EU and Chinese pilot cities as well as leaders from the NDRC and the EU Delegation to China attended a workshop in Beijing (China) in October 2017 to propose and discuss the methodology for city cooperation under the IUC programme framework.

Following the half-day workshop, around 12 delegates from four EU pilot cities - Mannheim (Germany), Malaga (Spain), Burgas (Bulgaria), and Agii Anargyri & Kamatero (AAK, Greece) - visited Zhengzhou and Changchun. Meetings with local governments and relevant institutions were held, as well as field visits to development zones and businesses.

Following their attendance at the IUC city-to-city pairing event in Brussels (Belgium) in November 2017, Chinese delegates had the chance to visit Mannheim. During the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Mannheim and Chongqing. The MoU reflects the intention of both cities to take their bilateral cooperation a step further, confirming their plan to establish functional institutions in both cities.

As part of the trip, delegates were introduced to Mannheim’s smart production base, its robotic technologies (used primarily in the medical sector), and the city’s involvement in European research and development programmes. The city also outlined the measures it is taking to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

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