The aim of this trip was to deepen the existing good relations between the two cities and to promote exchanges in various areas such as urban development, urban planning, education, culture and sport.

The delegation first visited the "Maison du Handball" performance center in Créteil. A tour of the sports halls and fitness areas showed the enormous importance of handball in France and in Créteil. The facility is primarily available to the French national teams, but local sports clubs can also use the training facility.

This was followed by a visit from US Créteil. A sports club with many divisions and almost 10,000 members. Here, too, the focus is on handball. After viewing a training session of the second division team, the board, coach and team captain were ready to answer numerous questions. A lively discussion ensued with many comparisons to professional and amateur sport in Germany.

The highlight was an official meeting with Mayor Laurent Cathala in the town hall. Both mayors emphasized the great importance of continued close cooperation between their cities at a political and civic level, especially in these difficult international times! A future exchange at administrative level, joint sporting activities and joint leisure activities for children from Creteil and Salzgitter in both twin towns or at the Neuwerk vacation camp in Salzgitter were discussed.

The visit to the "problem district" of Mont Mesly was particularly interesting, where the delegation was informed about the challenges and solutions in this part of the city. The district is characterized by social hotspots and unemployment. The discussions with local stakeholders in the district opened up valuable perspectives on social issues and integration in urban areas. The "Carrefour éducatif" project aims to mix the population groups more in line with urban planning and prevent the formation of ghettos. The impetus and ideas were very well received by the delegation from Salzgitter, who had similar challenges and solutions to report from Salzgitter.

The delegation also visited the FabLab, an innovative laboratory open to all citizens, and a local adult education school, where they were able to take part in a German lesson at the Comité Jumelage. The focus here was on the exchange between the delegation from Salzgitter and the adult French "pupils". The political highlight was a meeting of the "Île-de-France" regional assembly in Créteil town hall, chaired by Mayor Laurent Cathala.