France/"A strong political step": Le Havre and Venice to begin twinning process

On Monday June 30, Le Havre city council approved the proposed twinning arrangement with the Italian city of Venice. The two municipalities will begin the process shortly.

A twinning that marks a first. Le Havre is to become the first French town to be twinned with the Italian city of Venice, the town hall announced in a press release published on Tuesday July 1.

At the town council meeting held on Monday June 30, the municipality's elected representatives voted to commit the city to the twinning process. This vote is "an important political step in the construction of a strategic partnership between two major port cities listed as Unesco World Heritage sites", says the town council.

A meeting in Italy on July 16 and 17

For Le Havre, this twinning arrangement is "meaningful and forward-looking", with common challenges including sustainable tourism, the fight against climate change and the preservation of historical heritage.

The mayor of Le Havre, Édouard Philippe, is expected in Italy on July 16 and 17 to sign a letter of intent with the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro. Before Venice, Le Havre had already signed twinning agreements with Magdeburg (Germany), Tampa (USA) and, more recently, Da Nang (Vietnam).

Source: www.msn.com/