On day one of Brexit, British cities commit to European cooperation. “Our country might have left the European Union – but we are certainly not leaving Europe,” mayors from member cities of the network Eurocities state in a message, published on 1 January. “As cities, we stay connected with our partners all over the continent.”

“We keep our British friends in the European family”

Dario Nardella, mayor of Florence and president of Eurocities, confirms: “Birmingham was one of the six founding members of Eurocities in 1986. Since the very beginning, British cities have been an active and important part of our network. And even after Brexit it remains true: we will keep our British friends in our European family.”

“City to city collaboration has never been more important than now,” the mayors say. “We need to overcome the impacts of the corona pandemic and address global challenges like climate change together. We want to inspire each other and ensure that all our cities remain open, tolerant, welcoming and vibrant places to live, work and visit. As part of the network Eurocities, we remain European: Brexit or not – we’re still in.”

17 British cities belong to Eurocities: Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton & Hove, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Derry-Strabane, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle-Gateshead, Sheffield, Sunderland and Wolverhampton.

Following a referendum in the UK in 2016, the country’s withdrawal from the European Union became fully operational on 1 January 2021.

Image: Daniel Diaz on Pixabay