At the 11th Annual meeting of the Conference of the Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP) held on 3 November 2022 in Liberec, Czech Republic, to discuss the future of the Eastern Partnership, Congress Rapporteur on local democracy in the Republic of Moldova Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG) called for further strengthening synergies and cooperation between the Congress and the European Committee of the Regions in the Eastern Partnership region.
“The reforms in all EU Eastern Partnership countries should include a larger scope for decentralisation, more intense consultation of local authorities through their associations, and enhanced co-creation of local policies”, he stated. The Rapporteur emphasised the importance of the principle of subsidiarity and the Congress’ commitment to the countries in the region, referring to the roadmaps signed for the implementation of Congress recommendations in Armenia, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
“Local autonomy is the best antidote against the return to autocratic regimes and there is a need now more than ever to discuss the role of local authorities in reversing democratic backsliding”, he underlined. The Congress Rapporteur also highlighted as exemplary the Ukrainian resistance and resilience to the Russian aggression. “It is grounded on the long-lasting work for embedding fundamental democratic values in local communities and empowering local authorities as fully fledged partners of a strong multilevel governance”, he added.
Discussions focused on the voice of cities and regions in new geopolitical circumstances, as well as the role of local democracy and the integration of environmental concerns into national, regional and local political processes. In addition, two CORLEAP reports were adopted at the meeting, on “The role and place of local democracy and decentralisation in the modernization and consolidation of democratic processes in the EaP” and on “Localising the green agenda of the EaP”.
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