Amsterdam and Paris sign cooperation agreement

Mayors Van der Laan of Amsterdam and Delanoë of Paris have signed a cooperation agreement setting out the two cities’ intentions to collaborate in the fields of traffic & transport, sustainability, water & waste management, culture and the economy. During the signing ceremony this morning, Mayors Van der Laan and Delanoë announced that they expect the exchange of best practices and experiences in several sectors to be mutually beneficial to the two capitals. They underlined that a stronger link between Amsterdam and Paris aims to not only facilitate economic growth, but also improve the daily lives of their cities’ residents. For example, Waternet Amsterdam will exchange expertise on recycling water with French organisations SIAPP and Eau de Paris. Amsterdam and Paris are also looking to learn from one another in the areas of sustainable transport, city marketing, creative centres and the use of public transport. Mayor Delanoë accepted mayor Van der Laan’s invitation to visit Amsterdam following a meeting of the mayors in Paris in 2012 where they discussed stepping up cooperation. During his time in Amsterdam, Mayor Delanoë will visit the Stedelijk Museum and will be a keynote speaker at the Metropolitan Conference to be held at the EYE Film Institute Netherlands. After the conference, the Mayor of Amsterdam will accompany Bertrand Delanoë on a tour of the redeveloped docklands along the banks of River IJ.