COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

MOTION NO. 3

MOTION: Councillor F. Timmons

"That this committee proposes that ''Karlsruhe'' is twinned with ''Clondalkin' in Dublin given the Historical connections between both locations and ask that SDCC progress this and keep the area committee updated."

REPORT:

South Dublin County Council has formal twinning arrangements already in place with the London Borough of Brent and Kreis Segeberg in Germany. The Council also supports the community twinning arrangement between Rathcoole and Ecole Valentine in France. There is also a Sister Cities agreement between South Dublin County and Tampa, Florida in the United States.

The Institute of Public Administration (IPA) acts as a central-clearing house for Irish requests for a twinning partner.  The Institute has counterpart offices in all of the member states of the European Community and contact points in many other countries. 

Twinning is the joining of two communities who wish to form a public bond of friendship and goodwill.  Nowadays, twinning relationships involve the whole community, from school exchanges to economic cooperation. It is very important to assess the level of local interest in such a project, so that the link is a sustainable one, and that there are enough people to assist in organising and hosting groups. 

The IPA Guide ‘Steps to Town Twinning’ provides a brief summary of the pathway to be taken. If the proposal receives sufficient local support, arrangements to explore the options can then be examined with regard to available resources.