Today, the European Commission announced the winners of the second edition of the European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Awards, aimed at highlighting towns, cities and regions across the EU leading by example in inclusive policies. This year's winners are spread across seven Member States – Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain – and have been recognised for their work to build fairer societies by promoting diversity and inclusion in terms of sex; racial and ethnic origin; religion and belief; disability; age and LGBTIQ rights.

Terrassa City Council, Spain, is the gold-winner in the category of local authorities above 50,000 inhabitants for its strong intersectional and cross cutting strategy around inclusion and diversity, followed by the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium (silver), and the City of Helsinki, Finland (bronze). Spain's Town Hall La Zarza is the gold-winner for local authorities with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants for its initiatives across communication, training, employment and accessibility among others, followed by the Town of Labin, Croatia (silver), and the Municipality of Fundão, Portugal (bronze). Gdańsk, Poland, is the winner of the special award for fostering LGBTIQ equality for its numerous initiatives involving inclusive public services and support for victims of discrimination, followed by Catalonia, Spain (silver), and City of Reggio Emilia, Italy (bronze). More information about the specific initiatives put in place by the winners and the awards can be found here.