European networks

EUROCITIES is a network of major European cities. It was founded in 1986 and brings together the local governments of more than 200 major cities in 38 European countries.

The city of Chemnitz has been actively involved in EUROCITIES since 2002. There are 23 German member cities in the network, which exchange and coordinate information in the "German EUROCITIES Dialogue". Chemnitz also has the opportunity for a further form of cooperation with its partner cities, as Düsseldorf, Ljubljana, Łódź, Manchester and Tampere are also involved in the network.

EUROCITIES provides a platform for its members to share knowledge and ideas, exchange experiences, analyse common problems and develop innovative solutions. To this end, there are various forums in which working groups deal with current issues and initiate projects, activities and events.

The Culture Next network was founded in 2017 and is dedicated to the candidate cities for the European Capital of Culture that are currently in the application process or whose application process has been completed and which have or have not been awarded the title.

The European Capital of Culture (ECoC) is one of the best-known action programmes of the European Union. The dynamism and scale of this programme is attractive to cities seeking cultural, social, economic and infrastructural change. Hundreds of cities participating in this process bring a wealth of experience, good practice and knowledge to share in order to make a positive impact for Europe.

Bidding for the title of European Capital of Culture requires commitment, investment and co-operation from various local stakeholders, as the bid is an important and unique development opportunity for all participating cities. Beyond the bid itself, all these cities are developing strong cultural strategies and creating mechanisms for cultural planning and civic participation.

However, more than 80% of the cities that apply for the title do not receive it.

Culture Next tries to collect and offer possible answers to the following question: How can candidate cities - be they candidates, title holders or former candidates who did not make the cut - make the most of this extraordinary mobilisation of talent, ideas, resources and energy?

The network focuses on capacity building, organising conferences and annual meetings, and developing a platform to promote member cities and facilitate collaboration between them. The network also aims to be a voice in shaping European cultural policy.

The City of Chemnitz has been a member of the Culture Next Network since 2023.

The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) is a Europe-wide organisation of local and regional authorities. It brings together 60 national associations of local authorities from 41 European countries. The Council thus represents around 100,000 local authorities throughout Europe. With its activities, CEMR promotes a united Europe based on local and regional self-government and democracy.

To achieve this goal, CEMR aims to shape the future of Europe by strengthening municipalities and regions, influencing European legislation and policy, exchanging experiences at local and regional level and co-operating with partners in other parts of the world.

In Germany alone, CEMR represents around 800 cities, municipalities and rural districts that are committed to Europe. The municipal umbrella organisations at federal level - the German Association of Cities, the German Association of Towns and Municipalities and the German County Council Association - are also members of the German section of CEMR. Its services include, in particular, making municipalities "fit for Europe", informing them about EU funding programmes and supporting municipal partnerships.

The City of Chemnitz has been a member of CEMR since 2010.