Eurocities
Eurocities (own spelling “EUROCITIES”) is an informal network of larger European cities for cooperation and exchange of information on municipal planning matters and for lobbying the European Union .
In EU decision-making processes, Eurocities speaks for the cities, for example by formulating their own ideas in the planning for the possible uses of the EU structural funds (e.g. the ERDF or the ESF ).
Eurocities was founded in 1986 by the mayors of Barcelona, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Lyon, Milan and Rotterdam. The current chairman is Johanna Rolland , Mayor of Nantes .
Eurocities is dedicated to various areas of urban policy, including a. of cultural, environmental, urban development and social policy. In the forums, such as the “Culture Forum”, the “Social Forum” or the “Knowledge Society Forum”, representatives of the cities meet several times a year at a different location in Europe to discuss questions about common interests and to exchange experiences. All forums also have working groups on special topics. There are currently working groups in the Culture Forum on the subjects of “Access to Culture”, “Young People and Culture”, “Resources for Culture” and “Creative Industries”. The working language in the committees and working groups is English.
The highlight of the Eurocities network is the Annual General Meeting (AGM). It is dedicated to a key political issue and is perceived by the political level to a greater extent than the forums. In addition, three Eurocities prizes are awarded annually for innovation, cooperation and participation.
literature
- Thomas Höpel: The emergence of communal European politics - the city network Eurocities . in: Vierteljahresschrift für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte 100 (2013) 1, pp. 23–42