Selection of cities has been based on objective criteria including size, socio-economic structure, location, urban geography, urban development stage, existing ties with India and China, energy efficiency, mobility, etc. Also the involvement of potential candidates in EU initiatives (e.g. RegioStars, URBACT, EU CoM, INTERREG, EU Green Capital, Smart Cities & Communities, etc.) was taken into consideration. In coordination with DG REGIO, the project team invited over 100 European regions and cities to participate at the venture. Sixteen of them were chosen:
City Pairings 2017-2018
EU – South Korea
- Eindhoven – Seoul (Songpa-Gu)
- Tampere – Gwangju
- Barcelona – Busan
- Scottish Cities Alliance – Suwon
EU – South Africa
- Graz – Ekurhuleni
- Belfast – eThekwini
- Málaga – Nelson Mandela Bay
- Bilbao – Cape Town
EU – Australia
- Katowice – Hobart
- Prague – Canberra
- Hamburg – Melbourne
- Manchester – Adelaide
EU – Indonesia
- Seville – Makassar
- Zagreb – Semarang
EU – Vietnam
- Milan – Hanoi
- Kosice – Ho Chi Minh City