European and International Affairs 2018
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
European and international affairs2018 The key to Europe – Municipalities give their backing to Europe 4 Municipal departments pulling together for a united Europe 5 Strategy Urban Agenda for the EU 7 A 23-metre yes to Europe! 8 Position on the future of the European Union 10 Consultations in 2018 12 Municipal development cooperation 14 The 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals 15 Dialogue Europe Day 2018 | Munich’s Europe Weeks 2018 17 News from the Europe Direct Information Centre 18 “1918 | 2018. What is democracy?” 19 European dialogue: “Young in Bavaria – Fit for Europe?” 19 Trade relations and international cooperation 20 Various Voices – 14th European LGBTI* Choir Festival 2018 20 Projects MOBiLus wins EIT Urban Mobility award | Award for Munich 22 LOS_DAMA! | Sustainable traffic and housing development: ASTUS 23 Smarter Together: Sustainable measures to craft the smart neighbourhood of tomorrow 24 CIVITAS ECCENTRIC: Rethinking mobility 26 CIVITAS Handshake | Mobility and traffic in Stockholm and Copenhagen 27 METAMORPHOSIS: Child-friendly mobility | CITIES GROW: Project completed 28 Teaming up for a spirit of creative enterprise – worldwide! 29 Adult education centres’ learning partnership to integrate refugees | Erasmus+ 30 European activities at the vocational schools in Deroystrasse 31 Five years and counting: Barcelona and Munich 31 “USA for you” – Discovering everyday life and voluntary work 32 Educational structures for the integration of new arrivals 32 Amman-Munich exchange programme for school and nursery teachers 33 Pilot project: “Generation Europe – Democracy in Action” 33 A young ambassador for the City of Munich | Anti-Racism Days 34 Work shadowing in the Baladiya project 34 Diversity in action in Munich | Education in Munich – Fit for Munich, fit for the world 35 Refugee-related development work 36 Working together for the climate 38 Cooperation between Munich and Harare 39 Munich-Cape Town climate partnership 40 Emergency relief for climate partners in Peru | Change the Power – (Em)Power to Change 41 Cooperative ventures with twin city Kiev 42 Networks EUROCITIES 2018: Annual Conference 44 Forums and working groups 46 Council of European Municipalities and Regions | Europe and Young People | CEMR conference 51 Munich Declaration by the RGRE 52 Cover: Picture shows the “skyline” of the munich campaign #munich4EUROPE. 4 European and international affairs 2018 The key to Europe – Municipalities give their backing to Europe Clemens Baumgärtner, Head of the City of Munich’s Department of Labor and Economic Development 2018 was the year of the EU citizen. In the period under ding of European values, their role in Europe and the review, the EU’s policy focused on getting its citizens demands they are addressing to the European govern- excited about participating in Europe, on making the ment. European community more tangible, more hands-on. Over 500 million people were involved in the EU’s poli- In 2018, Munich’s own commitment to Europe found tical processes more deeply than ever. Their engage- its expression in an array of projects, campaigns and ment was more in demand than ever before. All activi- events, with the offerings of the city’s Europe Direct ties of the EU are rooted in shared values such as Information Centre attracting special attention. Starting solidarity, gender equality, democracy, human rights, in the year under review, we have also had a young respect for the rule of law and the mitigation of climate ambassador – a student – representing the City of change. Munich in matters pertaining to Europe and flying the flag for the European idea, especially on social networks. In this context, the role played by local governments is invaluable. It is they who, above all, have direct contact The EUROCITIES network initiated the “Cities4Europe – with their citizens. It follows that good European policy Europe for citizens” campaign in which over 90 mem- will always, to a certain extent, be local government ber cities organised more than 200 events. Munich’s policy. This aspect came to the fore with abundant cla- contribution to the campaign is #munich4EUROPE, rity when the delegates to the Council of European whose XXL logo, exciting website and host of events Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) met in Munich in give the city a tangible experience of the European November – a European highlight in the Bavarian capi- idea. It also cultivates awareness of Europe and actively tal in 2018. The gathering’s emphatic commitment to engages people in dialogue towards a democratic Europe, its active involvement in Europe’s ongoing Europe. Dialogue with citizens was also central to the development and the dialogue it facilitates between