“The Future of ENTO” Meeting of the Directors of ENTO member organisations

9 November 2009, 9-12.30

Opening of the meeting by Ludmila Sfirloaga, President of the Chamber of Regions

Dear directors and presidents,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to thank you for having replied positively to the invitation of the President a.i. of the Congress, Ian Micallef. This meeting is intended to give you the opportunity to express your own evaluation of this network and present your views on the future of ENTO. In the situation ENTO currently finds itself, it is crucial to talk openly and find out the opinions of the members about the priorities of the network.

Let me start with some remarks on the great interest of the Congress in the main objectives of ENTO, the training of elected regional and local representatives. Our interest is based on the Charter of Local Self-Government, which states in Article 6 that “local government employees” should be provided with “adequate training opportunities”.

A vivid confirmation of the attention the Congress has paid and continues to pay to these issues is ENTO itself, which was established in 1995 with the considerable organisational and financial support of the Congress. Since then the Congress has rendered long-standing financial and administrative support to ENTO, even if we have not always been completely satisfied with the achievements of the network.

From 1999 to 2009 a national officer put at the disposal of the Congress was reponsible for ENTO´s Secretariat. As you are aware, in the last 3 years Larissa Kireeva held this post in the Congress Secretariat and provided the network with administrative assistance. The Congress has decided, however, to reduce its financial support of ENTO - the result is that the network’s Secretariat can no longer be maintained by the Congress. This decision is mainly due to new priorities defined by the Bureau and to budgetary constraints.

The reduction of the financial support is a result of a careful evaluation of the added value of ENTO. In its decision, the Congress had to take into account the discontent expressed by a number of delegates about the lack of results in the network´s own programmes.  We hope this meeting will bring about a fruitful debate on the future prospects of the network and will thus revitalize ENTO. Before opening the debate, I would like to describe briefly the point of view of the Congress – the problems we see as well as the opportunities.

Firstly: the lack of continuity in ENTO Membership

Since its foundation, there has been a permanent rotation of members: some members left the organisation, others joined it. As a result, only six of the present member organisations of ENTO have been members since the 1990s. The Congress is especially concerned about the fact that lately two important organisations, VNG International from the Netherlands and I&DeA from United Kingdom, ended their membership in the network. These developments may be seen as an indication that ENTO does not meet the expectations of its member organisations.

Secondly: what is the added value of the network for the Congress and the members of ENTO?

The Congress is not very happy about the fact that ENTO was unable to launch training projects in specific areas in Europe. Some interesting concepts were developed, but unfortunately not pursued. To give you an example: In April 2006 in Gaziantep, Turkey, the network organised a round table with representatives of Caucasian countries. Two draft projects resulted from the conference: a project on “Training of Trainers” and one on the establishment of a resource centre. Neither have been implemented. We have to find out how the potential that ENTO undoubtedly has can be put into action. What steps have to be taken to enable the realisation of concrete projects?

Thirdly, and this is my last point, the Congress is very concerned about the mutual relations with ENTO. We believe better co-operation would be beneficial for both of us: ENTO has an enormous potential in the training of local and regional representatives; the Congress has already made numerous proposals for implementing very concrete projects. Both the Congress and ENTO should recall the advantages of co-operation to create fertile synergies.

As you will have understood, the Congress sees a number of problems and a number of potential improvements in ENTO. It is therefore indispensable to engage in a frank debate and exchange opinions about the future of the network.

May I suggest that we begin by giving the floor to each of you to gain a general evaluation of the situation. I am especially keen on hearing your opinion on the following points:

Why do you appreciate being a part of ENTO?

What is the added value for your own organisation?

 

What suggestions do you have for the future development?

What are your expectations?

Dear presidents and directors, you now have the floor and I am awaiting your contributions.