EU and International Cooperation

The organisation of international cooperation in Malmö
The City Executive Board holds principal authority for the work on international issues. The City Executive Board is responsible for all administration-wide international matters, including collaboration and projects involving twin towns.

The City Committees are responsible for matters within their specific areas of operation, and various positions on EU issues and for European collaboration can be considered within the City Executive Board´s working committee.

The departments in the City of Malmö have an important role as regards the international work. The initiatives, needs and activities of the departments are crucially significant to Malmö´s commitment in various international projects.

The City Office´s department for Strategic Development is responsible for any coordination, information distribution and transfer of experience in connection with the city´s international work. It involves the following:
 

• coordinating the municipality´s work on EU issues,
• actively stimulating and supporting the department´s commitment,
• actively monitoring different opportunities for obtaining economic support for projects within separate municipal areas of activity,
• creating the best conditions for the exchange of information and experience between the departments, and
• collaborating with other players within the region.

The EU network, with an EU-coordinator from each department, acts as a link between the central municipal function and the departments, and is responsible for ensuring the spread of information within the departments.

 
Plan and the Strategy
Plan for the City of Malmö´s international work is a general municipal management document whose purpose is to create a shared platform for international work, in which the municipality expresses its intentions and objectives for the work. Targets, responsibilities and monitoring activities are highlighted in the document. Strategy for the City of Malmö´s international work demonstrates the way the international work should be run and provides basic data for priorities.

The Plan and the Strategy show that the City of Malmö´s international work ultimately should contribute to fulfilling the general municipal targets. Business development, strategic impact and profiling are indicated as three principal areas for the work.

Need and long-term benefit should guide international work. It is of greatest importance that international work should safeguard and affect opportunities for development in Malmö.

 
EU work in the City of Malmö  
Extensive work is taking place as regards EU issues in Malmö, and the city is actively involved in many different ways.

The City of Malmö is a member of several European networks and organisations, including Eurocities, Baltic Metropoles and the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC). Active involvement in the Eurocities organisation allows Malmö, together with other European cities, to contribute to ensuring that those cities´ interests are on the European agenda. Membership of the Baltic Metropoles network and the UBC organisation provides the opportunity to influence favourable development for the cities in the Baltic Searegion.

Numerous EU-financed projects are taking place in the city; for example, within the areas of  technology and environment, culture, labour market, sustainable city planning, social issues and education.

The City of Malmö has an agreement with the European Commission permitting it to run an information office for the general public, which is available in the Malmö City Library. Service is provided here to Malmö residents as well as to public bodies and administrations. EU material is available at Europa Direkt, i.e. books, newspapers and databases, as well as staff to help find answers to EU-related issues.

 
City of Malmö representation in Brussels
The City of Malmö's representation in Brussels is a service-provision body for the City of Malmö´s departments. The Brussels office´s duties are to:
- monitor programmes and funds,
- make and develop contacts,
- assist with project applications,
- develop project concepts in collaboration with the departments and
- practise lobbying activities.

Contact:

City of Malmö EU Office
Sweden House Rue de Luxembourg 3 B-1000 Bryssel
Phone: +32  2514 14 10