ALDA, Lev Sapieha Foundation, and the International Consortium “Eurobelarus” participated in the Civil Society Consultation on 25th September at the EU Delegation office in Minsk, Belarus.

The three associations strongly support the approach given by the new programme CSO/LA in Belarus, which has a great potentiality in supporting the development of local and regional authorities.

With a statement released on 3rd October, they called for several concrete actions in support of local governance and civil society participation in the country:

• The adoption and ratification of the principle of the European Charter on Local Self Government and support the work of the Congress of the Council of Europe in this matter
• The use of the Code for Good Practices on Civil Participation in Decision Making, developed by the Conference of the International Non-Governmental Organizations of the Council of Europe
• Concreate actions to address local authorities autonomy and competences, such as a first development of fiscal decentralization
• Focus on projects proposed by the local authorities which would involve substantially civil society groups in all the phases of its development
• Support the involvement of the European Partners in the programmes.

Read the full statement (.pdf)