TOWN - BORDER - RIVER.
TWIN CITIES ALONG THE NEW EU INLAND BORDERS

Conference held on 29 and 30 April 2004, Slubice & Frankfurt(Oder)

» Issue-related articles

The Europa-Universität Viadrina in conjunction with the Adam Mickiewicz University and the Heinrich Boell Foundation wishes to make a worthy contribution to EU enlargement. The Collegium Polonicum, a joint facility of the universities in Poznan and Frankfurt (Oder) on the Polish side of the bank of the river Oder, is a suitable location for doing so. The once divided and now twinned town on the river bordering the two countries sets the scene for the topic in question.

What do Frankfurt (Oder) and Slubice, Brest and Terespol, Gorizia and Nova Gorica, Komárno and Komárom or Valka and Valga have in common? In many respects, these towns all share a similar fate. They are divided as a result of wars that took place in the previous century. As skeleton cities, they had to become autonomous local authorities or, as was the case with Nova Gorica, a new town was built on the other side of the border as an alternative to the existing one. They have experienced population transfers and changing minority policies. Being inside the Soviet bloc or part of the Soviet Union itself, they were exposed to the varying phases of hermetic isolation and liberalisation undertaken by the border regime. They are battling with inherited disrupted, destroyed or neglected traffic links. They are striving to achieve cross-border cooperation among local authorities as a means of overcoming the legacy of division; of improving the quality of life for all citizens and of becoming true twin cities with twice as many opportunities.

With EU enlargement having been completed, they now face each other along the new inland borders of the EU. What perspectives do they have as a consequence of EU enlargement? How do such twin cities confront the economic and social challenges? Political officials from the respective cities as well as academics will present their experiences and analyses.

Learning about these sister cities which we know so little about, taking their experiences on board and entering into dialogue with them are all quintessential elements of the conference. To do so, the city councils of Frankfurt (Oder) and Slubice have come on board.

ORGANISING BODIES:

• Europa-Universität Viadrina (EUV)
• Adam Mickiewicz Universität(UAM)
• Heinrich-Boell-Foundation
• Stadt Frankfurt (Oder)

ISSUE-RELATED ARTICELS