Working with Eurocities
As one of its founding cities, we could never have foreseen that Eurocities would become the respected and influential institution it is today. The lesson is that cities should not purely rely on national governments to lead on responses to key global challenges. In this time we have witnessed the power, growth and significance of ‘City Diplomacy’ and have understood that cities are the best bridge between its citizens and the responses to the challenges they face daily. As a truly democratic voice for its people, cities are now serious and respected players in international affairs and at the forefront of developing shared solutions to key global challenges.
Eurocities provided Birmingham with the tools and the platforms to cooperate on key policy priorities, where the national context couldn’t. Programmes such as URBACT and Interreg Europe provided a testbed for knowledge exchange and identification of good practice on shared challenges all cities face. Many of these projects have shaped our thinking locally. Apart from the loss of direct EU funding for UK cities, and the trading/economic implications, this is the next largest impact of Brexit for city policy makers.
For many years, Birmingham and Rotterdam have worked closely together through the Eurocities Smart Social Inclusion and Social Economy and Entrepreneurship working groups. Bound by a shared belief in the importance of an impact economy, our cities have turned that vision into practical action.
Rotterdam piloted Birmingham’s Community Wealth Building strategy. By focusing on how major local employers buy goods and services, Rotterdam found new ways to keep wealth in local neighbourhoods. In return, Birmingham looked to Rotterdam for a better way to support social businesses. They adopted and scaled the Rotterdam Impact Coalition model, creating a stronger support system for local social enterprises.
By exchanging these models, our two cities have been able to learn from one another and implement real changes that improve social and economic outcomes for our residents.
