Worlds apart over twinning

Date: 16/07/1998

When is a twin not a twin? When it is less than 250 kilometres way from its sibling, according to the European Commission.

Apparently, towns wishing to take part in the Commission's 'Partnership of European Towns' scheme must be more than this far apart in order to benefit from EU funding.

This proviso seems to be proving particularly irksome for a number of French and German conurbations in the Haut-Rhin frontier region. While the towns in question are eager to take part in the scheme, apparently they are too close together to be deemed eligible.

The Commission says that people who live in such proximity can quite easily meet up with each other without a helping hand from Brussels and points out that it devotes most twinning funds to towns which are at least 1,000 kilometres apart.