Local Democracy

The Local Democracy and Cross Border Co-operation Task Force (LODE/CBC TF) of WT I of the SP handed-over its mandate to the Stability Pact's Office in Thessaloniki (SPOT) on 8 December 2006. The LODE/CBC was a core objective of the SP until the Belgrade Regional Table (30 May 2006) and the political decision to hand-over the TF was made at the Bucharest Regional Table (15 November 2006). From December 2006 SPOT is in charge of the Cross Border Co-operation component of the LODE/CBC TF, while the Council of Europe will take care of the Local Democracy component. SP will continue to offer political support to both initiatives on a request basis.

The Stability Pact Office in Thessaloniki (SPOT) and the Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA) have agreed to work in synergy to promote Local Democracy and Cross border co-operation in South Eastern Europe.   ALDA and its network of local democracy agencies will implement part of the Cross Border Cooperation Task Force 2007 action plan through a series of joint events.  The kick off event will be a conference on “Active Citizenship in the Balkans: How regional and cross-border cooperation can promote active citizenship” that will take place in Sarajevo on 25th May 2007.

[Please click here for the SPOT press release]

 

Local authorities have always contributed a great deal to Europe's development and prosperity. Local authorities are the focal points of people's living together and they influence noticeably their quality of life. It is therefore also local and regional authorities who make a considerable contribution in creating preconditions for European integration. Long term processes leading to regional development, cross-border cooperation or even interethnic reconciliation can only be filled with content on the level where people face daily needs and challenges.

Cross-border cooperation as a means for reconciliation and regional development, going back to the 50s of the last century, proved to be an important tool for the integration process in Europe after the 2nd world war. Following this experience, but also the experience and positive results achieved through cross-border cooperation and Euroregions on the external borders of the EU, especially towards the Central and East European countries after 1989 and the fall of the iron curtain, one can recognize the importance of supporting such local initiatives of cross-border cooperation.

Read more about the Task Force on Local Democracy
Documents

Within the framework of the follow-up process to the Zagreb Ministerial Conference on Effective Democratic Governance at local and Regional Level (held in Zagreb, Croatia 25-26 October 2004) as part of the preparatory work for   the Regional Ministerial Conference due to be held in Skopje on 8-9 November 2006, Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, Council of Europe, Policy Association for an Open Society and the research institutions from the region engaged in the assessment of the local government process in SEE  (Institute for Public Policy)  CEPOS-Center for Policy Studies;  PALGO-Public Administration and Local Government Center;  Union of Municipalities ;  Institute for Public Finance;  Institute for Social Initiatives - IDIS Viitorul ;  Center for Economic Development;  Institute for Contemporary Studies; Center for Research and Policy Making - CRPM will be holding a Preparatory Round Table Conference to the Skopje Conference in Tirana, 28-29 September 2006. For further information please contact Srdjan Cvijic, Expert Working Table I SP SEE.

Contacts:


Mr. Srdjan Cvijic

Expert, Working Table I
Stability Pact
Rue Wiertz 50
B-1050 Brussels
Tel: +32 (2) 401 8708
Fax: +32 (2) 401 8712
E-mail: srdjan.cvijic@stabilitypact.org