During 9-10 April, 2013 the Delegation of Congress of Local Authorities from Moldova headed by CALM President Mrs. Tatiana Badan participated in the work of the 3rd Assises of Decentralised Cooperation for development co-organized by the Committee of the Regions and the European Commission in Brussels. With this occasion CALM submitted an Official Address to organizers and participants of the EU Assises of Decentralized Cooperation.
The Assises gathered together several hundred representatives of local and regional authorities from the EU and developing countries to continue the political dialogue with the European institutions on the challenges of development cooperation.
These European Assises, which have been organized since 2009, provide a unique opportunity for bringing together the representatives of cities and regions in the EU and developing countries and the European institutions. The aim is to boost the effectiveness of development aid through the practical involvement of local and regional authorities in the EUs development cooperation policies. It is also hoped that a real partnership can be forged between the EU and the various stakeholders active in the development sphere.
The third Assises included an inaugural session and five thematic round tables on the following subjects:
- Cross-border and inter-regional cooperation;
- Local and regional authorities and the international development process post 2015;
- Decentralization in developing countries, including in the fiscal domain;
- Strengthening the capacities of regional authorities;
- Results of the consultation on the new Commission draft communication on local authorities and development.
Seminars were also held on topics such as the impact of decentralized cooperation, the role of local and regional authorities with respect to migration and mobility problems, EU support for centralized cooperation and decentralized cooperation in the western Balkans.
