A partnership agreement for the organisation of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions' (CEMR) General Assembly, to be held in Cádiz, Spain, was signed on 25 February 2011 between CEMR,.the City of Cádiz, the Federation of Spanish Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP).

In her speech, the Mayor of Cádiz, Teófila Martínez Saiz, declared the city to be honoured to host the next General Assembly of European local and regional government. She underlined that, in 2012, Cádiz will also be the Iberoamerican Capital of Culture and will also commemorate the bicentenary of the democratic Spanish Constitution of 1812: 'a year to celebrate freedom and partnership between all Spanish, European and Iberoamerican cities".

CEMR President and Mayor of Stuttgart, Wolfgang Schuster, spoke of Cádiz as a symbol of cultural diversity in Europe. 'Our General Assembly to take place from 26 to 28 September 2012 will be a good opportunity to show that Europe is a part of our daily lives and that a true partnership must be further developed between Europe and local and regional government. It will also serve as a basis to develop and intensify ties between municipalities, cities and regions from Europe and beyond.

The FEMP was represented at this occasion by Fernando Armas Nunez de Villavicencio. He warmly welcomed the decision to host CEMR's General Assembly in the Spanish city of Cádiz: 'a city open to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, whose rich heritage and culture is reflected in the beauty of its buildings."

A floral wreath laying ceremony was also held at the monument honouring the first democratic Spanish Constitution of 1812.

CEMR's general assemblies are organised every three years. They bring together hundreds of European local and regional elected representatives to discuss issues that directly affect municipalities, cities and regions. The last General Assembly took place in Malmö in 2009.

Pictures of the event