Town twinning, as the term suggests, is the pairing of two municipalities with the aim of long-term economic and cultural exchange. The mayor of the municipality signs the partnership agreement, the respective municipal councils pass the resolution and the seal is set on the partnership. This European peace project, facilitating a life of freedom, peace, democracy and prosperity, first came about in response to the harrowing events of our past.
Town twinning plays a significant role in making the European Union a tangible, everyday experience for its citizens, providing a foundation for a peaceful co-existence and a Europe which is in touch with its people. Europe is currently home to approximately 20, town-twinning projects. Town twinning thrives on the involvement of people and their personal lobbying in associations, schools and nurseries and administrations to promote mutual understanding.
Their valuable work strengthens the bonds between the citizens of EU member states. Cottbus maintains a total of nine partnerships in Europe. Our first partnership was entered into with Montreuil, a working-class suburb to the east of Paris, on 13 October A foreign policy stigma arose as a result of the Hallstein Doctrine, which meant that states in the West did not recognise the GDR until the s. Attempts were made to counteract this by approving town partnerships with municipalities in France and Italy in the late s.
Town twinning projects with countries in the East followed in subsequent years. An exchange with Lipetsk, Russia, took place on a regional level to begin with.
The official friendship agreement was signed in Partnerships with African towns failed due to the geographical distance; a twinning project with Mopti, Mali, failed to take off. This has primarily been reinforced in the areas of culture and sport.
