Erlangen and other Transnational Work

The City of Stoke-on-Trent has been twinned with the German city of Erlangen since 1989. This partnership is relevant, dynamic and wide ranging.

As well as the cultural and educational activities, we also see the potential for wider community involvement and in creating more opportunities for doing business together.

Stoke-on-Trent’s link with this Bavarian City and the Nuremberg region has been based on a series of agreements in important areas like education, environment, health care, medical technology, economic development, cultural and social projects.

This has proved extremely successful in the past and has lead the way for Erlangen to adopt similar structures with it's other twin cities.

In May 2004, a new Five Year Co-operation Agreement with Erlangen was signed. Follow this link if you would like to view a copy of that agreement.

The communities are built on two very different industries with Stoke taking a lead in ceramics and service industries while Erlangen focuses on medical technology and health care. But with the help of the North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce, this partnership has led to a number of opportunities for businesses to work more closely with their counterparts.

The benefits of twinning are very positive and enable many organisations to exchange information and share best practice.

We have also expanded our links with other European Cities. We work with Erlangen’s other twin cities for example Jena, Vladimir and Chelyabinsk and other German cities and partners such as Selb, Munich, Nuremberg and more recently Goettingen.

Many of these links make use of European Funding to ensure that partnerships and projects are developed for long-term economic benefit. Of course straight forward exchange visits also take place for municipal occasions to enable friendships to be created on a more personal basis.

With the ending of the current European Structural Funds in 2008, more and more emphasis is being placed on developing larger networks that require transnational partnerships and co-operation in the New Europe with its 25 Member States.

If you want to know more about the potential links with Erlangen or become more involved, please contact us on Tel: +44 (0)1782 236998
or write to:

European Liaison Officer
Regional and European Strategy Unit
PO BOX 2461
Civic Centre
Glebe Street
Stoke-on-Trent
ST4 1WR

Fax: +44 (0)1782 236465
E-mail:  twinning@stoke.gov.uk