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

horticultural Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

competition established to recognise municipalities and villages in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

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 notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

" (population over 30,000) *"

Town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

" (population of 5,000–30,000) *"

Village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

" (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 and the French Republic which saw a significant improvement in Anglo-French relations. Beyond the immediate concerns of colonial de ...

("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. Australia In Australia, nonprofit organizations include trade unions, charitable entities ...

) 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 political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

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 Uni ...

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 or a brand image, into a more environmentally friendly version (i.e. 'greening your home' or 'greening your office'). The act of green ...

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

ecologically Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their biophysical environment, physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosy ...

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

''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 contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established 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 small market town in Nidderdale in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies on the River Nidd. It is in the Yorkshire Dales and ...

in 1978 and Bath 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 Bath 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

{{Reflist

External links

www.entente-florale.euSheffield City Council - Entente FloraleKilkenny City Entente Florale Website -Kilkenny is Ireland's 2006 Entry to the Entente Florale

Links of participating nations homepages

AustriaBelgiumCroatiaCzech RepublicFranceGermanyHungaryIrelandItalyNetherlandsSlovenija

United Kingdom

Other Language Wikipedias

* Concours des villes et villages fleuris - French National Competition article Horticultural exhibitions Horticultural competitions