EUROCITIES
On February 21, 2008, the Steering Committee of EUROCITIES admitted Pilsen as a new member of the European cities network. Established in 1986, the network includes more than 140 cities. Its aim is to share knowledge and experience in six forums (culture, economy, environment, knowledge society, mobility and social affairs) and many working groups, have an impact on new legislation concerning urban issues as a major partner to the European Commission and other EU bodies, and to increase public awareness about the topic. As three quarters of Europeans live and work in cities, the cities have joined to form a network so as to exchange knowledge and learn from good practice.
Pilsen thus joins a network of large European cities alongside such major urban centres as London, Paris, Madrid, Rome and Amsterdam. EUROCITIES is an association of cities with populations of over 250,000. This criterion is overlooked only in the exceptional case where a smaller city performs the function of a natural and important regional centre. This was the case for Pilsen, which was determined to be the urban centre for the entire Pilsen Region.