Lublin has been actively cooperating with international partners since a modern local government establishment in Poland that resulted in a political transformation at the turn of 1980s and 1990s. This cooperation has been principally based on Poland's largest network of twin twin cities. Today, Lublin has full twinning agreement with 26 cities and letter of intent with another 19 cities located on 3 continents. Lublin is also an active member of international organisations and cooperation networks.
By cooperating with partner and twin cities and other international partners, Lublin supports the cooperation of local communities: representatives of local government and public institutions, non-governmental organisations, cultural institutions, schools and sports clubs. Moreover, Lublin generates background for cooperation between science and business sectors.
Every year, dozens of international projects and joint initiatives, studio visits, conferences, cultural, educational, and sports events are carried out. Bottom-up approaches and efforts of local communities are often the trigger for cooperation between local authorities. It may include cooperation between non-governmental organisations, cultural institutions, contacts between universities, schools, or business ventures. Thus, as cooperation thrives to a formal dimension, Letter of Intent is signed between city authorities. It outlines general objectives, framework, and areas of cooperation. The partnership agreement is the most 'developed' engagement form with another foreign authority. A draft agreement defining its objectives, areas and tools of cooperation is presented for the ultimate decision to the City Council, which adopts a relevant resolution.
The first agreement signed by Lublin concerned cooperation with Nancy in 1988. The last partnership agreement was with Kryvyi Rih in Ukraine, signed in February 2023 and the last letter of intent - with Zhytomyr in Ukraine, signed in December 2023.
