Report on the promotion of town twinning presented

At yesterday's city council meeting, the city administration presented the annual statistics on the funding of town twinning projects in information document I-024/2013. According to these statistics, 13 applications for funding could be realised. The applications came mainly from the fields of sport and culture. For example, the play "Yonne, the Burgundian Princess" from the twin city of Ljubljana was performed. The German-Polish Society e.V., which organised a book reading, and young athletes from Łódz, who were able to take part in the hospital tournament thanks to the grants, were also supported.

In order to regulate the funding of partnership activities by individuals, initiatives, institutions, private and public bodies and associations in a fair and transparent manner, a corresponding funding guideline was adopted at the city council meeting on 10 March 2010 with resolution B-032/2010. The guideline is based on the legal framework (General Budgetary Regulations (SäHO)) and the City of Chemnitz guidelines on the granting of subsidies to associations and organisations as well as third parties (DA 2001). The Mayor's Office has earmarked 25,000 euros per year for this subsidy. The guideline has created a legally binding regulation for applicants and the administration for applying for and deciding on applications.

Chemnitz/Karl-Marx-Stadt has been twinned for around 50 years, making it one of the pioneers in the new federal states. Chemnitz was first twinned with the Finnish city of Tampere in 1961. Further partnerships were established with Akron, Arras, Düsseldorf, Ljubljana, Łódz, Manchester, Mulhouse, Taiyuan, Timbuktu, Usti nad Labem and Wolgograd.