Enter the contest: write your Declaration to Europe and join our FestivALDA 2021!
Every year Europe Day celebrates peace and unity in Europe, marking the moment in which the former French foreign minister Robert Schuman held his speech in Paris, on May 9th, 1950.
. Schuman Declaration set the basis for a more cooperative and united Europe, with no space for violence and hate: a Europe just like Schuman himself was imagining and acting for.
Today, after 70 years, ALDA wants to renew our love and commitment for the European project, to make it stronger and support its improvement day by day. As during Schuman’s time, the Europe we live in is not perfect, but it’s by far the best achievement we’ve accomplished as one big community, a Europe which gifted us with the longest period of peace of all times.
For this reason, ALDA is opening a call to all EU citizens (aged 18+) for a “New Declaration”, to affirm once again why and how intensely the European project is relevant, and to express our wishes and thoughts for its future, our future, just like Schuman did.
Send your Declaration by November 30th to alda@aldaintranet.org. The author of the most significant Declaration will win the participation to the FestivALDA, a 3-day event taking place in spring-summer 2021 (exact dates and location TBD), where you will get the chance to read your Declaration out loud in front of all our members and partners!
Requirements: the Declaration shall be written in English and not exceed 5,000 characters (spaces excluded). For any further information, please write to: alda@aldaintranet.org
Every year Europe Day celebrates peace and unity in Europe, marking the moment in which the former French foreign minister Robert Schuman held his speech in Paris, on May 9th, 1950.
. Schuman Declaration set the basis for a more cooperative and united Europe, with no space for violence and hate: a Europe just like Schuman himself was imagining and acting for.
Today, after 70 years, ALDA wants to renew our love and commitment for the European project, to make it stronger and support its improvement day by day. As during Schuman’s time, the Europe we live in is not perfect, but it’s by far the best achievement we’ve accomplished as one big community, a Europe which gifted us with the longest period of peace of all times.
For this reason, ALDA is opening a call to all EU citizens (aged 18+) for a “New Declaration”, to affirm once again why and how intensely the European project is relevant, and to express our wishes and thoughts for its future, our future, just like Schuman did.
Send your Declaration by November 30th to alda@aldaintranet.org. The author of the most significant Declaration will win the participation to the FestivALDA, a 3-day event taking place in spring-summer 2021 (exact dates and location TBD), where you will get the chance to read your Declaration out loud in front of all our members and partners!
Requirements: the Declaration shall be written in English and not exceed 5,000 characters (spaces excluded). For any further information, please write to: alda@aldaintranet.org
An EPIC Steering Committee meeting: analysis and future plans
On July 6th-7th, 2020, the EPIC project convened its second Steering Committee meeting, led by EPIC project coordinator Dolinda Cavallo with the participation of representatives from the whole consortium.
The 2-day online exchange aimed to analyze and evaluate the work achieved during the first six months of project implementation, and to define the upcoming steps of the project.
The first day was launched with a short introduction from the project coordinator, as representative of ALDA as lead partner of the project, regarding EPIC’s latest accomplishments and updates; followed by a presentation by Dr. Giovanna Astolfo, of the Bartlett DPU, about the ongoing surveys and research.
The meeting also served as a round table to discuss the next steps for the project: EPIC partners will next meet in Madrid in October 2020 for an in-depth collective brainstorming on what integration services particularly need improving through the job-shadowing activity. In connection to this, ADL-Z presented how this phase of matchmaking will be structured; and, finally, AEIDL – the partner in charge of the communication activities – explained the latest updates concerning the project website, which will be ready soon! During the second day, and following another quick overview of project updates by the project coordinator, the meeting then focused on financial questions and on communication and monitoring issues.
All EPIC partners were actively engaged in the meeting, noted the significant achievements of the project in its first semester and came to a unanimous agreement on how to proceed in the next few months. As lead partners of the project, we are grateful and honoured for their important contributions as part of the consortium, and very much looking forward to keeping the good work up! In the meantime, the EPIC newsletter is online: subscribe здесь to receive it!
