Eurasia Regional Section of the World organization "United Cities and Local Governments"
Eurasia Regional Section of the World organization "United Cities and Local Governments"
A meeting of PLATFORMA on development of projects promoting local self-government took place on July 9-10 in Brussels. PLATFORMA was launched by the European section of UCLG and some European associations of local authorities in 2009 in order to receive financial support of the European Union for the development of local self-government in Europe. The issue of providing assistance in the implementation of projects on development of local authorities in partner countries of the European Union was discussed for the 1st time at this meeting.
European Commission allocates 36 million euros a year on the development of local self-government. Some experts believe it is only 1 percent of resources, which are provided by the European Commission on the development of civil society. PLATFORMA is intended to deal with this situation and this initiative meets the primary objectives of UCLG to lobby local governments in international affairs.
The project initiated by PLATFORMA offers assignation by EU of 1.7 million euros for the development of projects promoting the establishment of local self-governments throughout the world. It will be implemented over three years. The Secretaries-General of regional sections of UCLG, representatives of associations of local authorities in the European Commission in Brussels, and experts on the development of local self-government were invited to take part in the meeting.
Seminars on the development of local self-government with the participation of all interested actors of local self-government will take place in regions. Presumably such a seminar will take place in the first half of 2014 in Eurasia in one of the countries of the region. Swedish Association of Local Authorities, French Association of Local Government, the Union of Municipalities of Latvia volunteered to help carry out research work in the Eurasian region together with the Eurasian section of UCLG. 90 per cent of the resources for the implementation of this project will be invested by the European Union, 10 percent will be invested by other interested participants, including UCLG.
11.07.2012
