From September 11 to 14, 2025, the city of Klanjec is hosting the international Twinning of Cities program, which is held within the framework of the CEV program of the European Union.
This year’s project is called “Small Green Cities for a Big Green Europe”, and the emphasis is on local green policies and the contribution to the European Green Plan.
The program brought together representatives of local authorities, civil society associations and citizens from as many as 17 partner organizations from 14 European countries – among them are partners from Poland, Greece, Malta, Spain, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the host Klanjec.
The goal of the meeting is to encourage the active engagement of citizens and the development of fair, sustainable and solidarity policies that will contribute to reducing the negative effects of climate change. The importance of synergy between the public, private and civil sectors is particularly emphasized in order to ensure the implementation of concrete changes in local communities.
The mayor of Klanjec, Zlatko Brlek, pointed out that the city pays special attention to nature protection and sustainable development.
Panels dedicated to green policies and sustainable development are held in the exhibition hall of the “Antun Mihanović” City Library. After the introductory presentation “The key is in small changes” led by Marko Brozović from LAG Zagorje-Sutla, there was a discussion on the reasons and potential of the green economy, which was moderated by Helena Matuša, director of the Entrepreneurship Center of Krapina-Zagorje County.
The participants then got involved in a discussion about green infrastructure in small towns, led by representatives of REGEA, with a number of examples and experiences from partner communities.
The socializing continues in the afternoon – from 6:00 p.m. in the Memorial Park of the famous people of Klanj, an appropriate partner action of planting trees under the motto “Do something green today” is held. Each of the participating cities and organizations planted a tree in the park, leaving a lasting symbol of togetherness and cooperation.
The day ended on a happy note – at 8:30 p.m., the entertainment program “Forevergreen” by the Vrijeme vinila group takes place in the Kuće Klein cinema hall. Entrance was free, and the organizers invited all citizens to join in the dancing and entertainment with timeless local and international evergreens.
The following day, the hosts organized a trip to the island of Krk, to the city of Krk, where all participants were presented with a positive experience in the application of green policies and measures that contribute to sustainable development.
In front of our association, Rajko Marinković, Andrea Ratković, Radovan Ilić, Neda Brajenović, Slavica Varga, Josip Varga and Mirjana Marinković attended the event.
