What is "douzelage"

The Douzelage is a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the European Union except the newest state, Croatia.

The name is a combination of the French words "douze" for twelve and "jumelage" for twinning and stands for the twelve founder members, one for each European Union member state in 1991, when the Douzelage Charter was signed in Granville, France.

Although the membership of the EU, and of the association, has grown, the name Douzelage has been kept unchanged.