NALAS General Assembly Meeting

Pristina, 30 March 2012

Opening speech by Ludmila Sfirloaga, Vice-President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Council of Europe

Mr President,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Colleagues,

It is a pleasure for me to speak here today, in Pristina, and to open the 7th NALAS General Assembly, on behalf of the President of the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

I am particularly pleased, as I have been personally following and supporting all the steps which led to the creation of the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe. I also remember very well the signing of the NALAS statutes in Strasbourg back in May 2004.

It is heartening to see this strong and independent network playing a crucial role in consolidating local self-government in the region, and building its future. The network spans a vast geographical area which is also an important political space, as it includes associations from three member states of the European Union – Bulgaria, Slovenia and Romania - and soon from a fourth one, Croatia.

NALAS has been a genuine success story. It is recognised today for the high quality of its work, for its networking capacity and for the spirit of co-operation it maintains in the region and with its partners. The projects presented yesterday are a tangible proof of its positive achievements.  

I would like to take the opportunity of today’s meeting to reassure you that the Congress will continue to give its political support to NALAS and its activities, as they are highly relevant to the objectives and priorities of the Congress, and vital for building the future of this region.

President Keith Whitmore met with you, President Moskov, and with Vice-President Keskin during the Congress Session just a week ago. The co-operation between NALAS and the Congress and possible joint activities were at the heart of discussions during this meeting.

Indeed, the cooperation between NALAS and the Congress has proven to be fruitful over the years and advantageous for both. I would like to mention here a recent example of co-operation on the seminar entitled “Strengthening the capacities and cooperation of local elected representatives” organised jointly in Albania on 28 September 2011. This joint initiative, which followed last year’s local elections in Albania, was aimed at building dialogue between the Mayors of Municipalities in Albania and discussing their key role as part of a democratic, pluralistic, political system. The event was widely supported by the international community in Albania. The participation of members of NALAS and of the Congress was considered helpful by the Albanian Mayors and we hope to continue this cooperation on a peer-to-peer basis within future projects we may undertake in Albania in particular.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

The main theme of this year’s meeting is fiscal decentralisation. This theme is of major importance in the current context of economic downturn and ongoing financial crisis we are facing. There is an adverse impact on all levels of government but it has been particularly devastating at the grassroots level. It not only threatens the financial situation of local authorities but also obliges local and regional authorities to step up their social support to local populations. Local and regional authorities suffer not only from the loss of some of their own tax-based revenue and the reduction of financial transfers from the State, but also from attempts by national governments to recentralise.

The impact of the crisis was the focus of a debate held last week during the Congress’ 22^nd session. This is an issue of great concern for the Congress and we look forward to the active participation of all our members and, in particular, those from South-Eastern Europe in the work we are undertaking in cooperation with the intergovernmental sector. Indeed, the response must be consistent throughout all levels of governance and given in a spirit of solidarity.

As to the NALAS contribution with the report on fiscal decentralisation indicators and today’s final declaration, allow me to say that this work has great relevance not only for local authorities and their associations, which find there a basis for comparing data and situations, but for the Congress. 

As you know, besides observing local and regional elections, one of the Congress’ core missions is to monitor the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government and the overall situation of local and regional democracy in the member states of the Council of Europe. Each year, we monitor the situation of about 8 to 10 countries, and we are planning to repeat the exercise approximately every five years.

As for this region, last week during its Session, the Congress adopted recommendations on Bulgaria following local elections held in October 2011, and recommendations on local and regional democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Republic of Moldova.

We definitely think that, with these recommendations, the Congress can contribute to the fundamental requirement of establishing a strong and sound legal base for local democracy.  Recent examples from members States such as Slovenia, Austria and Estonia which reacted to Congress recommendations by either ratifying legal instruments or implementing our recommendations and explaining the developments in their country in the light of our recommendations are signs of a strong impact and positive interaction to the benefit of all.

We call for a more dynamic dialogue between local, regional and national levels of government, for the full implementation of the Charter and for respect of its principles as the foundation upon which we can build good governance. NALAS, with its important work in the region, makes a valuable contribution to this objective.

I wish all of us productive discussions during this General Assembly.

Thank you.