Cities and the Diversity Advantage: Towards More Effective Communication Meeting of the President of NALAS Member Associations

Tulcea, Romania, 15-16 June 2012

Speech by Vice-President Ludmila Sfirloaga, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Council of Europe

Mr President,

Dear colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It has become an excellent tradition for the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities to participate in meetings of NALAS Members’ Presidents, which are devoted to major challenges facing local and regional democracy in Europe today.

It is only natural for the Congress to contribute to these discussions because we share with NALAS the core objectives of building stronger democracy at the grassroots, advancing decentralisation, improving governance of our communities, and fostering partnerships to attain these goals. Today, such partnerships between elected representatives, with national governments, with European institutions, but also peer-to-peer exchanges across borders, are crucial in the face of multiple crises challenging European societies.

The main theme of yesterday’s meeting was climate change. In the Congress, we are convinced that sustainability begins at the grassroots. Achieving sustainable development means building sustainable communities in our towns, cities and regions. Local and regional authorities have therefore the primary responsibility for working towards this goal. Today, their growing competences in spatial planning and development, use of construction materials, water and energy provision, public transport and local economic development overall make them key players and stakeholders in sustainability-building.

It follows that local and regional authorities must be included as fully-fledged partners in any action for sustainable development on a par with national governments, and in particular in the negotiation of any agreement on climate. They are part of the problem, but also a major part of the solution, accounting for almost half of all the results of adaptation and mitigation action.

The Congress has always insisted on the important role played by local and regional authorities in the adaptation of their communities to climate change and mitigation of its consequences. However, for us, the issue of sustainability goes beyond adaptation and mitigation measures. It is also the question of good local and regional governance in all aspects of sustainable development, because the only lasting response to climate change lies in building a sustainable environment at the grassroots level. This means changing consumption patterns and promoting responsible, sustainable consumption; developing a new “energy culture”, and so on.

This is why we are convinced that it is in the best interest of national governments to support local and regional action on sustainability and to get the grassroots authorities “on board” in developing strategies and action plans in this area. This was the key message voiced by the Congress at the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen almost three years ago. This message is supported and shared by our partners in this cause – the Committee of the Regions of the EU, the ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, the Covenant of Mayors, and others. This remains our message to Rio+20 and all other initiatives on sustainable development.

However, we have also been insisting that local and regional authorities not wait for international agreements or government support. We have been insisting that they develop their own action independently, setting their own targets and implementing their own local and regional action plans. Over the past five years, the Congress has provided recommendations for such action on a wide range of aspects all inter-linked sustainable consumption, a new energy culture, building stronger adaptive capacities of local and regional communities. We have also addressed the situation of coastal towns threatened by rising sea levels, the issue of sustainable development of mountain regions, and, more recently, the question of energy supply and energy efficiency at local and regional level and, last March, e the issue of raising the resilience of local communities.

We are convinced that this is a topic of crucial importance today, and that it goes to the heart of the Rio+20 action. Today, it is generally accepted that we cannot produce, consume and pollute without costs, and that our actions up until now have damaged the balance on our planet. And that it is our responsibility to find measures to reverse the damages we have caused. I therefore call on the member associations of NALAS to work with their local authorities in implementing our proposals for making cities resilient. This will be your tangible contribution to the goals of Rio+20.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Climate change is only one of the numerous challenges we have to face. I am speaking first and foremost about the economic and financial crisis but also about the crisis of democracy itself, of democratic institutions and processes which seem to be further and further away from the lives of ordinary citizens. These are the challenges that cannot be handled by any single level of governance alone. They require solidarity and coherence in the action of public authorities at all levels, which means close interaction and dialogue between them.

As a network of local authorities and their associations, NALAS is best placed to promote such dialogue in South-East Europe, building partnerships at the grassroots and bridges with higher levels of governance. Your Network represents an excellent example of successful cross-border co-operation so much needed today – co-operation aimed at creating local/national/European synergies in addressing specific problems. As a pan-European assembly, the Congress has a huge stake in the success of the NALAS action. This is why I am very pleased to be here today, and to share with you our current priorities.

Just a little more than two months ago, at the end of March, I had the privilege of addressing the 7th General Assembly of NALAS, on behalf of the Congress President. The theme then was fiscal decentralisation, which is so relevant in the time of the financial crisis. In the Congress, we are convinced that further decentralisation, budgetary autonomy and fiscal stabilisation are among key responses to the economic crisis. I am pleased to see that these issues are also at the heart of discussions within NALAS.

However, the economic crisis is taking place against the background of increasing disillusionment of our citizens with democratic processes, because of the growing gap between citizens and institutions of democracy. Today, the traditional system of representative democracy needs elements of direct democracy, needs continued citizen participation in decision-making. The local and regional levels represent a great potential for such participatory democracy, which is also the most effective at the grassroots. Enhancing citizen participation in local communities of South-East Europe is one area where NALAS can make a valuable contribution, in particular with regard to the participation of women and young people. This is also one area where joining forces with national governments will maximise the impact of our efforts.

In November last year, the Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for local and regional governments, in Kyiv, approved an Agenda in common, which represents a framework for synergies between national governments and local and regional authorities. The Agenda identified five key priorities for such synergies: responding to the economic crisis, boosting citizen participation, broadening the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, fostering multi-level governance, and promoting cross-border co-operation. I am convinced that NALAS has an important role to play in mounting action in all these five areas in the South-East European region.

I should add that the Congress and NALAS are acting in synch also in establishing their priorities for the next years. As you are discussing the priorities of the Network under the NALAS Strategic Plan for 2013-2017, the Congress is preparing a new cycle of priorities for 2013-2016, which will be adopted during its session in October. This is why in September, we are organising a General Meeting of associations of local and regional authorities to discuss the Congress’ priorities before their adoption, in the spirit of consultations with our partners. We are counting on the active participation of NALAS in the discussions at this General Meeting, and we are looking forward to welcoming you in Strasbourg.

I would like to conclude by reaffirming our continuing political support to NALAS and its activities that are highly relevant to the objectives and priorities of the Congress, and vital for building the future of this region of South-East Europe. We are convinced that identifying common objectives and priorities between our institutions will bring our action even closer together.

Thank you.