The year 2011 is drawing to a close and we can again say that it has been an extremely busy and successful one for our Association.

Europe is much different now than at the beginning of the passed year. One could hardly say how much it will change in 2012. The financial crisis, which hit the economies of all the European States, and then afflicted so much the Eurozone, is now setting the agenda of all the European summits.

ALDA will attend the European Development Days (EDD) in Warsaw (Poland) on the 15-16 December 2011. EDD is Europe’s premier forum on international affairs and development cooperation and it is organised by the European Commission and the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

A training on Strategic Planning was held on 10 to 12.12.2011 in Prijedor, organised by the Association of Citizens “DON” Prijedor. Trainers was Murisa Maric (DON Prijedor), and Snezana Svetlana Šešlija (ToPeeR Doboj).

The ALDA President, Mr. Per Vinther, met recently with the Rector of the the “Uniwersytet Kazimierza Wielkiego” in Bydgoszcz, Professor Józef Kubik.

Mrs. Antonella Valmorbida, ALDA Director, was appointed coordinator of the sub group on Local Government and Public Administration Reform, of the Working Group 1 (Democracy and Human rights) of the EAP Civil Society Forum.

Upon successfully finished joint European Voluntary Service project, LDA Central and Southern Serbia, based in Niš, has been invited by Associação Mais Cidadania to join their international “More Citizenship Network”.

The LDA Kosovo with its further activities will be a bridge towards Europe not only for the host city, Peje/Pec, but for the all the country as a whole.

Programme 2012 and development of the LDAs were the main topics of the ALDA Governing Board held in Rome in the representative office of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (18 November 2011).

Restudy the recent history of European countries to strengthen the ideals of peace, tolerance and participation and help the building of an Europe ever more land of cohesion, stability and prosperity.

The Local Democracy Agency (LDA) in Kosovo, organised by ALDA, the Association of Local Democracy Agencies, under the auspices of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, in cooperation with its international and local partners, will be operative by the end of 2011.

More participation of citizens, more countries involved, more debate on the issues and European values.
This is the idea of the European Commission for the reform of twinning in the next program, 2014-2020, confirming the budget of 30 million a year to fund the twinning projects with the intention of making more effective their performance.

Yerevan hosted a conference entitled “Eastern Partnership: National & European Dynamics” that has been organised by the International Center for Human Development (Armenia) in cooperation with the EU delegation to Armenia.

Reacting to the economic and governance crisis that is sweeping Europe with negative effects, due to the narrowing of public spending, directly for the citizens, who are losing the necessary social services that local and regional authorities are struggling to provide.

ALDA has organised as partner leader of the project STAND.UP, an International Conference on “Mobility and volunteering in town twinning – Exchange of methodologies between Local Authorities and Civil Society” which will take place in Venice on 15 and 16 November