Strong cities are also growth engines for their surrounding areas. At the same time, they need the surrounding area as an attractive settlement, recreation and leisure space, as a planning area for overarching infrastructural requirements, such as traffic development and management, and as a complementary business location. Particularly in relation to cities such as Wolfsburg and Braunschweig, whose economies are strongly oriented toward mobility and vehicle manufacturing and which have many highly qualified jobs in research, development and production, surrounding communities can contribute a great deal to the diversification of the industrial, commercial and service portfolio and thus to the economic stability of the overall area. In the district of Helmstedt, this contribution is endangered above all by general financial and structural weaknesses as well as the structural change to be implemented after the end of lignite mining.

In recent years, the district of Helmstedt and the city of Wolfsburg have negotiated intensively about their merger by forming a new municipal territorial unit. Despite intensive deliberations, it has not yet been possible to clarify the institutional, constitutional and regional issues that have arisen in the process and that are of significance beyond the individual case. It is therefore clear that no decision can be made on this issue in the next two to three years because the municipal election period expires on October 31 of this year and the election of new representative bodies, which must first be constituted and familiarized. In addition, there is the urgent need to deal with acute challenges associated with the accommodation and integration of numerous refugees and the further development of the Volkswagen Group. Irrespective of this, however, the district of Helmstedt and the city of Wolfsburg agree that the question of a possible territorial merger should again be the subject of discussion at a later date.

Both municipalities agree with the city of Braunschweig that the district of Helmstedt, precisely because of its location partly between the two cities, has a key function in optimizing urban-suburban relations for both Wolfsburg and Braunschweig even without changes in territory. On this basis, the district of Helmstedt proposes to the cities of Braunschweig and Wolfsburg to enter into a partnership for mutual benefit. The subject of this municipal partnership is to be concrete projects and other measures which are either in the interests of all three municipalities involved from the outset or serve the interests of the district of Helmstedt and the city of Wolfsburg or the interests of the district of Helmstedt and the city of Braunschweig in a balanced manner. A steering group consisting of the mayors of the cities of Wolfsburg and Braunschweig and the district administrator of the district of Helmstedt, who has yet to be elected, is to meet and, after preparation by the administrations, decide on the implementation of joint projects.

For a first steering group meeting to be held this year, the district of Helmstedt is already proposing the following subject areas for possible projects:

• Planning, development and operation of joint business parks,
• Review and, if necessary, optimization of the network of inter-county road connections (traffic routes and traffic management),
• Improvements to the public transport system (if necessary, in cooperation with the ZGB),
• Fine-tuning of spatial planning and opinions,
• Joint tourism or local recreation projects.

The local authorities of the Helmstedt district have already declared that they are basically positively disposed towards a proposal to form a "Helmstedt - Wolfsburg - Braunschweig municipal partnership".

The partnership is not intended to make any pre-determinations regarding a future territorial authority organizational structure. Neither are corresponding perspectives of individual municipalities included positively or negatively. Rather, it is about a cooperative process that also strengthens the regional centers with the surrounding area and at the same time creates new development perspectives for the district of Helmstedt and its municipalities.

"Many people from the Helmstedt district work in Braunschweig and Wolfsburg, they go shopping there and spend their leisure time there. They are not that interested in municipal boundaries. That's why it's important to focus on what connects them. In this respect, it is only logical to also jointly seek additional opportunities to create jobs in our region," says First District Councilor Hans Werner Schlichting.

Wolfsburg's Lord Mayor Klaus Mohrs also emphasizes the importance of the cooperation: "For the citizens of the Helmstedt district, we already work well together on many issues. Many of them are regular visitors to Wolfsburg and contribute to the successful further development of the location. However, to be successful in the long term and overcome challenges together, we need even more pragmatic cooperation without too many bureaucratic hurdles. After the local elections, it is essential to continue the talks between Wolfsburg and Helmstedt with the involvement of Braunschweig."

"The partnership between Braunschweig, Wolfsburg and the district of Helmstedt is an excellent example of how town and country, tradition and modernity combine in our region. I see great opportunities in planning joint industrial estates across municipal boundaries, for example," adds Mayor Markurth.