Eurocities

Euro Cities ( own spelling " Eurocities " ), an informal network of major European cities to collaborate and exchange of information on municipal Planning matters and lobbying towards the European Union.

In decision-making processes of the EU euro Cities speaks for the cities, for example by formulating their own ideas in the planning of the use options of EU structural funds (eg the ERDF or the ESF).

Chairman of Euro Cities were up to his resignation from the office of the former mayor of Leipzig, Wolfgang Tiefensee and Jozias van Aartsen, Mayor of The Hague. The current chairman is Frank Jensen, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen.

Euro Cities devoted to various areas of the city relevant policies, including the 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 operate experience. In all the forums, there are also working groups on specific topics. To exist in the Culture Forum is currently working groups on " Access to Culture ", " Young People and Culture", " Resources for Culture " and " Creative Industries". Working language of the committees and working groups is English.

Peak in the context of the Euro Cities Network is the annual meeting (Annual General Meeting - AGM), held in Stockholm in 2009 and was hosted 2010 by Zaragoza. 2011 it will be held in Genoa. It is dedicated to a policy priority issue and is perceived to a greater extent than the forums of the political level. Furthermore, every year three Euro Cities awards for innovation, cooperation and participation award. The city of Dortmund has won the 2006 Award for Innovation and 2009 for cooperation.

In 2011, Euro Cities has over 130 members, including Berlin, Barcelona, Bergen, Birmingham, Bologna, Chemnitz, The Hague, Dortmund, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Eindhoven, Frankfurt am Main, Genoa, Helsinki, Cologne, Leipzig, Lille, Malmö, Manchester, Munich, Riga, Stockholm, Utrecht, Warsaw, Vilnius and Zagreb.