Our work is incomplete if confined to the London or UK political scene. EMiL (and previously CLEG) have, accordingly, worked closely for a few years now with our counterparts in Paris and elsewhere - to establish the Eurocapitales network, which brings together committed Europeans from the capital cities of Europe into a partnership and will create opportunities to learn from one another's experience - particularly of capital city government.
With this in view, an annual meeting of the network - focusing on a theme of common concern - now takes place, usually in the autumn:
2002 Paris - inner city security
2003 Helsinki - environment and quality of life
2004 Stuttgart - regional government
2005 Paris - i) European citizenship; ii) comparative health services
2006 Lisbon - i) the European social model; ii) mobility of labour
2007/8 Budapest - preserving the built heritage
2008 Helsinki - climate change
2009 Brussels - research and information
2010 Athens & Patras - the battle against poverty and social exclusion in the European Union
Chairmanship of the network rotates every year according to which city is host for the ensuing annual meeting. Athens, as hosts for the 2010 annual meeting, therefore hold the chair at present.
Eurocapitales also encourages bi/trilateral visits and projects amongst member cities - although there have not been enough of these to date. CLEG took part in one such - to Paris in conjunction with Eiropas Kustiba, the EM of Riga. The main subject for study was transport/urban development.
Seventeen European capital cities - plus certain regional capitals - are at the last count involved in the network.
For further details on Eurocapitales, please contact John Preston, EMiL international officer.
If interested in attending the 2010 meeting in Greece (16th-19th September), please contact Richard Wassell.