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Stephan Articus
Reposition or lose - municipalities' reactions to European integration
Europeanization is having far-reaching effects on urban areas. This has led cities to augment their "skills for Europe". Examples of how individual cities are doing this include constructing both internal and external "information systems", heightening city councils' and local authorities' awareness and knowledge of Europe, establishing networks with other European cities and increasing their profile among Europe's competing metropolitan areas. German cities' strategy in regard to Europe is that of a powerful interest group and relies on three components: 1.) the European Office of the German Association of Cities (Deutscher Städtetag) in Brussels, where administrative staff address European issues at the headquarters of Europe's most important institutions, 2.) the work done on European issues by the association's specialist departments located at its main offices, 3.) the establishment of networks to ensure coordinated and concerted efforts with European partners. A pressing issue for European municipalities in the coming years will be how to adjust their public services to the European legal framework without forfeiting the freedom to formulate their own policies. Considering the collective action being taken by cities, efforts to reduce the "dissonance" between representatives of local interests in Europe should be redoubled. The sheer number of networks and associations illustrates the range of these interests.
Deutsche Zeitschrift für Kommunalwissenschaften, Deutsches Institut für Urbanistik
Print ISSN: 1617-8203
Volume: 44, 07/2005