On July 6th-7th, 2020, the EPIC project convened its second Steering Committee meeting, led by EPIC project coordinator Dolinda Cavallo with the participation of representatives from the whole consortium.
The 2-day online exchange aimed to analyze and evaluate the work achieved during the first six months of project implementation, and to define the upcoming steps of the project.
The first day was launched with a short introduction from the project coordinator, as representative of ALDA as lead partner of the project, regarding EPIC’s latest accomplishments and updates; followed by a presentation by Dr. Giovanna Astolfo, of the Bartlett DPU, about the ongoing surveys and research.
The meeting also served as a round table to discuss the next steps for the project: EPIC partners will next meet in Madrid in October 2020 for an in-depth collective brainstorming on what integration services particularly need improving through the job-shadowing activity. In connection to this, ADL-Z presented how this phase of matchmaking will be structured; and, finally, AEIDL – the partner in charge of the communication activities – explained the latest updates concerning the project website, which will be ready soon! During the second day, and following another quick overview of project updates by the project coordinator, the meeting then focused on financial questions and on communication and monitoring issues.
All EPIC partners were actively engaged in the meeting, noted the significant achievements of the project in its first semester and came to a unanimous agreement on how to proceed in the next few months. As lead partners of the project, we are grateful and honoured for their important contributions as part of the consortium, and very much looking forward to keeping the good work up! In the meantime, the EPIC newsletter is online: subscribe здесь to receive it!
“Unlocking diversity” with the European Migrants Entrepreneurship Network
Covid-19 certainly didn’t stop the third annual event of the European Migrants Entrepreneurship Network (EMEN) project! On the contrary, in the month of June the EMEN Consortium hosted a series of four webinars on the subject of “unlocking diversity”, where each webinar analysed the way diversity specifically contributes to the development of new businesses and to the better inclusion and integration of vulnerable groups into society and cities. In the particular context of Covid-19, this was also a time to reflect on the capacities of migrant entrepreneurs to overcome crises.
The topic of the first webinar was Access to finance in times of crisis, which highlighted inclusive finance, new types of financing such as crowdfunding, the involvement of different stakeholders in businesses, and help from public authorities -especially the European Union- as key solutions for the development and success of migrant entrepreneurs.
The second webinar then focused on Resilience of diverse cities and communities in times of crisis. Unlocking diversity is a pathway to inclusion and integration, a way to reduce inequalities and a contribution to everyone’s quality of living: the intervention of our Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida on the topic revealed that local authorities are the real engine in providing the needed answers to their communities as well as in addressing difficulties and social challenges. By presenting projects implemented by ALDA that aim to foster diversity and promote inclusion at the local level, she highlighted that the synergies between local authorities and civil society should be even more enhanced, as reflected in the very core of ALDA’s mission: the strengthening of the resilience of local communities and the promotion of diversity. Read more about this webinar ЗДЕСЬ.
The third session in the series, in turn, brought attention to the essence of migrant entrepreneurship and business associations. Panelists demonstrated that inclusive entrepreneurship contributes to social inclusion and gives all people an equal opportunity to start and generate businesses. Today, it’s time for institutions and public authorities to re-imagine and rethink migrant entrepreneurs development and integration through the establishment of a new and more inclusive entrepreneurship framework.
Finally, the series came to an end with a discussion on Corporate Social Responsibility support in times of crisis. Corporate Social Responsibility, i.e. the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society, means choosing continuous improvement and inclusiveness of various issues to have a more positive impact on stakeholders, society and the environment on a regular basis; it is, thankfully, an increasing practice in the business field as well as a great way to meet tomorrow’s challenges – from environmental issues to social inequalities, diversity and digitalization.
All four webinars invited civil society, classical businesses and public authorities to think about how migrants can be supported in order for them to develop new activities and be integrated in their host society, and many encouraging solutions were proposed. Unlocking diversity is a beautiful human adventure that is worth the effort! The series aptly mirrors the engagement of the EMEN Consortium in creating a European network of organisations to support the economic integration of migrant entrepreneurs through the implementation of three Communities of Practice, i.e. coaching and mentoring; access to finance; and professionalisation of migrant entrepreneurs’ associations.
