Cardiff has moved up the rankings to become Europe’s third best capital city to live in according to residents, a new European Union survey has revealed.

The Welsh capital has shot up from sixth to joint third spot which it shares with Copenhagen and Stockholm. Oslo, the capital of Norway and Belfast hold 1st and 2nd spot respectively.

The Quality of Life in European Cities Survey gathers the opinions of residents in 79 cities in EU Member States. It focuses on quality of life and shows how satisfied people are with various aspects of city living including employment opportunities, public transport, education, health, cultural activities, sports facilities, shopping, house prices, air quality, public spaces, safety, green spaces and cleanliness.

The survey takes place every two years and 2,000 Cardiff residents were asked for their opinions on their city.

Leader of the City of Cardiff Council, Cllr Phil Bale, said:

“It’s wonderful to see Cardiff rising up the ranks rated side by side with European cities the calibre of Stockholm and Copenhagen. Our Council’s vision is to make Cardiff Europe’s Most Liveable Capital City, so this is really pleasing and something we can all be proud of. “Our four key priorities – creating better jobs, delivering better education for all, helping the vulnerable and working in partnerships to improve public services – are all linked to making Cardiff a great and vibrant place to live. “This survey’s results suggest the city’s residents can see our plans for Cardiff beginning to take shape. We still have huge challenges ahead. Cardiff is one of the UK’s fastest growing cities and this is placing huge demands on our services when Council budgets are being slashed across the UK. But we are working hard to make Cardiff a truly great European capital. We have high ambitions – and why wouldn’t we. Cardiff is a fantastic place to live and work and we are determined to make it even better for everyone who lives here. “Our plans for Central Square are beginning to take shape and will bring jobs, boosting the economy. The new Local Development Plan has secured a green wedge across the city until 2026 and now we can work with developers to deliver homes, schools, roads and the infrastructure required to ensure Cardiff grows while retaining its charm and all the elements that make it such a great place to live. “Talks on the £1.2bn City Deal for the Capital City Region are also ongoing and securing it will help supercharge our plans for Cardiff. We know there is still some way to go and delivering a Metro system, improving our public transport offering will only help us compete even more keenly with our European neighbours.”

More details on the survey are available here http://bit.ly/1Kfh2V1