Bad Nieuweschans – ‘We celebrate Europe’ was the theme of the Eems Dollard Region (EDR) spring reception held last night in De Graanre republic in Bad Nieuweschans. The program was excellently supervised by journalist Margriet Brandsma. As a Germany expert, she managed to bring German and Dutch speakers close together about the opportunities and challenges of current topics in European cooperation.
Situation in Europe
The chairman of the EDR is Mayor Cora-Yfke Sikkema. In her welcome speech she discussed the current situation in Europe. “There is a lot of unrest in the world at the moment, which also has consequences for our region. Look, for example, at the refugee shelter that we jointly realize on both sides of the border.”
“We share each other’s experiences in this area. And that feeling of this connection is also why this day is so important. And that connection is also the reason why the EDR was founded in 1977. The goal is to live together in good harmony as neighbors in Lower Saxony and the Netherlands. Especially so close to your neighboring country, there is so much to learn from each other. And I think we are doing this well.”
May 9 Europe Day
Chairman/Mayor Sikkema: “May 9 is Europe Day. The day on which we celebrate peace and unity in Europe every year. And in June there will be elections for the European Parliament and the outcome will affect many residents. Because 40% of the inhabitants of Europe live in a border region. And for them it is very normal to cross the border. At the same time, we see the distrust of Europe increasing there in Brussels. That there are forces that want to crack our democracy.”
“While so much good has been achieved in Europe. And we really need each other for the major issues that we have to tackle together. We therefore want to celebrate the good and sustainable cooperation here,” says Cora-Yfke Sikkema.
Approach activities
Projects that they want to tackle together include activities in the field of innovation, energy transition, but also education, language, culture and volunteer work. Good steps are also being taken in this collaboration in the field of undermining crime.
Other speakers were CdK René Paas, Minister of Federal and European Affairs and Regional Development of Lower Saxony Wiebke Osigus, Oberbürgermeister of Emden Mr Tim Kruithoff, the mayor of Westerkwartier Mr Ard van der Tuuk and Friso Douwstra Provincial Executive of Fryslân.
EDR Limit price
The EDR Frontier Prize was also awarded during this reception. “This award was created to recognize sustainable cross-border initiatives. The winners of this year’s EDR Prize 2023, the project ‘What we are and what connects us’, are LeeWerk_WISA GmbH from Leer and the Noorderpoort College in Winschoten,” said the chairman/mayor.
The initiators are Daniëlle Zaadhof-Balkens and Harma ten Hof. Their projects were realized with financial resources from the Klein Projecten Fonds and also with financial support from Lower Saxony. The project in Leer is intended for people who have fewer opportunities in our society.
Harma ten Hof: “What we really like about this collaboration is that we can let our students look beyond the border and introduce them to other cultures. Some students have never been out of Winschoten and that is why this project is so special. We are very happy that we can receive a subsidy for this, that we can do things together.”
