GURI Durmish

Town twinning in Europe: unlocking opportunities with AgoraEU

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Since 1951, CEMR has championed town twinning as a driver of peace, democracy, and European identity. With the European Commission’s new AgoraEU programme proposed in the long-term budget, CEMR reflects on its legacy and introduces tools to further strengthen twinning, ensuring it continues to connect citizens across Europe.

Over seven decades later, town twinning remains one of Europe’s most powerful instruments for European integration and local governments diplomacy. In its long-term EU budget proposal presented last July, the European Commission (EC) included the AgoraEU programme, a promising opportunity to support and revitalise town twinning efforts. Yet, if twinning is to remain a vital bridge between Europe and its citizens, further steps must be taken to reinforce its role in today’s evolving political and social landscape.

Where does town twinning come from? Why does it still matter today? And how can the AgoraEU programme help strengthen its role in the Europe of today and tomorrow?

A legacy of connection and peace

In the mid-1990s, in cooperation with the EC, CEMR played a central role in coordinating the town twinning programme. Working closely with national associations of local and regional governments, CEMR promoted twinning, inspired thousands of initiatives and co-managed the “Star of Europe awards” with the EC to recognise outstanding partnerships. These efforts empowered thousands of small and medium-sized municipalities—particularly in rural and border regions—to build lasting bonds across borders, turning twinning into a grassroots driver of European integration. The 2002 Antwerp Congress further reinforced twinning as a vital tool for peace, democracy, and sustainable development.

A means to foster a shared European identity

Twinning has been evolving to better respond to the needs of cities, towns and municipalities facing multiple challenges in their territories. While cultural exchange and mutual understanding remain at its heart, today’s partnerships also address issues such as climate action, migration, social inclusion, digitalisation, and youth engagement. According to CEMR’s 2023 Twinning Report, municipalities of all sizes continue to value twinning highly, but smaller towns in particular face barriers in accessing funding and navigating sometimes complex EU procedures.

Far from being outdated, twinning continues to play a vital role alongside other Europe’s mobility programmes, fostering connections that celebrate both cultural diversity and the continent’s shared heritage. For many citizens, especially teenagers, senior citizens, and residents of deprived or rural areas, town twinning remains one of the few ways to directly experience Europe. It offers a deep entry point into European construction and debates, helping to reduce the growing distance between citizens and the European Union (EU), while fostering a shared European identity and a spirit of living together.

The Matchmaking Platform: an innovative tool to tackle today’s challenges

Many towns, cities, and regions face challenges in twinning, including finding suitable partners, limited opportunities for joint projects, difficulties accessing funding, and gaps in knowledge or capacity. Visibility and recognition of local initiatives can also be limited. To bridge these gaps, CEMR has launched a digital Matchmaking Platform, enabling subnational governments to:

• Find peers and partners across Europe
• Start joint projects with international visibility
• Access funding and support opportunities more easily

This tool represents a modern continuation of CEMR’s long-standing role as a facilitator of exchange and cooperation between subnational governments in Europe and beyond.

A roadmap for 2028–2035

Looking ahead, CEMR calls for the revitalisation of twinning, especially for small and medium-sized municipalities by:

• Simplifying access to EU twinning by cutting barriers and targeting support to underserved areas.
• Strengthening national associations as local champions—reviving CEMR’s model of national correspondents to inspire and guide projects.
• Creating a small-grants facility for new or renewed twinning between small towns, rural areas, and cross-border or enlargement partners.
• Relaunching the “Star of Europe Awards” to celebrate excellence and raise the profile of high-impact twinning.
•  Promoting twinning as a strategic tool to deliver EU priorities locally: democratic trust, youth participation, gender equality, climate, energy, and migrant inclusion.

AgoraEU: a timely opportunity

The European Commission’s €3.6 billion AgoraEU programme (2028–2034) shows a renewed commitment to citizen engagement. CEMR urges at least a doubling of EU support for town twinning and calls for simplified access to funding and streamlined administrative procedures, including application processes and reporting.

This support is urgently needed. Town twinning projects face growing financial pressures at the local level. Municipalities continue to invest heavily in keeping partnerships alive, yet many risk being unable to sustain them without stronger European backing. Twinning is not just a tradition, it is a living, evolving practice that connects citizens, strengthens democracy, and builds resilience across Europe.

The European Parliament and the Council will now examine the proposal. CEMR calls on both institutions to ensure that town twinning receives the recognition and resources it deserves, as one of the EU’s most effective tools to bring Europe closer to its citizens.

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