EMEN – European Migrants Entrepreneurship Network: crossing borders for financial and business development services is a 3-year project within the COSME programme with a 12-partner Consortium which works on developing, sharing and promoting support schemes for individual migrant entrepreneurs and for social and inclusive enterprises benefitting migrants.
Covid-19 certainly didn’t stop the third annual event of the European Migrants Entrepreneurship Network (EMEN) project! On the contrary, in the month of June the EMEN Consortium hosted a series of four webinars on the subject of “unlocking diversity”, where each webinar analysed the way diversity specifically contributes to the development of new businesses and to the better inclusion and integration of vulnerable groups into society and cities. In the particular context of Covid-19, this was also a time to reflect on the capacities of migrant entrepreneurs to overcome crises.
The topic of the first webinar was Access to finance in times of crisis, which highlighted inclusive finance, new types of financing such as crowdfunding, the involvement of different stakeholders in businesses, and help from public authorities -especially the European Union- as key solutions for the development and success of migrant entrepreneurs.
The second webinar then focused on Resilience of diverse cities and communities in times of crisis. Unlocking diversity is a pathway to inclusion and integration, a way to reduce inequalities and a contribution to everyone’s quality of living: the intervention of our Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida on the topic revealed that local authorities are the real engine in providing the needed answers to their communities as well as in addressing difficulties and social challenges. By presenting projects implemented by ALDA that aim to foster diversity and promote inclusion at the local level, she highlighted that the synergies between local authorities and civil society should be even more enhanced, as reflected in the very core of ALDA’s mission: the strengthening of the resilience of local communities and the promotion of diversity. Read more about this webinar ЗДЕСЬ.
The third session in the series, in turn, brought attention to the essence of migrant entrepreneurship and business associations. Panelists demonstrated that inclusive entrepreneurship contributes to social inclusion and gives all people an equal opportunity to start and generate businesses. Today, it’s time for institutions and public authorities to re-imagine and rethink migrant entrepreneurs development and integration through the establishment of a new and more inclusive entrepreneurship framework.
Finally, the series came to an end with a discussion on Corporate Social Responsibility support in times of crisis. Corporate Social Responsibility, i.e. the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society, means choosing continuous improvement and inclusiveness of various issues to have a more positive impact on stakeholders, society and the environment on a regular basis; it is, thankfully, an increasing practice in the business field as well as a great way to meet tomorrow’s challenges – from environmental issues to social inequalities, diversity and digitalization.
All four webinars invited civil society, classical businesses and public authorities to think about how migrants can be supported in order for them to develop new activities and be integrated in their host society, and many encouraging solutions were proposed. Unlocking diversity is a beautiful human adventure that is worth the effort! The series aptly mirrors the engagement of the EMEN Consortium in creating a European network of organisations to support the economic integration of migrant entrepreneurs through the implementation of three Communities of Practice, i.e. coaching and mentoring; access to finance; and professionalisation of migrant entrepreneurs’ associations.
EMEN – European Migrants Entrepreneurship Network: crossing borders for financial and business development services is a 3-year project within the COSME programme with a 12-partner Consortium which works on developing, sharing and promoting support schemes for individual migrant entrepreneurs and for social and inclusive enterprises benefitting migrants.
Supporting touristic development in Armenia: a promising grant agreement with COAF!
On July 3rd, 2020 ALDA and Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) signed a grant agreement within the framework of the “Citizens’ Voice and Actions on Local Development in Consolidated Communities in Armenia” project. Though ALDA couldn’t physically be in Yerevan for the ceremony, the Association was well represented by the lead partner of the project consortium in the person of Abraham Artashesyan, Deputy Chairman of the Ассоциация финансистов сообществ (CFOA).
Проект «COAF’s mission is to foster sustainable development in rural communities through the activation and utilization of resources. The development of tourism and hospitality allows for significant economic growth. There is a big bunch of natural and man-made opportunities in the Lori region, the literate and innovative emphasis of which will lead to unprecedented growth in the tourism sector”, stated COAF Managing Director Korioun Khatchadourian.
