Newsletter – n°21 – May 2013

Headlines

The Communication carries several key messages that the network had put forward for a number of years now, especially concerning decentralisation, the promotion of the territorial approach to development, decentralised cooperation, building capacities of local and regional activities and the role of the associations of local authorities in partner countries.

We are happy to see that the European Commission has measured the potential of local and regional governments in the implementation of public policies addressing the double challenge of poverty alleviation and sustainable development as close as possible to the citizens. We are thus happy that local and regional authorities are now considered political actors that must be associated to the definition and the implementation of national development policies.

Over six years after the adoption of Pierre Schapira’s report by the European Parliament and the 2008 Communication, which marked the recognition of the work of local and regional authorities for development by the European institutions, the present Communication represents an evolution in the quality of the vision and partnership between the European Commission and local and regional governments in partner countries.

PLATFORMA hopes the present Communication will have a horizontal effect on the European development policy and will continue to follow the way in which this policy will be implemented on the field.

The adoption of the Communication puts an end to a year of work and reflection on a subject that has mobilised the entire network. Indeed, at the demand of the European Commission, PLATFORMA led a four-month consultation process, which brought together over 350 elected representatives and cooperation experts (link to the consultation report).