The Stuttgart Region is the core of the European Metropolitan Region Stuttgart, or EMRS for short. This is not the only reason why the Verband Region Stuttgart, with its directly elected regional assembly, has a special role to play in shaping and cooperating within the EMRS. Due to the close links in terms of transport, economy and science, the regions of Heilbronn-Franken, Neckar-Alb, Nordschwarzwald and Ostwürttemberg are also part of the EMRS.
The aim of the EMRS is to jointly improve competitiveness through concrete projects. The focus is on a metropolitan congress, which is held every two years with a thematic focus.

• The first Metropolitan Congress in 2019 in Stuttgart focused on mobility.
   
• The second Metropolitan Congress 2022 in Heilbronn focused on the transformation of the economy.
   
• The third Metropolitan Congress 2024 in Stuttgart focused on energy. More information in the press release.

As one of eleven European metropolitan regions in Germany, the Verband Region Stuttgart is also committed to the interests of metropolitan regions at federal level. Following the "Regions of the Future" competition organized by the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning, the Initiativkreis Europäische Metropolregionen in Deutschland (IKM) was founded. The Initiativkreis serves as a strategic platform for the metropolitan regions and works to demonstrate the benefits of metropolitan cooperation and to promote it.

The European metropolitan region of Stuttgart in figures:

• Population 2022: 5.5 million
• Employees 2022: 2.4 million
• Population density: 361 inhabitants/km²
• Area: 15,361 km²
• GDP 2021: EUR 275 billion