Mayor Yeom Tae-young Pursues 'Urban and Transportation Policy' Cooperation with German Federal Minister

Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young met with Peter Friedrich, Germany's Federal Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Hermann, Minister of Construction and Transportation of Baden-Württemberg, and other German delegations at 1:30 p.m. on the 24th at the Suwon City Hall Situation Room to exchange views on cooperation in urban and transportation policies.

On this occasion, Mayor Yeom met with the German delegation and discussed cooperation methods between Suwon City, the German federal government, and Baden-Württemberg regarding the 'Eco-Mobility Suwon 2013' project, while proposing to expand cooperation in urban planning and transportation policy fields.

In particular, Mayor Yeom stated, "Cities around the world are shifting from an automobile-centered paradigm to people-centered transportation policies," and added, "I propose the 'Car-Free Cities Alliance,' a policy-sharing and consultative body among global cities that practice car-free days."

The German delegation, including Minister Hermann of Construction and Transportation, expressed agreement, saying, "There are considerable commonalities between Suwon City and Baden-Württemberg in pursuing sustainable urban development," and "It is necessary to establish a consultative body for the car-free cities alliance through substantive network activation, not merely exchange projects."

The German delegation, including Peter Friedrich, Federal Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the German federal government, added, "Many German cities are developing various campaigns for sustainable mobility," and "Let's expand broad exchanges so that Suwon City can actively share the achievements of Eco-Mobility Suwon 2013, which was pioneered globally last year."

Suwon City has been expanding exchange cooperation with Freiburg City in Baden-Württemberg. Mayor Yeom met with Dieter Salomon, mayor of Freiburg in Germany, known worldwide as an environmental city last year, and decided to promote friendship and exchange projects between Suwon City and Freiburg.

Meanwhile, Peter Friedrich, Germany's Federal Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, visited with 13 people including Hermann, Minister of Construction and Transportation of Baden-Württemberg, Hans Jörg, Director of European Policy and Foreign Relations, and Dominik Borowski, Director of Eco-Friendly Automobiles, and tasted Suwon's representative dish, marinated ribs, while touring the Suwon Hwaseong, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the urban regeneration site in Haenggunggdong, the venue for Eco-Mobility Suwon 2013.