Mois : mars2017

In the framework of the PAL European project (cofounded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme of the European Union), on 4 and 5 April 2017 the Conference of Awareness Raising Campaign Employ me will be held in Diepenbeek (Belgium).

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Project PAL was created to fight discrimination and anti-Gypsyism in education and employment inside the EU. We are aiming to develop a comprehensive approach and endorse a number of goals in education, employment in order to speed up Roma Intergration.

The Conference will be an opportunity for exchanging experiences and best practices among project partners and professionals who are active in the field of employment of Roma people. We believe that the conference will be the best opportunity to create a common space where professionals and experts can work and develop collaborations and share experiences in Roma employment.

Some of the topics which will be discussed are:

1. Employment rights for Romani people
2. Employment and economic alternatives for Roma in EU
3. Social entrepreneurship
4. IT sector for economic alternatives for Roma
5. Microcredit and other experiences of Roma support centers

Best practices recognized by project partners will be presented and discussed.

Participation at the conference is free of charge, but registration is needed.

You can also download the banner and disseminate this news to all who might be interested to participate.

The forum “EU perspectives for local authorities” was officially opened on the 29 March in Bitola, Macedonia. This is the first forum of this type that is being organized in the country.

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“Republic of Macedonia sees its perspective in the European Union, so it’s good for the Local self-government to focus on that purpose through implementing local policies. Local authorities have a significant role in this process,” said Shiret Elezi, Minister of Local Self-Government in Macedonia, during the opening of the forum “EU perspectives for local authorities”.

The three-day-long event organized by ALDA Skopje gathered 80 participants – representatives of municipalities, Ministries, Centers for Regional Development and CSOs.

During the forum, which is first of its kind organized in Macedonia, his Excellency Mr. Christian Thimonier, the Ambassador of France to Macedonia, took part in the panel discussions together with several mayors, civil servants, representatives of international organizations and experts on the subject of decentralization, EU integration and EU funds.

Finally, conclusions and recommendations from a research conducted on the topic of the use of EU funds by Local authorities were presented by the director of ALDA Skopje, Ms. Ivana Petrovska. Trainings and debates for project development were delivered by Anna Ditta, Project Development Officer in ALDA and Marco Boaria, Head of Resources and Development Unit in ALDA.

The Forum is organized by ALDA Skopje in the framework of the Programme for Decentralized cooperation between Normandy and Macedonia, coordinated by ALDA, in cooperation with the Ministry for Local Self-Government and the Secretariat for European Affairs in Macedonia. The project was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France and the region Normandy.

ALDA is proud to report about an active stance of Patras Municipality (Greece) in ARRIVAL CITIES project. Patras Municipality, member of ALDA, confirms its commitment in supporting the values of democracy and citizen participation on the local level.

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The European Anti-Racism Week 2017 provided an excellent opportunity to raise an awareness of importance ARRIVAL CITIES project has in building inclusive societies. “Patras Municipal Development Enterprise for Planning & Development-ADEP SA” (being the project partner organisation) organised an event where various representatives from education, culture, business, consulting, civil society sectors had the opportunity to find out more about the progress of project implementation and how this project is linked with the intercultural strategy of the city and with the values of the European Anti-Racism Week.

The starting speech was delivered by Mrs Ira KOURI, President of “Patras Park of Educational Activities” referring to the importance of intercultural dialogue and the management of intercultural character of a city for the benefit of ALL its citizens. Transferring the greetings of the Mayor of Patras, Mr Kostas Peletides, she declared the commitment of the city in protecting human rights, respecting equality and provide platforms for co-creation for all. This was followed by the speech of Mrs. Chrissa Geraga, being the Head of the Planning Department and Networking of ADEP SA and local scientific coordinator of ARRIVAL CITIES in Patras, with a very focused presentation on the project, the principles of participatory planning and the benefits of networking through information and exchange of good practices at transnational level.

Then activities were implemented by the migrants associations, namely Association of Russian Community in cooperation with Institute of Intercultural Relations, Association of Romanian Community, UNIONLATINA and Association of Albanian Community (EMIGRANTI). Emphasis was put on the involvement of youngsters who exploited theatre, music, dance and narration presenting stories related to solidarity, equality, friendship, diversity as well as important information on the countries of origin. A celebration spirit embraced the whole event revealing dynamism and enthusiasm of expression. The discussion that followed focused on types of co-creation, on the conduction of the local action plan and on the communication means of ARRIVAL CITIES project. A promise was made for maintaining active involvement at local level and exploiting the precious transnational project dimension.

ARRIVAL CITIES material is already posted on the project site and is available to everyone. Subscribing to the newsletter provides further information and possibility for promoting related actions. At the same time, the project is active with groups in social media such as facebook (Arrival Cities Network) and twitter (@arrivalcities) giving the opportunity to anyone who wishes to participate electronically, encouraging awareness and cooperation. The project is funded by the URBACT III program (2014-2020), under axe 1.1.2 “To improve the design of sustainable urban strategies and action plans in cities”

Liens utiles:

ARRIVAL CITIES project website
Facebook (Arrival Cities Network)
Twitter (@arrivalcities)

ALDA took part in the fifth global meeting of the Policy Forum on Development (PFD) and its public consultation, on 21-23 March in Brussels.

