The federal state of Berlin has city partnerships with Brussels, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mexico City, Moscow, Paris, Peking, Prague, Tashkent, Tokyo, Warsaw and Windhoek. There are also joint projects with Damascus, Jerusalem, Kuwait City, Shanghai, Seoul and Sofia, and Berlin also participates in events held by international city institutions and associations. More than 90 other town and city partnerships are maintained by the boroughs.

These partnerships serve for mutual exchange of experience, advice in reform projects and provision of political, cultural, economic and social information. Apart from cultural events such as exhibitions, music and dance performances and theatrical events, the contacts are also used to promote presentations of municipalities and their economy, seminars for specialist and managerial personnel, study visits and youth exchange programmes. The cooperation is not only between public bodies, it is also between political and social groups such as parties, trades unions, Chambers of Commerce and Industry, churches, religious communities and foundations.

The capital cities of the European Union are prominent in these partnerships. The favourable position of Berlin in relation to Central and Eastern Europe is increasingly benefiting both sides. The partnerships with Los Angeles and other cultural and scientific institutions in the United States remain an essential element of Berlin’s activities abroad. Cooperation with metropolises and capital cities in the Third World has a variety of different priorities. Thus, the emphasis is on economic, technological and ecological issues in cooperation with cities in Latin America, whereas the dialogue with partners in the Asia-Pacific region mainly concentrates on cultural, economic and scientific questions. Dealings with African cities mainly relate to issues concerned with urban infrastructure (public transport, waste disposal, water supply and sewage) and tourism.