“Many of the reforms in the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, aimed at accelerating socio-economic convergence with the European market, will be delivered, or felt most directly, at the local level. From improving services and infrastructure to supporting local businesses, strengthening social inclusion and carrying out environmental and investment projects, local and regional authorities turn EU accession-related reforms into practical change,” underlined Congress President Gunn Marit Helgesen in Brussels on 4 November, addressing representatives of the European Union as well as local elected representatives from the Western Balkans, the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS) and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR).
Opening the peer exchange on EU enlargement, ‘Local voices shaping European choices’, organised by CEMR under the auspices of the EU/Council of Europe joint programme Local Observatory on Reform Agendas Implementation (LORAI), the Congress President emphasised that local self-government was essential to translating the democratic standards required of EU candidates into reality.
She pointed out that implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government was vital to the enlargement process because it recognises the importance of multilevel governmental dialogue for shaping and delivering the reforms necessary for accession. “It is crucial for local and regional authorities to be involved in enlargement processes. They should have a seat at the negotiation table and contribute their views and experiences in a systematic and timely manner in order to influence decisions,” said the President.
The Congress supports these endeavours through the LORAI programme, which aims to strengthen the role and capacities of local authorities in the Western Balkans in implementing and monitoring their reform agendas under the EU Reform and Growth Facility.
On 4 and 5 November, Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori presented the LORAI programme to the meetings of the European Committee of the Regions on EU accession processes in, respectively, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Local and regional authorities must be recognised as active partners in accession. Their participation brings local evidence into decision-making, strengthens accountability and helps ensure that reforms deliver real benefits for citizens,” he said.
