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Municipal partnerships in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe

Shaping sustainable development and EU Neighbourhood Policy together

We advise, promote and support municipal partnerships between German municipalities and their partners in South-Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus. The aim is to strengthen long-term and stable cooperation that makes a tangible contribution to the implementation of Agenda 2030 while also addressing regional challenges.

Six young people are standing in front of a colorfully painted delivery van.
2024 "Metalwork and Spraying" youth workshop as part of the Wismar–Pogradec city-to-city partnership. Photo: Hanseatic City of Wismar/Carola Ferch

Municipal cooperation between Germany and the regions of South-Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus has become an important driver of sustainable development. Since 2017, the Service Agency Communities in One World has been supporting these partnerships and creating spaces for professional exchange and joint learning. Around 40 German cities and municipalities are now working together with local authorities in Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Georgia, North Macedonia, Serbia and Moldova to find tangible solutions, for example, in sustainable urban planning, climate protection and the participation of young people in municipal partnerships.

The partner regions are distinguished by their rich cultural diversity, shared historical heritage, close cross-border cooperation, and common experiences of far-reaching political, social, and economic transformation. Municipal partnerships play a key role in strengthening dialogue, promoting mutual learning, and collaboratively advancing sustainable development.

»I took part in an international youth camp in Nuremberg. We learnt a lot about other cultures and how we can all work together. The whole experience was wonderful. We were able to make friends with young people from many different countries.«

Sofija Davitkova, a student from Skopje, North Macedonia, at the online event about youth in municipal partnerships with the Western Balkans in November 2025

We are working together with you to achieve these goals
  • Strengthening municipal partnerships in South-Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus to promote European integration, a stable EU neighbourhood and the implementation of global sustainability goals
  • Sustainable, flexible and equal partnerships
  • Intensification of knowledge exchange between the participating municipalities and, in specific cases, with the involvement of other local stakeholders, such as civil society initiatives and partnership associations, educational and youth institutions and local commercial enterprises
Our offer

We provide municipalities with comprehensive consulting and support services for establishing and developing their collaborations and partnerships:

  • Individual, needs-based advice for counterpart municipalities for long-term and sustainable international cooperation
  • Financing the development and implementation of specific partnership projects through our funding instruments
  • Support in finding a partner and establishing municipal contacts
  • Advice and financing for expert delegation visits to initiate or deepen cooperation
  • Organisation of digital events and exchange formats for networking and strengthening knowledge exchange between partnerships with municipalities in South-Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus
Current Partnerships

There are currently around 40 municipal partnerships between German cities and municipalities in nine countries in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. The thematic scope of the cooperation is broad, ranging from youth, education, participation, tourism, environmental and climate protection to urban development and transport.

Albania

  • Bocholt and Vlorë
  • Lübeck and Kukës
  • Wismar and Pogradec

Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Düren and Gradačac
  • Gelsenkirchen and Zenica
  • Gera and Goražde
  • Langenhagen and Bijeljina
  • Leipzig and Travnik
  • Wolfsburg and Sarajevo

Kosovo

  • Kirchhain and Viti
  • Nuthe-Urstromtal and Junik
  • Velbert and Podujevë

North Macedonia

  • Bonn and Skopje
  • Dresden and Skopje
  • Gronau and Demir Kapija
  • Groß-Zimmern and Kriva Palanka
  • Nuremberg and Skopje
  • Oberhausen and Gostivar

Serbia

  • Bersenbrück and Ruma
  • Dortmund and Novi Sad
  • Ingolstadt and Kragujevac
  • Offenbach am Main and Zemun
  • Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm and Valjevo
  • Treptow-Köpenick and Subotica
  • Ulm and Vojvodina

Armenia

  • District of Regen and Tavush Province
  • Halle (Saale) and Gyumri
  • Leipzig and Yerevan
  • Naumburg and Armavir

Aserbaijan

  • Ludwigshafen am Rhein and Sumqayıt
  • Mainz and Baku

Georgia

  • Biberach an der Riß and Telavi
  • Rostock and Batumi
  • Saarbrücken and Tbilisi

Moldova

  • Bühl and Călărași
  • Kassel district and Anenii Noi
  • Luckau and Vadul lui Vodă
  • Mannheim and Chișinău
  • Oberhausen and Drochia

Further information

About our funding opportunities for municipal partnerships