On Monday, Prague councilors approved the wording of the planned partnership agreement with Vienna, which declares cooperation of the two cities in 13 areas, such as transport, culture, waste management, information, and security.
The Prague city council is yet to vote on the partnership.
Last year, Prague closed the pact of “free cities” with Budapest, Bratislava and Warsaw, and a similar agreement with Taipei, Taiwan. In October, on the other hand, the Czech capital withdrew from the agreement with Beijing due to the unwillingness of China to renegotiate the deletion of the clause on recognition of the “One China” policy.
In response, Shanghai suspended all official ties with Prague.
“Vienna is a city that has long been at the top of the quality of life charts,” said Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib.
Prague, therefore, wants to find inspiration in the Austrian metropolis. Vienna has been ranked the most livable city in the world for ten years in a row. Prague holds 69th place in the global survey.
Hřib added that if the Prague City Council approves the pact, all that remains to be done is to set a date to sign the contract. “I suppose it will be in March at the earliest,” the Prague mayor said.
If the pact, set to last for five years, is approved, Prague would cooperate with Vienna on transport, waste management, energy, urban planning, culture, housing policy, information security, and crisis management.
The cooperation would consist of mutual visits, in which representatives of the two cities would exchange experiences and expertise.
Prague’s leadership is also considering other nearby towns for official partnerships. Mayor Hřib recently said that Dresden and Munich are under consideration since these cities are addressing issues that Prague is facing as well, such as climate change and housing crises.
