EU office: Newsletter - August 2020

Even in this most unusual of years, the week of 16 to 22 September will once again be all about mobility. On 18 September, the NUMIC MOBITAG event looks to be the longest Mobility Day event ever – a full 5 km long, in fact! It follows the prototype route created by the NUMIC Project and chosen by Chemnitz residents, running from the Sportforum through the Yorck district to the Zeisigwald forest. The route will be open to cyclists, walkers, families with children and/or pushchairs and people with limited mobility, and all feedback will be gratefully received. A count station at the start will capture the number of cyclists. There will be a number of rest stops along the way, plus a refreshment stand at the halfway point. At the end, tasty filled rolls will be distributed to cyclists by way of thanks. The nearby Zeisigwald forest is the perfect place to round off the event with a picnic. If you get a stamp from every station on the route, you will be able to claim a prize at the finish.

Before European Mobility Week begins, the Saxon Motoring Museum in Chemnitz will be hosting a kick-off event on 8 September, where residents will have the opportunity to discuss alternative drive systems with experts including Prof Thomas von Unwerth from Chemnitz University of Technology. And in the course of the week, CVAG will officially name its new ŠKODA trams after Chemnitz’s twin cities. Education company PAMOJA's contribution this year is the “upCYCELN” project, which will transform bicycle inner tubes into handlebar vases, making cycling more attractive. A wide range of tours provided by ADFC Chemnitz and the Chemnitz Association of Tour Guides completes the programme. Be sure to catch the dance flash mob on 19 September as well. And of course, the EU Office and its partners will once again be offering free activities for day-care centres and schools.

Straight after that it’s time to “BeActive” again with the European Week of Sport from 23 to 30 September. Associations and partners of the City of Chemnitz will be offering a range of activities including “Bewegter Sonnenberg” (Active Sonnenberg) on the boulevard, a Bollywood dance evening, street games for the whole family at the Don Bosco House and the #BeActive Sport and Games Night at the German Games Museum.

Programme flyers for both weeks will be published on the EU Office website shortly.

Three of the 206 projects nominated this year came from Chemnitz! The jury deliberations concluded in mid-July with the Kindervereinigung Chemnitz e. V. children’s association project Dem Klima auf der Spur (On the trail of the climate) being named as one of the five finalists in the “Youth empowerment for cooperation across borders – 30 Years of Interreg” category. The phase of voting is now open and you can again support this joint German-Czech project to promote environmental education for children and young people, and help the team win this year’s Public Choice Award. Cast your vote for the project by 15 September at: https://regiostarsawards.eu (eight to last project). The winners will be announced in Brussels on 14 October as part of the European Week of Regions and Cities.
 

Journalist Johanna Eisner and photographer Philipp Gladsome, both from Chemnitz, are contributing to the Europe at Home digital culture project. Started by the Algarve city of Faro (Capital of Culture 2027 candidate), the project aims to use the internet to make the idea of Europe and European attitudes to life tangible during the coronavirus crisis. In her essay, Eisner discusses how Brühl is sharing its sense of home – and not just by having the word “ZUHAUSE” painted on the boulevard. Globetrotter Gladsome has created a short series of photos with pictures of Chemnitz and images of the coronavirus pandemic. View the project which is part of the Chemnitz’ Capital of Culture communication at europeathome.de or chemnitz2025.de.
 

The EU funding programme WiFi4EU is already in its fourth year. The WiFi4EU initiative aims to install free WiFi access points in public spaces for residents and visitors. The European Commission provides a total of €15,000 towards the costs and the round that began on 3 June 2020 was open to every municipality in the EU. A total of 61 successful bids came from Germany, of which five were from Saxony. One of the winners was the Chemnitz Art Collections. The next step is to start planning what form the access point will take. Whatever is chosen, it will play its own small part in the expansion of our public network.
 

This year, Secretary General Ana Lisa Boni welcomed participants from her home. From her digital stage, she assured the 91 participating cities, that “You can count on EUROCITIES”. The entertaining Juan Caballero, EUROCITIES Project Coordinator, introduced the various contributions and ensured that the network’s member cities from all parts of Europe got the chance to have their say. One report discussed the newly created COVID-19 platform, which at that point had around 500 examples of best practice relating to the current crisis. Contributions also came from non-members, including many from outside Europe such as the USA. The European Commission and official representatives have quoted from the examples at various points and many networks are relying on the forum.

EUROCITIES plans to continue using these new forms of communication going forwards. A new website will act as a showcase, allowing people to learn about each member city. Current projects and activities were presented by the relevant network representatives. The subsequent EUROCITIES webinars in June focused on topics such as the next generation of the current funding period. In an online meeting with Aleksandra Kisielewska, the policy expert responsible for policy development and economic analysis at the European Commission’s Directorate‑General for Regional and Urban Policy, Anna Lisa Boni emphasised that “Cohesion policy is the glue that Europe needs“. In that vein, 16 German EUROCITIES members have decided to join forces. They wrote a letter to Chancellor Angela Merkel, calling on her to consider the needs of cities during the German presidency of the EU Council. Due to the financial situation following the coronavirus crisis, they want cities to have direct access to the Next Generation EU funding programme.

The Culture Forum in Tampere from 7 to 9 October will also focus on the impact of quarantine, aiming to increase understanding of the concept of cultural wellbeing. The final report on how Sustainable Development Goals have been implemented at local level proves that cities are at the heart of the changes we need to make to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and accelerate an inclusive recovery from Covid-19. The report highlights Chemnitz’s Environment Library and the education opportunities it offers for students and teachers, the adaptation of local practices to the Sustainable Development Goals, and the city’s collaborative work on fair procurement.
 

As opportunities for travel are still limited, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre is offering you the opportunity to experience cultural gems from your own home. The aim is to increase awareness of cultural sites and creative centres in European cities and indicate them more clearly on maps. More than 200 cities from across the EU, plus Great Britain, Norway and Switzerland, are already taking part, including Chemnitz’s twin cities Ljubljana, Łódź, Manchester and Tampere. Many past, present and (possibly) future Capitals of Culture are also represented. We hope you enjoy exploring some of Europe’s most beautiful cultural treasures.
 

19 September 2020     16:00 at the Markt
Intercultural Weeks: Silent opening event with the Pictures of silence / Bilder der Stille project

Around 15 October 2020
European Local Democracy Week               

10 to 17 October 2020      Cine-Star Roter Turm
25thSchlingel International Film Festival for Children and Young Audience