EUROCITIES: Networking cities for Europe

EUROCITIES is the largest and most influential city network in Europe. Since it was founded in 1986, it has championed the interests of 200 cities from 39 countries and promotes cross-border exchange. Berlin has been an active member since the mid-1990s.

The network pursues the following main objectives:

• To strengthen the influence of cities: better represent urban interests in European decision-making processes
• To promote cooperation: Enable practical cooperation and exchange of experience across borders
• To build networks: Create a Europe-wide platform for support and cooperation on city-specific issues

Berlin has been involved in the EUROCITIES Social Forum for over ten years in order to strengthen Berlin’s position in the area of integration and participation of immigrants.

The focus is on networking and exchange between European administrations and representatives of the European Commission. In order to strengthen administrations for cooperation at EU level and prepare them for current challenges, training and further education for employees is planned.

The work is based on the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights. This includes the development of strategies against poverty and social exclusion and the promotion of equal opportunities for all citizens.

As part of the Social Forum, the Integration and Migration department is actively represented in the Migration & Integration and Roma Inclusion working groups. Berlin has been the deputy head of the Migration & Integration working group between 2023 and 2024.

Berlin has contributed to a position paper in the Migration & Integration working group. In it, EUROCITIES calls on the European Commission to

• Provide funding for cities to improve the social participation of immigrants (EU citizens, third-country nationals and refugees) and simplify procedures.
• Intensify direct exchanges between European cities and the EU Commission.
• Monitor the impact of the reformed Common European Asylum System (CEAS).
• To take greater account of the needs of vulnerable groups.

As part of the cooperation within the EUROCITIES working group on migration and integration, Berlin was able to set the following priorities:

• Improving the participation of EU citizens
• Facilitating the recognition of foreign qualifications
• Strategies for securing labor and skilled workers
• Effective implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights in the area of migration

Berlin was selected as a “Transfer city” by EUROCITIES on October 2022. At the conference “Mobile EU citizens & the city: improving labor market conditions and strengthening social inclusion”, Berlin presented its approaches and challenges for the participation of EU citizens.

In March 2024, a delegation from Utrecht visited Berlin as part of a close collaboration with Eurocities. The aim of the visit was to exchange experiences on a political and professional level and to visit relevant projects in the field of homelessness assistance with a focus on EU citizens.

The delegation consisted of 30 people, including the deputy mayor, members of the city council and the migration administration as well as the heads of migration counselling and homelessness services from Utrecht.