numerous EU-backed projects which Munich is develo- municipalities and the EU were all channelled into the ping and implementing in conjunction with other cities CEMR’s “Munich Declaration”: a manifesto in which across Europe. cities and municipalities formulated their understan- In the context of development cooperation, too, expert dialogue between municipalities is increasingly being seen as a valuable tool. In 2018, activities to avoid the causes of flight were stepped up in particular, with the aim of enabling municipalities in the countries of origin The City Council Commission on Europe to tackle the relevant challenges and give refugees a perspective for the future in a nearby country. The Tuni- Voting members in 2018: sian town of Kasserine, for example, drew on insights § Josef Schmid, Deputy Mayor and head of the Department of Labor borrowed from Munich’s civic participation procedures and Economic Development (until October 2018) to redesign a public park. In collaboration with Gharb § Manuel Pretzl, CSU Irbid in Jordan, measures were development to create § Dr. Manuela Olhausen, CSU jobs and incomes for locals and Syrian refugees, as § Ulrike Boesser, SPD well as to improve the municipality’s infrastructure. § Jens Röver, SPD § Lydia Dietrich, Die Grünen – rosa liste (until June 2018) In my capacity as head of the department concerned, § Anja Berger, Die Grünen – rosa liste (from July 2018) this impressive list of European and development § Gabriele Neff, FDP cooperation activities at municipal level spurs me on to § Sonja Haider, ÖDP continue and further improve the valuable work we do in these political dimensions. My hope is that Europe The heads of the local government departments and the head will emerge from this year’s elections with renewed of the city's Managerial Board are consultative members. strength and vigour. Because we all stand to benefit. European and international affairs 2018 5 Municipal departments pulling together for a united Europe Henriette Wägerle, Head of the European Affairs Team at the City of Munich's Department of Labor and Economic Development 2018 saw us strengthen our international links to other The numbers behind the Erasmus+ exchange pro- cities. Yet it also saw us intensify our cooperation on gramme are similarly impressive. This programme European and international topics within local govern- sponsors cultural and learning projects within which ment and with our partners in the business and acade- EU funding gives young people and artists an insight mic communities and with the public at large. 2018 into other worlds and other communities. proved to be a very fruitful year: The practice of pooling experience with colleagues in In October, a large majority of the City Council appro- the context of projects bore fruit, too, as did our net- ved an overall strategy entitled “The City of Munich’s working activities: The City of Munich is deeply invol- International Cooperation” and drafted jointly by all ved in the working groups organised by EUROCITIES, municipal departments. One key component of the hosted a meeting of the delegates of the Council of strategy is refugee-related development work. In this European Municipalities and Regions and is committed context, we and our colleagues from the various to a partnership for innovative and responsible public departments drafted a plan of action, successfully procurement. In the latter case, Munich collaborates advised the Tunisian town of Kasserine on options for closely with representatives of the EU, its member sta- civic participation, and examined opportunities for tes and a number of municipalities to design the Euro- cooperation with Jordanian municipalities that have pean procurement laws of the future. Not a single one taken in large numbers of Syrian refugees. of Munich’s local government departments has no European involvement – a fact which itself bears The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined weighty testimony to the Bavarian capital’s position on in the UN’s 2030 Agenda command top priority in our the future of Europe. international cooperation activities. As part of our climate partnerships with Cape Town and Harare, we thus developed measures to deliver energy-efficient power supply and climate-friendly mobility. The City Council Commission At European conferences, we were able to share the initial findings of major urban development projects in on Municipal Development Munich such as Smarter Together, CIVITAS ECCEN- TRIC and LOS_DAMA! Cooperation The Federal Ministry of the Interior presented the Bavarian capital with the “Successfully connected in Voting members in 2018: Europe” award for its commitment to Europe. Mean- § Josef Schmid, Deputy Mayor and head of the while, the pan-European MOBiLus consortium, of Department of Labor and Economic