consultant * Mauro Paradisi, Municipal urban designer Netherlands (NL) * Nico Anthony Brink Landscape architect * Marjolijn Ruijs, Landscape contractor Slovenia (SI) * Anton Schlaus, Architect & Consultant for energy efficient building * Martina Schlaus, Architect & Conservator for Cultural Heritage United Kingdom (UK) * Peter Holman, Horticultural & Greenspace Consultant * David Littlewood, Horticulturist * Mark Wasilewski, Park Management

Previous winners

Source: ''Note re UK representatives'' - The names of UK representatives from 1975 to 1991 are taken from ''Britain in Bloom'' by Graham Ashworth (Graham Ashworth

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, ''Britain in Bloom'', page 90, The Tidy Britain Group (Wigan:1991)). Please note that

Pateley Bridge Pateley Bridge (known locally as Pateley) is a market town in the civil parish of High and Low Bishopside, in Nidderdale, in the county and district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies on the ...

in 1978 and

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

in 1975 won the competition yet are not listed by Ashworth as representatives.

Towns/Cities

Villages

Notes

:Note 1 - in some cases the overall winner from the UK is not named in "Britain in Bloom" by Graham Ashworth as an Entente Florale Representative (namely

in 1975 and

in 1978). :Note 2 - Luxembourg competed between years 1980 - 1988. :Note 3 - Switzerland competed between years 1984 - 1986. :Note 4 - Portugal competed in year 1991 and between years 1994 - 2000. :Note 5 - Canada competed between years 1992 - 1993.

References

External links

www.entente-florale.euSheffield City Council - Entente FloraleKilkenny City Entente Florale Website -Kilkenny is Ireland's 2006 Entry to the Entente Florale
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423090835/http://ententeflorale.kilkennycity.ie/ , date=2021-04-23

Links of participating nations homepages

AustriaBelgiumCroatiaCzech RepublicFranceGermanyHungaryIrelandItalyNetherlandsSlovenija

United Kingdom
Horticultural exhibitions Horticultural competitions