The Fund’s competitive and multi-field project is one of the two winning programmes out of the dozens of worthy applications for sub-grants that were received and will be geared towards fostering the growth of tourism and outdoor activities in the Lori region by maximising the resources of the COAF SMART Center and the Visitor Center by COAF.
Проект «The experience of COAF in the sphere of tourism in the Lori region, with the components of its capacity-building, tourism development, and involvement of young people, is truly valuable for us. The opportunities and resources that COAF will invest in the grant program will enable us to achieve our goals in a faster and more efficient way” explained Mr Artashesyan.
The larger goal of the project is to enhance the capacity of communities of Armenia in designing and implementing people-centered and sustainable local development projects, with the first component of the partnership targeting the capacity-building of locals from four nearby communities in the fields of entrepreneurship and hospitality services; while the second component of the project focuses on raising awareness on existing tourism activities and services in the Lori Region through COAF’s Visitor Center, located at the crossroad connecting the Armenia-Georgia highway with the inter-community road leading right to the COAF SMART Center.
“Citizens’ Voice and Actions on Local Development in Consolidated Communities in Armenia” is a 3-year project implemented by ALDA, CFOA and the Union of Communities of Armenia (UCA) with the support of the European Union.
On July 3rd, 2020 ALDA and Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) signed a grant agreement within the framework of the “Citizens’ Voice and Actions on Local Development in Consolidated Communities in Armenia” project. Though ALDA couldn’t physically be in Yerevan for the ceremony, the Association was well represented by the lead partner of the project consortium in the person of Abraham Artashesyan, Deputy Chairman of the Ассоциация финансистов сообществ (CFOA).
Проект «COAF’s mission is to foster sustainable development in rural communities through the activation and utilization of resources. The development of tourism and hospitality allows for significant economic growth. There is a big bunch of natural and man-made opportunities in the Lori region, the literate and innovative emphasis of which will lead to unprecedented growth in the tourism sector”, stated COAF Managing Director Korioun Khatchadourian.
The Fund’s competitive and multi-field project is one of the two winning programmes out of the dozens of worthy applications for sub-grants that were received and will be geared towards fostering the growth of tourism and outdoor activities in the Lori region by maximising the resources of the COAF SMART Center and the Visitor Center by COAF.
Проект «The experience of COAF in the sphere of tourism in the Lori region, with the components of its capacity-building, tourism development, and involvement of young people, is truly valuable for us. The opportunities and resources that COAF will invest in the grant program will enable us to achieve our goals in a faster and more efficient way” explained Mr Artashesyan.
The larger goal of the project is to enhance the capacity of communities of Armenia in designing and implementing people-centered and sustainable local development projects, with the first component of the partnership targeting the capacity-building of locals from four nearby communities in the fields of entrepreneurship and hospitality services; while the second component of the project focuses on raising awareness on existing tourism activities and services in the Lori Region through COAF’s Visitor Center, located at the crossroad connecting the Armenia-Georgia highway with the inter-community road leading right to the COAF SMART Center.
“Citizens’ Voice and Actions on Local Development in Consolidated Communities in Armenia” is a 3-year project implemented by ALDA, CFOA and the Union of Communities of Armenia (UCA) with the support of the European Union.
Another important step for Media Dialogue: official grant agreements for media actors as drivers of democracy
Launched in March 2020 in spite of the difficult situation, the Kyrgyzstan-based Media Dialogue project is relentlessly proceeding with its implementation; July 3rd 2020 marked another crucial step towards the project goals, as an online event was organized to officially sign grant agreements with the four pre-selected grant winners, i.e.
- . www.24.kg news agency
- Radio Salam Kyrgyzstan (Daanazat)
- Promedia Plus
- . TV1KG TV channel.
Beating 23 other applications that ALDA had received as part of the запрос предложений it launched in April, in fact, each of these four finalist organizations will now receive up to 30,000 euro, as stipulated with this official signing of the grant agreements.
