WELCOME TO THE SITE OF THE UNION OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN CAPITALS

In 1995, the City of Athens undertook the initiative to establish the Permanent Conference of Mayors of Capitals of Southeastern Europe, a regional instrument seated in Athens, consisting of all the capitals of Southeastern Europe, from Vienna to Nicosia. Its aim was to bring forward cities own pacifistic role during the war in Yugoslavia.

In September 2002, after a relevant decision made in Ljubljana, it was transformed into the Union of Capitals of Central and Southeastern Europe, thus expanding and including the Capitals of the Eastern Europe.

The Union of Central and Southeastern European Capitals is an international organization of which Athens, Belgrade, Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest, Kiev, Ljubljana, Nicosia, Podgorica, Sarajevo, Skopje, Sofia, Tirana, Vienna, Zagreb are members.

The aim of the Union is to maintain permanent ties between the municipalities of the member cities and to encourage exchanges between their citizens in every field, in order to develop a keen sense of European fraternity based on mutual understanding.

In compliance with its objectives, the Union carries out studies, organizes meetings and actions and takes all initiatives conducive to the promotion of economic, social and cultural progress of the citizens in the member cities of the Union.

It gives priority both to exchanges of experience, information and documentation in all fields of municipal activity and to contacts between the municipal authorities, local government officers and technicians as well as the groups, societies, associations or institutions that on various counts are responsible to those authorities.

The Union consists of a rotating chairmanship appointed for a period of one year, of a General Assembly which gets together once a year, of a Standing Committee which meets at least twice a year, of the Permanent Secretariat which is situated in Athens and of the Executive Secretary who is appointed by the Mayor of Athens and is the Head of the Permanent Secretariat.

Its site provides general information about the Union and each member city, as well as useful data on EU Programmes and activities implemented by each member city. It is linked to tourist websites of the member cities of the Union and provides information for EU Programmes that can be used for funds or knowledge.

The Union’s official working language is English.

Dr. Kalliopi (Kelly) A. Bourdara

Executive Secretary
of the Union of Central and Southeastern European Capitals