Nearly thirty delegates from twelve European cities took part in the General Assembly of the Association of Towns Awarded the Europe Prize. which took place on June 1 in the Lublin City Hall. The meeting was accompanied by the Youth Forum.
The main point of the event was a debate on European integration, during which participants talked about the current challenges as well as the future of integration of European citizens. Lublin, which is taking part in the competition for the European Capital of Culture 2029, persuaded the representatives of the cities present to sign a joint declaration on cooperation and further integration. The declaration also states support for Ukraine in efforts to become a member of the European Union. The guests also visited the city’s youth spaces and the Baobab integration centre. Additionally, in the evening, the participants of the Assembly took part in the eventful Night of Culture.
The event accompanying the Assembly was the Youth Forum, during which young people from different parts of Europe talked about the values connecting all residents of the European Union during a workshop “Building Trust in Integration based on European Values”.
The Europe Prize is the highest distinction awarded each year by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to the municipalities most active in promoting European values and ideals. Lublin received the Award in 2017 and has since been a member of the Association of Towns Awarded the Europe Prize. Our city has been appreciated as a centre with solid international cooperation in numerous areas (economic, cultural, and educational), which is reflected in the number of projects implemented with foreign partners. During the General Assembly of the Association in 2023 in Nancy (France), the Mayor of Lublin, Krzysztof Żuk, was elected the new Chairman of the Association, and Lublin became the Presiding City for the 2023-2025 term. Our city already hosted the Association’s General Assembly in 2018.
