"Through this 'Community of Practice' initiative, we can broaden our co-operation with the southern Mediterranean, creating a platform for exchanging experiences on the challenges we share," said Congress Vice-President Xavier Cadoret speaking at the launch of a Euro-Mediterranean network of local and regional authorities, held online on 3 November 2021.

Launched by the Congress as part of the South IV Programme, this initiative aims to facilitate the sharing of experiences and networking on decentralisation and local and regional self-government between the countries of the southern Mediterranean.

"This initiative is a first in the Mediterranean region and I am convinced of the added value of these peer-to-peer exchanges on issues of common interest, not only between Europe and the Southern Mediterranean, but also between elected representatives from the South", said Andreas Kiefer, Secretary General of the Congress at the opening of this event. 

The event brought together representatives of central authorities and delegations of Partners for Local Democracy to the Congress from Morocco and Tunisia, as well as partners from the MENA region representing Jordan and the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA).

It identified common challenges in terms of local and regional governance, including the lack of resources of communities, the status and working conditions of elected officials, the mistrust of citizens but also the difficulties created by the health and environmental crisis and the protection of health.

Although national contexts vary greatly, exchanges of experience and networking among peers represent a key tool for sharing knowledge and practices developed to improve the quality of decentralised governance.

Following this event, working groups will work on the three priority topics identified: participatory democracy, status of elected representatives and local finances.

The South Programme IV is a joint programme of the Council of Europe and the European Union, financed by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.

See also:

• Programme of the event FR and  ARA
• Speech by Andreas KIEFER, Secretary General of the Congress
• South-Med Partnership Programme