On February 27-28, 2023, at the Strategic Municipal Partnership Forum held in Böblingen/Sindelfingen, 14 Ukrainian communities met with potential German sister communities. As a result, mayors and community representatives agreed on specific steps on the way to establishing a long-term partnership and providing tactical support to Ukrainian communities, and the two communities signed a partnership agreement.
In particular, Kamianets-Podilskyi and Esslingen an der Neckar, Uman and the cities of Dortmund and Tübingen, Voznesensk and Dietzingen, Svitlovodsk and Schorndorf, Schabo and Bad Mergentheim, Novomoskovsk and Brandenburg, Velika Dymerka and Bettingham-Bissingen, Zviagel and Ludwigshafen on the Rhine, Bilhorod-Dnistrovsk and the communities of Ulm and Neo-Ulm, Valky and Felbach, Lozova and Waiblingen, Zimna Voda and Ravenburg, Hora and Vorstetten, Khmelnytskyi with Dresden, Stuttgart with the French Strasbourg.
“The new partnerships launched today at the forum are stronger European and Ukrainian communities tomorrow. The process of exchange of experience, culture, support of Ukrainian communities during the war is the effective integration of Ukraine into the European community, because there is a real brotherhood between people – mayors, residents, representatives of cultural, educational and public communities. We want more and more Ukrainian and European communities to cooperate, and for this we will make every possible effort,” — Svitlana Blinova, coordinator of the Cities 4 Cities project | United 4 Ukraine, head of the international activity program of the City Institute (Lviv).
Among the priority agreements are the provision of communal equipment for the creation of trenches and protection of cities, medical equipment and medicines, assistance in scanning underground communications of cities, reconstruction of industrial parks and communal facilities, support of points of invincibility, development of cooperation in the field of preschool educational institutions, conducting exchanges between employees of city councils, as well as youth and cultural exchanges. In particular, the mayor of Vorstetten handed over a fire engine to the head of the Mountain community, and the mayor of Hofstetten handed over a humanitarian cargo to the Trostyanets community.
“The Ukrainian people and the military defend their country courageously and tirelessly. At the same time, they also protect European values. We must support them in this, showing solidarity in thought and action. We expressed this solidarity at the Strategic Municipal Partnership Forum. In this context, I am glad that we were able to consolidate the cooperation between Cities 4 Cities and United 4 Ukraine. In this way, we will be able to act even more effectively with united forces. We stand side by side with our Ukrainian friends. And this partnership should be long-term!” — Dr. Bernd Föringen, mayor of Sindelfingen.
As part of the forum, representatives of Khmelnytskyi, Stuttgart, Dresden and Strasbourg discussed the possibility of a four-way partnership. This model of cooperation between cities will be the first in Europe.
Also, urban planning experts from the Dutch communities of Utrecht, Ede, The Hague and Rotterdam held a working meeting with representatives of the Kherson, Beryslav, Visokopil and Ochakiv communities to develop a plan for their reconstruction.
The next Ukraine-EU municipal partnership forum is planned this year in Stockholm and will be aimed at developing partnerships between Ukrainian and Swedish communities.
About the organizers
The organizer of the forum is Cities 4 Cities United 4 Ukraine is a partnership initiative that joined forces in September 2022. Cities 4 Cities was founded by the city of Sindelfingen (Germany) under the patronage of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. United 4 Ukraine was launched by SALAR International and the city of Lviv (Ukraine) with the support of the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). The strategic partners of the initiative are the Association of Cities of Ukraine and the All-Ukrainian Association of OTG.
The forum was held with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).