Newsletter – n°24 – October 2013

In other news

In the opinion on the Communication “Empowering Local Authorities in partner countries for enhanced governance and more effective development outcomes” drafted by Hans Janssen, Mayor of Oisterwijk (Netherlands), the Committee of the Regions wished to remind that all types of “local authorities” – regions, provinces, counties, districts, municipalities, villages, etc. – play a strategic role in strengthening democratic governance and calls upon the European Commission, who insists on the municipal level, to take into account this reality.

Regarding the other points to remember, the Opinion underlines that the Committee of the Regions wants to play a role in the coordination of European local and regional government, mainly through the decentralised cooperation portal. This portal is a tool for the European local and regional governments to inventory their cooperation projects with their partners in the South.

The Committee of the Regions would also like to “contribute to develop an evaluation and monitoring tool for decentralisation questions in partner countries”.

Finally, the Opinion underlines the role of decentralised cooperation in capacity building for local and regional authorities in partner countries, a role which is not recognised explicitly enough in the Communication.

Besides these points, the Committee of the Regions approves the Communication and the strategic themes developed (support to decentralisation, to the territorial approach to development, to local and regional governments’ networks, etc.).

Link to the Opinion of the Committee of the Regions.