Germany
Italy
German-Italian Town Twinning Award II
On 20 September 2023, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Italian counterpart President Sergio Mattarella opened the "Presidents’ Prize for German-Italian Municipal Cooperation“ totaling 200,000 euros.
The awards were five cooperation projects the following municipal partnerships: Breitnau – Oliveri; Darmstadt – Brescia; Eltville am Rhein – Passignano sul Trasimeno; Kahla – Castelnovo ne' Monti and Schwäbisch Gmünd – Faenza.
In their projects, the award-winning municipalities address the topics of civil society participation, European integration, youth engagement, sustainable urban development and digitalization, and the promotion of peace. The project measures of German municipalities are financed equally by the Federal Foreign Office and those of Italian municipalities by the Italian Foreign Ministry.
Below you can find out more about the individual projects:
Breitnau and Oliveri
The project "Mutual solidarity building – Breitnau and Oliveri“ aims to strengthen relations between the two communities, particularly with regard to promoting European integration and sustainability, as well as civic engagement, especially among young people under 30. The communities of Breitnau and Oliveri have maintained a partnership since October 2012 to promote mutual understanding and friendship. The project involves designing a green area with identity elements of the partner community.
Darmstadt and Brescia
The project “Youth exchange between Darmstadt and Brescia – for a diverse, inclusive, sustainable and future-oriented European society” aims to improve transnational communication and find strategies to solve the common challenges of youth discomfort and marginalization. As part of the project, two meetings took place - one in Darmstadt and one in Brescia - with various group activities and workshops. The main target group are young people from Darmstadt and Brescia under 30 years of age. The main themes of the project are European integration and intercultural dialogue, disability and inclusion, youth engagement and active citizenship, and sustainability (Agenda 2030).
Eltville am Rhein and Passignano sul Trasimeno
The project “We strengthen Europe – Citizens’ meeting Eltville – Passignano 2024” aims in particular to involve schools and youth councils in order to empower the youngest citizens (under 30). The project gives them the opportunity to meet, discuss and encourage their involvement in the decision-making process of the municipal administrations. The main objective of the project is to deepen an exchange between Eltville and Passignano in order to present, learn, discuss and compare solutions and ideas for sustainable development, strengthening and further developing urban communities.
Kahla and Castelnovo ne`Monti
The cities of Kahla and Castelnovo ne` Monti have been twinned since October 1, 2021 to promote mutual understanding and strive for peaceful coexistence. The project “Kahla and Castelnovo ne` Monti. Young protagonists of the bond that unites us” aims to increase the active participation of the local community, and especially of young people, in this partnership. Furthermore, the project promotes the consolidation of a relationship between Kahla and Castelnovo ne' Monti based on friendship, the spread of mutual respect and trust, starting from historical events such as deportation and the labor camps during the Nazi era.
Schwäbisch Gmünd and Faenza
The cities of Schwäbisch Gmünd and Faenza have maintained a town twinning since 2001 to promote mutual understanding and exchange, especially in the areas of European cohesion, culture, art and school exchange. The project “A day in the European Parliament – Schwäbisch Gmünd and Faenza” aims to create a path of reflection and education on European values. The project focuses on: targeted and specific communication on knowledge of European values, aimed primarily at the younger generations; promoting knowledge of the EU institutions and concrete rights and opportunities; raising awareness of the EU Sustainable Development Goals, also in the context of Agenda 2030 and the common goals within the twin cities. You can find more information here.
German-Italian Town Twinning Award I
On September 17, 2020, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella have one for the first time Prize for municipal cooperation between Germany and Italy announced. The prize, which was awarded for the first time the following year, underlines the importance of town twinning for encounters and mutual exchange. The aim of the prize is to make German-Italian commitment visible at the municipal level and to strengthen it through specific projects. Only applications submitted jointly by German and Italian municipalities were considered.
The prize was awarded in four thematic categories: culture, youth and civic engagement, innovation and social cohesion. The project measures of German municipalities are financed by the Federal Foreign Office and those of Italian municipalities by the Italian Foreign Ministry. The aim is to promote cross-border municipal and civic engagement for the benefit of the common good and peaceful cooperation between both peoples, thus contributing in particular to goals 11 (sustainable cities and communities), 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) and 17 (partnerships for achieving the goals) of the 2030 Agenda.
The following 5 town twinnings won the competition as part of the first edition of the prize for German-Italian town twinning with their respective projects.
Ludwigsburg and Bergamo
The project "Jugend-Bürgerrat Post-Corona" enables German-Italian exchange by involving young people between the ages of 15 and 30 and is intended to strengthen local democracy through structured participation processes. The cities of Ludwigsburg and Bergamo as well as the district of Ludwigsburg and the province of Bergamo concluded a partnership agreement in September 2020 to promote the goals of cooperation in the spirit of the European idea.
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Steinhagen and Fivizzano
goal of the project “Friendship united in the same spirit” was to strengthen the relations between the two communities with a view to European integration. The communities of Steinhagen and Fivizzano have maintained a town twinning relationship since September 1988 in order to promote mutual understanding and strive for peaceful coexistence.
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Hamm and Bari
The #URBANEVISIONEN project offers schoolchildren from the cities of Hamm and Bari a joint forum for research, discussion and participatory design. The aim is to create an opportunity to actively engage with the topics of urban renewal, historic urban spaces and culture. The cities of Hamm and Bari already maintain intensive cooperation in the field of education and training. Since May 2021, both communities have signed a friendship agreement with the aim of establishing partnerships and further expanding cooperation in the areas of culture, society and education.
Large district town of Giengen an der Brenz and San Michele di Ganzaria
The project “Local and European political youth exchange” has promoted German-Italian youth exchange on the topic of digital and environmentally sustainable Europe in order to counteract the risk of social exclusion of young people, especially from rural areas. The large district town of Giengen an der Brenz and the municipality
San Michele di Ganzaria signed a partnership agreement in November 2018 to promote cooperation and further develop economic and cultural exchange.
Markt Höchberg and Bastia Umbria
The German-Italian exchange between families with autistic children is made possible by the project "Encounters of families with autistic children", which Markt Höchberg and the city of Bastia Umbria have launched. Within its framework, the differences and similarities as well as experiences in dealing with disabilities should be analyzed and opportunities for improvement found. Both places maintain a multi-year partnership that was signed in March 1990. The current goal is to intensify cooperation between Germany and Italy in order to ensure the security and sustainability of the future of Europe. Link to newsletter
