Due to the many convincing submissions, the Foundation also awarded a special prize this year to the Ukrainian city of Lutsk and the district of Lippe. In Ukrainian-German cooperation, a project was realised for the use of ecological and intelligent technologies in public transport in the city of Lutsk. The prize was accepted by Ms Anna Vintsyuk on behalf of the city of Lutsk, and Ms Sarah Laukamp was present on behalf of the district of Lippe. The partnership between the city of Lutsk and the district of Lippe already exists since 2015; in the last years, the project partners worked together on the transformation of the municipal transport services in Lutsk. Part of the measures was the installation of smart bus stops and a website with up-to-date information on the traffic situation in the city. This contribution to the digitalisation of mobility services is the result of constructive municipal cooperation with great transfer potential. Against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the commitment and the partnership cultivated in this way are to be particularly highly valued.
 

 
After the award ceremony, a panel discussion moderated by Frieder Meyer-Krahmer took place on the topic of "What can municipal climate policy achieve in European and global cooperation". The panel discussion included the representatives of the award-winning projects, as well as the Mayor of the City of Leipzig and the First Deputy Mayor of Cologne and Chairman of Climate Alliance, Mr. Andreas Wolter. On the one hand, it was agreed in the discussion that climate protection does not adhere to borders, so a cross-border approach is in the nature of things. For example, if a municipality decides to engage in sustainable cooperation through its partnerships, such as climate-sensitive transport and trade, this contribution is not only made locally, but has a global impact. It is also important to always look for good practices to address specific challenges and to transfer these solutions to one's own local context. Mayor Jung said that achieving civic participation through schools, as in the case of the PAMINA project, is very impressive and has not yet been achieved in Leipzig - a transfer of knowledge here would be very exciting. The award winners also agreed that the prize money could be used for further initiatives, such as planting trees in climate communities or transporting supplies to the Ukrainian partner community. Even though the monetary award is helpful, for the project representatives the award is more about appreciation of the work and the joint efforts.