CALM membership was officially approved

During the CLO meeting held in Sofia on 14th June 2010, the Committee of Liason Officers approved CALM as a successor of NALMM in NALAS. The establishment of CALM was initiated by NLAMM through a long process closely supported and followed by NALAS. Actually CALM has 350 members, among them the capital and the bigger cities of Moldova and covers about 2 million of inhabitants of the country (2/3 of actual population). The association is already recognized as the main partner of the Central Government in Decentralization reform is being involved in several consultative bodies: Parity commission, Special Parliamentary commission on decentralization, various working groups. CALM is being very active in defending its member’s rights and already started to provide services to them. The association adopted a declaration on current situation of local government in Moldova, elaborated and proposed to Government a vision on decentralization process and made proposals for urgent improvement of legislation, negotiated with Government to “soften” the decision on cutting staff expenses in local units from “mandatory” to “recommended”. CALM stopped enactment of a weak draft Code of Education and produced comments to improve the draft. In the short time after its establishment, CALM organized 7 regional trainings on European funds.  

NALAS Declaration on Active Involvement of Local Authorities of South East Europe in EU Integration Process

During its 5th general assembly held in Istanbul on December 11, 2009, NALAS, the network of 15 local governments’ associations of South East Europe, adopted a declaration addressing the role of the local authorities of South East Europe in the EU Integration Process. This declaration is a result of a continuous commitment of NALAS and its members to an effective process of EU integration and a round table discussion at the NALAS General Assembly meeting.  

Talent for Governance

In 2010 Talent for Governance will provide a limited amount of scholarships to young, talented and motivated civil servants, working for local governments in developing countries and Eastern European (non-EU) countries. The courses offer an opportunity to see, do and experience governance from a typically local point of view. Contributions and cases come from local governance experts from all parts of the world. By following these courses, the civil servants will develop the knowledge and skills they need to improve living conditions in their local societies. Teh application period is from 9 December 2009 to 1 March 2010.

Economic and financial crisis: impact on towns and regions worse than thought!

Contrary to statements by EU and international institutions that 2010 will see an economic and financial improvement, Europe's local and regional authorities fear that 2010 will be as difficult as 2009 or even worse. This is the main finding of CEMR's second survey on the impact of the crisis on Europe's towns and regions. The survey was compiled from the data provided by 32 associations of local and regional government members of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions.  

Brochure “Western Balkans: How residents view their local authorities”

In cooperation with CEMR and Gallup, NALAS has prepared a brochure “Western Balkans: How residents view their local authorities”. It presents the most important findings from the Gallup Balkan Monitor survey at a local level, that will be published in Autumn 2009. The report summarizes findings relevant to local governments in the Western Balkans, collected in the 2008 wave of the Gallup Balkan Monitor (GBM) - a multi-year project undertaken by Gallup and the European Fund for the Balkans (EFB). It examines how changes in various aspects of life in the Western Balkans are perceived over a period of time.    

Role of Local Government Associations of South East Europe in Training Delivery to Local Authorities

During February 2008, NALAS surveyed its members to gather facts and best practices, challenges and recommendations for strengthening their training capacities. The survey covered several important issues, such as the development and implementation of a National Training Strategy, Training Delivery, the Training Capacities of Associations and the funding of training; it identified good and bad experiences and set out key questions in all these fields. This Survey Report, The Role of Local Government Associations in Training Delivery at Local Level, presents the most significant findings and offers policy recommendations.  

NALAS PCM Training, held in Ptuj, Slovenia, 16-17 July 2008

NALAS workshop on Project Cycle Management was organized on 16-17 July in Ptuj, Slovenia, in cooperation with Oikos, Slovenian consultancy company. The event was hosted by the Slovenian Association of Municipalities (SOS), while the participants were representatives of NALAS member associations’ staff responsible for project preparation and implementation. The purpose of the workshop was to get acquainted with Slovenian experiences on the use of EU funds, as well as to learn through tips and tricks on programming, funds available, preparation of project proposals and budgets according to the EU rules, as well as on the establishment of winning consortia.
 Event website