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Reinickendorf and Antony: Strong partnership through culture and sport!
Reinickendorf is deepening the partnership with Antony through exchange programs and paving the way for future collaborations.
Reinickendorf and Antony: Strong partnership through culture and sport!
From September 11th to 14th, 2025, a delegation from Reinickendorf visited the French twin town of Antony. Kerstin Köppen (CDU), Uwe Brockhausen (SPD), Harald Muschner (CDU) as well as members of the district council and the Association for the Promotion of German-French Partnerships Berlin e.V. were in action. The aim of this meeting was to further develop the bilateral partnership and exchange between the municipalities.
A central aspect of the visit was the exchange of students and athletes. This illustrates the importance of international municipal relations and underlines the role of personal encounters for European understanding, as berlin.de reports.
Strengthen the German-French partnership
Germany and France have a long tradition of cooperation based on the Élysée Treaty of 1963. This treaty not only promotes bilateral cooperation, but also focuses on youth exchanges. The Aachen Treaty, signed in 2019, complements this agreement and aims to further deepen the partnership and address new challenges, including climate protection and digitalization. In this context, youth exchange is of particular importance and has already been promoted by the Franco-German Youth Office (founded in 1963), which supports a variety of projects.
In order to further intensify political and security policy cooperation, the Franco-German Defense and Security Council (DFVSR) was created, which represents an important platform for exchange on security policy issues, especially after the Russian attack on Ukraine in 2022. This cooperation is also reflected in the annual bilateral government consultations, most recently in October 2023 in Hamburg [auswaertiges-amt.de](https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/aussenpolitik/europa/ Zusammenarbeit-staats/frankreich/uebersicht-209696) explains.
Cultural exchange and cross-border cooperation
The cultural exchange between the two nations is another central aspect of German-French relations. At the local level, this is reflected in numerous partnerships, school collaborations and bilateral schools. Institutions such as the joint television station ARTE and the Franco-German University contribute to this and promote mutual understanding and cultural rapprochement. The parliaments also work closely together, and the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly has met regularly since March 2019.
Furthermore, the German-French Committee for Cross-Border Cooperation was created to reduce obstacles to cross-border coexistence. Topics such as different legal regulations, especially in the area of environmental stickers, are important here. A “border area impact assessment” is being sought to analyze the effects of new regulations on border regions, which could further strengthen cooperation between the two countries, according to allemagneenfrance.diplo.de.
Overall, the developments and exchanges between Reinickendorf and Antony illustrate the close connection between Germany and France as the most important partners in Europe, which play a central role in political, economic and cultural aspects.