Purpose of the Study on Decentralized Cooperation. The European Commission has commissioned a study on Decentralized Cooperation, which is due to be finalized by October 2012. The study aims to give an overview of the policy trends of European Member States and the European Commission regarding decentralized cooperation, their main strategies, with recommendations on how to improve the added value of the EC programmes and instruments supporting decentralized cooperation in the next EU multi-annual framework period (2014-2020), and how to ensure complementarity with strategies of Member States. The study is carried out by Mr. Agustí Fernandez de Losada, who CIB members may know from his former position as director of the international department of the Provincial Council of Barcelona.
PLATFORMA members were invited by the European Commission to exchange ideas on five specific questions, regarding the complementarity of Member States and the EC, and the ways in which PLATFORMA members would see decentralized cooperation within the future EU Multi-Annual financial framework.
The CIB Working Group secretariat was present, to offer experience, knowledge and information regarding the CIB members and to inform about the various publications underway that are at some points looking at the same issues. Other participants were Cités Unies France and AFCCRE from France, the Government of Catalonia, a representative from the Latvian local government association and a representative from CPMR (conference on peripheral martime regions).
Needs for the new programming period
PLATFORMA called for recognition of the public nature of local and regional authorities, to which a broader range of programmes should be available, including at the level of the EU delegations, with more accessible funds and longer-term contracts. The CIB secretariat in this regard also highlighted the important roles of local government associations in partner countries and the risk of them becoming project implementation unites, as they become too dependent on donor support. They need to be supported by experienced LGAs in order to develop their own capacities to implement their core tasks, including lobbying on behalf of their members in national dialogues on development strategies.
The CIB Working Group further highlighted that the European Commission can play a complementary role to that of Member States particularly in the spirit of coordination and harmonization: the EC should explicitly stimulate to close the gap between the various MIC programmes, to allow for joint action and joint programming, which currently does not happen due to the many constraints at the level of the national government.
Other PLATFORMA members also called for an increased visibility of the theme at the level of the EEAS and for opportunities for local and regional governments that have not yet benefited from funding, particularly from new Member States, to ensure that there are incentives for them to present project proposals.
Follow up from the European Commission
The theme of decentralization will be mainstreamed in all the priority sectors of the new policy. The budget of the Non State Actors and Local Authorities budget will increase in the new framework.
The Communication on local and regional governments in development will be published at the beginning of next year. The European Commission will organize various workshops to gather the input from local and regional governments.