Members of ICMA’s International Committee traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, April 30-May 3 to hold their spring meeting in conjunction with the 100th anniversary conference of the Danish Association of Local Government Executives (KOMDIR), one of ICMA's 25 international affiliate organizations.

Committee members exchanged ideas with representatives from the Municipality of Copenhagen, Local Government Denmark, the Municipality of Gentofte, the Confederation of Danish Industries, and KOMBIT, a joint IT purchasing effort of Danish local governments.

The KOMDIR conference featured opening remarks from Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and a banquet held at the Danish Parliament, where ICMA President-elect Simon Farbrother presented a commemorative pewter plate to KOMDIR on behalf of ICMA and provided remarks on KOMDIR’s century of effective local government service.

 

Even though many of them hadn't ridden a bicycle in years, the group also enjoyed a three-hour bike tour of Copenhagen and a visit to Freetown Christiana, a commune founded in 1971 that has retained a unique status for 40 years and is regulated by special laws.

Among the topics discussed at the International Committee meeting were

• Strategies for strengthening relationships with ICMA’s international affiliate organizations
• Integrating international content into ICMA publications
• Initiatives to involve more members in committee activities.
• Details of the meeting appear in the draft minutes.