EU uses town twinning as route to European citizenship for all.

The European Union is in consultation with UK local and regional authorities on proposed European citizenship.

http://admin5.geniebuilder.com/udata/ccre/docs/Consultation_on_citizenship_en.pdf

In the linked document The Council of European Municipalities and Regions invites local authorities to respond to the present consultation in view of the publication of a White Paper for a New European Citizenship. CEMR plans to present this document to the European Commission before the end of 2011 in order to ensure that the voice of local and regional authorities on the topics of European citizenship and town twinning is clearly heard.

The document specifically links twinning with a step towards a unified European citizenship. Here are some extracts from the document.

Town twinning was a founding instrument of European citizenship, which has been slowly forged through intercultural meetings, exchanges and partnerships.

The twinning movement, born of the need to reconcile nations after the war, played a fundamental role in the development of European citizenship.

the European twinning programme has been taking steps to adapt to this development which it considers desirable. In this regard, an evaluation has just been carried out by the European Commission. We believe that careful thought is now more necessary than ever in view of the next programming period beginning in 2014.

What happens in 2014? It is when the White Paper for a New European Citizenship, whose purpose is the formulation of proposals, in view of the European programme which will follow the current "Europe for Citizens” programme.

When questioned on the EU plans one Chairman of a Wiltshire Twinning Association informed us. “ I do not believe that the Twinning Association has ever entertained any political agenda. As far as our organisation is concerned, it provides the opportunity to enjoy friendship and the bon vivante of people with a different outlook”.

The Freedom Democrats strongly oppose any form of European citizenship and call for a referendum on the UK’s continued existence in The Union.

Neither do we believe that civic twinning associations should be used political tools to further the steps towards European sovereignty over the UK.

Further details of the consultation process can be found here:
http://www.ccre.org/news_detail_en.htm?ID=2094