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The organised consultation allowed the European Commission to evaluate the external financing instruments of the European Union, gathering evidence of their performance towards achieving Development Goals, while starting to think about the future set of goals, after 2020.

The meeting mobilized more than 160 representatives from civil society organisations (CSOs), associations of Local Authorities (LAs) and representatives from the European Commission and EU Member States. The exchange was focused around two clusters:

• WHAT: stakeholders’ stands and inputs on the general direction of EU development policy;
• HOW: foster the implementation of EU Consensus on Development and 2030 Agenda (SDGs: Peace/People/Prosperity/Planet/Partnerships) with the help of inclusive multi-stakeholder partnerships.

Dialogue-consultation was led by the Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO). It was aimed to let the CSOs from South-East Europe countries, undergoing the accession negotiation process with the EU, share their experiences and also learn from the CSOs and LAs of the EU and partner countries, as well as European institutions. As a result, the importance of two listed below was especially emphasised:

• Approach of International decentralised co-operation and inclusive partnerships for development;
• Having a space for a multi-stakeholder dialogue on the EU level to discuss development issues.

ALDA affirms its presence in Rome during the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

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ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida, together with Governing Board Member Francesco Zarzana, President of the cultural Association Progettarte, and European Citizenship programmes Coordinator Aldo Xhani, took part in the march held in Rome, Italy, on the occasion of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome.

ALDA also participated at the related events organised by European Movement International and by CIME, its Italian council, considering fundamental its presence not only at the march but also within the entire course of the celebration, in order to demonstrate its support for an integrated and federalist Europe, while the EU Heads of State and Government adopted the declaration on a renovated unity.

In order to safeguard the European project, ALDA promoted a strong representation of its whole network of 250 members and local authorities with whom they cooperate. For this reason, ALDA representative staff marched, together with their members, convinced that a more integrated Europe passes through the involvement of local authorities and citizens.

This occasion was crucial for ALDA, thanks to the fact that it adopted the declaration “Changing course to Europe”, drafted and promoted by the European Movement Italy. This statement underlines the need for a Europe of peace, solidarity, justice and democracy, in order to avoid serious errors and tragedies of the past and also to look further growing and achieving a peaceful and united future.

During the Forum “Changing course to Europe” ALDA Governing Board member, Francesco Zarzana, addressed all the stakeholders on the concept of a more democratic Union. He said: “We need a more democratic and participative Europe, also to overcome the Euroscepticism, by putting the European citizens in a central position thanks to programmes like “Europe for Citizens – One program, 500 million voices”, a cardinal programme which enable European citizens to connect with their peers and help them building a better Union.”

Liens utiles:
Declaration: “Changing course to Europe”

ALDA in Rome on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

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ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida, together with Governing Board Member Francesco Zarzana, President of the cultural Association Progettarte, and European Citizenship programmes Coordinator Aldo Xhani, are currently in Rome, Italy, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome by attending events organised by European Movement International and by CIME, its Italian council.

Other Members of ALDA are also taking parts in the events: in order to safeguard the European project, ALDA promoted a strong representation of its 250 members and local authorities with whom they cooperate; local authorities and citizens working together for the good of their communities represent, in fact, the cornerstone for the Europe we want.

ALDA considered the participation in the march that will be held tomorrow a crucial opportunity to reaffirm its support for the European project, with the awareness that the related events represent a moment of mutual understanding and debate on issues of citizen participation, good governance and the role of local authorities in the current European context.

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, ALDA also adopted the statement “The Europe we want: Just, Sustainable, Democratic and Inclusive”, drafted on the initiative of WWF, ETUC, CONCORD, European Movement International, European Women’s Lobby and European Youth Forum, which reminds us how far Europe has come since 1957, and how far we all wish to reach a peaceful and united future. This is a common path to be covered by sharing the values at the very heart of Europe, namely democracy and participation, equality and social justice, solidarity and sustainability, respect for the rule of law and human rights.

Through this Statement, which invites all of us to listen to the European people in order to achieve a better future, ALDA also wanted to confirm its commitment and dedication to the project “Europe for Citizens – One program, 500 million voices!“, a program that makes the voice of the European people heard.

Liens utiles:

March for Europe Agenda

Europe for Citizens – One programme, 500 million voices!

ALDA set up a scholarship in memory of its Honorary President, Gianfranco Martini, which is given on an annual basis.

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The call for application is open to university students and researchers proposing a study work or project dealing with the topics of local democracy, engagement of civil society and/or interethnic dialogue. The aim is to receive high-quality academic research and analysis for ALDA’s fields of activity in order to develop further strategies on these topics.

The applications will be selected on the following criteria:

• Originality and innovation of the proposal
• Timeliness and relevance of the research
• Clear definition and formulation of the research project’s objectives and how it will be implemented
• Relevance for ALDA’s work regarding local democracy, civil society engagement and interethnic dialogue
• Research that builds a link between theory and practice.

Applications will be assessed by ALDA Governing Board members.

For additional information about how to apply, who is eligible, the documents required and the criteria for projects selection, please visit the application document.

All applications should be sent in electronic version at latest by 22nd April 2017 to: Matteo.mirigliano@aldaintranet.org.

Liens utiles:
 Application document