Invitation to the 2nd Dialogue Forum of the Twin Cities on 28/29 May

The meeting will focus on the question of how people in the European twin cities are dealing with the current hardening of world views and border issues.

This is the second time that the city of Frankfurt (Oder) has organised this dialogue forum for the twin cities in cooperation with the Institute for Conflict Management (IKM) at the European University Viadrina and the municipality of Słubice.

"This time, the focus is on how we as citizens and societies can talk to each other about issues on which we disagree – and how we can improve the quality of such dialogues," says Paul Emtsev from the IKM. "The current dynamic of hardening borders and world views can be felt in all European societies." This makes it all the more important to think about how we can work together towards a better future and more constructive communication.

The first day will focus on the topic of national identity and its borders. "We want to talk about the value of traditions in our societies, about immigration and different family models. We invite participants to talk about their views on national borders, the hierarchy between national and European interests, nationalism and questions of national, binational and European identity," says Paul Emtsev.

The second day will focus on the future of Europe and the war in Ukraine. Possible discussion questions could include the relationship between freedom and peace, Europe's responsibility for security and its role in armed conflicts, freedom of expression, our relationship with Russia and European integration.

Sören Bollmann, Head of the Frankfurt-Słubice Cooperation Centre, says: "Citizens of twin cities have particular experience of being confronted with different perspectives and realities. We want to use this potential and derive insights for other European border regions."

If you are interested in respectfully discussing different opinions and values with people from six countries in English in a safe dialogue space, you can register until 30 April, subject to availability. Participation is free of charge.

The dialogue forum is funded by the European Union as part of the "BorderLabs" project of the Free State of Saxony from the "Interreg Central Europe" programme.