Roughly thirty delegates from twelve European cities took part in the General Assembly of the Association of Towns Awarded the Europe Prize, held on June, 1 in Lublin. The key topic of the event was „Future of European integration and integration within Europe” and a debate on European integration, during which participants talked about current challenges as well as the future of integration of European inhabitants.
Moreover, on Lublin's initiative that aspires to be European Capital of Culture 2029, city representatives signed a Joint Declaration on cooperation and further integration with inclusion, as well as on supporting Ukraine in applying for EU membership. In the year of 15th anniversary of signing the partnership agreement between Lublin and Ivano-Frankivsk, Sviatoslav Nykorovych, Deputy Mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk was awarded a unique distinction, Medal of Union of Lublin by Krzysztof Żuk, Mayor of Lublin. The event accompanying the Assembly was the Youth Forum, where young people talked about the values binding all residents of the European Union as part of the workshop "Building trust in integration based on European values".
The Assembly agenda also included study visits to urban youth spaces and Baobab integration centre. Furthermore, the participants of the Assembly took part in Night of Culture, and on Sunday (June 2), those willing, went on a trip to Lviv. In Ukraine, there was a meeting with representatives of Lviv authorities, a visit to the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Centre and a commemoration of the heroes who died in defense of Ukraine.
Lublin received the Prize of Europe in 2017 and has been a member of the Association since then. The Europe Prize is the highest distinction of those 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 has been recognised as a city with solid and strong international cooperation in numerous areas (economic, cultural and educational), which is expressed in the multitude of projects carried out with foreign partners.
The Association of Cities awarded the Europe Prize has been existing since 1984. The Europe Prize was established in 1955 by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to honour cities that were particularly active in promoting European ideals by partnering with other European cities and organizing European events and visit exchanges. To apply for the Award, municipalities must first apply for three other separate awards in the following order: the European Diploma, The Flag of Honour and the Plaque of Honour.
