Newsletter – n°22 – July 2013

Headlines

In reaction to the publication of the Communication “Empowering local authorities in partner countries for enhanced governance and more effective development outcomes” the Council underlines, in the conclusions adopted 22 July 2013, that “decentralisation processes and effective local governance contribute significantly to deepening democracy and citizen’s empowerment “.

It adds that “working through local authorities and supporting decentralisation processes of power, decision making and resources […] helps bring about sustainable development and pro-poor results[1].”

Consistently the Council supports EU’s initiatives that promote enhanced political, administrative and fiscal decentralisation in partner countries where there is a political will to do so.

Overall Member States embrace the approach outlined in the Commission’s Communication; they recognise the added-value of local and regional governments (LRGs) in the territorial approach to development, the importance of supporting LRGs in fragile, conflict and crisis-prone countries, endorse the proposal to work with associations of LRGs at national, regional (continental) and international level, and emphasise the added-value of decentralisation cooperation between European local and regional governments and their counterparts in the partner countries.

They also call on the EU to support LRGs representation in policy discussions at national and international level.

Finally the Council calls on the EU delegation to engage in a regular dialogue with local and regional governments, and the Commission to develop an action plan around the key areas mentioned in the Communication.

Even if the successful implementation of the Communication will depend of the partner countries’ inclinations and the ability of local and regional governments to catch the wave, the Council’s conclusions confirm the paradigm shift operated at the EU level. This is a strong message in view of the UN MDGs Summit and the discussions on the post-2015 development framework.

Read the Council conclusions.