Wir bieten fundierte Beratung, Vernetzung und Förderung für Kommunen – Ihr Rundum-Paket für kommunale Nachhaltigkeit und globale Verantwortung.
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 Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. 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.
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 Eastern and South-Eastern Europe 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 region of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe is linked by rich cultural diversity, shared historical roots, intensive cross-border cooperation and a long tradition of viticulture.
»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 Eastern and South-Eastern Europe 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 Eastern and South-Eastern Europe
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.