Проект «We are glad that we started to explore the region with Kyrgyzstan because, despite all the recent challenges, it remains one of the most democratic country in this part of the world”, stated ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida referring to the project being the first for ALDA in Central Asia. Indeed, in the past few years Kyrgyzstan experienced a good amount of political turmoil, going through revolutions in 2005 and 2010 that led to changes in the country’s leadership and to ethnic violence in the south, eventually culminating in a constitutional referendum in 2010 that reduced presidential powers and established a parliamentary system.
As expressed by Eastern Partnership & Central Asia Coordinator Alexandru Coica, “It is truly inspiring for us to see such interest [the 27 applications for the grants] because we know how challenging the current situation is for media institutions. Apart from the global pandemic situation, the local media are also affected by recent legislative initiatives that tend to negatively affect freedom of expression, access to information and media independence“.
Конечно, Медиа-диалог effectively wants to provide conflict prevention and mitigation tools ahead of the 2020 elections to avoid the repetition of past crises, and aims to do so by strengthening the capacity and responsibility of media actors to operate as drivers of democracy. To reach this goal, on the one hand the project wants to improve the legal environment affecting the media sector in Kyrgyzstan, so that the environment abides by international freedom of expression standards; on the other hand, it will help media actors play a stabilisation role as reliable relays of information and democratic watchdogs during the 2020 electoral cycle.
Launched in March 2020 in spite of the difficult situation, the Kyrgyzstan-based Media Dialogue project is relentlessly proceeding with its implementation; July 3rd 2020 marked another crucial step towards the project goals, as an online event was organized to officially sign grant agreements with the four pre-selected grant winners, i.e.
- . www.24.kg news agency
- Radio Salam Kyrgyzstan (Daanazat)
- Promedia Plus
- . TV1KG TV channel.
Beating 23 other applications that ALDA had received as part of the запрос предложений it launched in April, in fact, each of these four finalist organizations will now receive up to 30,000 euro, as stipulated with this official signing of the grant agreements.
Проект «We are glad that we started to explore the region with Kyrgyzstan because, despite all the recent challenges, it remains one of the most democratic country in this part of the world”, stated ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida referring to the project being the first for ALDA in Central Asia. Indeed, in the past few years Kyrgyzstan experienced a good amount of political turmoil, going through revolutions in 2005 and 2010 that led to changes in the country’s leadership and to ethnic violence in the south, eventually culminating in a constitutional referendum in 2010 that reduced presidential powers and established a parliamentary system.
As expressed by Eastern Partnership & Central Asia Coordinator Alexandru Coica, “It is truly inspiring for us to see such interest [the 27 applications for the grants] because we know how challenging the current situation is for media institutions. Apart from the global pandemic situation, the local media are also affected by recent legislative initiatives that tend to negatively affect freedom of expression, access to information and media independence“.
Конечно, Медиа-диалог effectively wants to provide conflict prevention and mitigation tools ahead of the 2020 elections to avoid the repetition of past crises, and aims to do so by strengthening the capacity and responsibility of media actors to operate as drivers of democracy. To reach this goal, on the one hand the project wants to improve the legal environment affecting the media sector in Kyrgyzstan, so that the environment abides by international freedom of expression standards; on the other hand, it will help media actors play a stabilisation role as reliable relays of information and democratic watchdogs during the 2020 electoral cycle.
Posizione aperta: project manager nell'Alto Vicentino
Sustainable Mediterranean cities: a high-level webinar on July 15th
In due completion of our ALDA 20th anniversary webinar series in celebration of ALDA’s 20 years of activity for local democracy, on Wednesday, July 15th 2020 at 2 pm CEST we will be honoured to open one last panel revolving on the Mediterranean area and its sustainable cities.
ALDA’s engagement in the Mediterranean has strengthened in various ways and shapes in the past few years, one of the most significant projects undertaken in 2020 being AUTREMENT, in the framework of DG DEVCO’s programme “Local authorities: partnerships for sustainable cities”. The project’s general objective is to promote a sustainable urban development in Kairouan and Mahdia (Tunisia) and therefore to ameliorate both the citizen’s quality of life and the touristic and economic attractiveness of those cities.
With this in mind, the webinar will see the introductory and conclusive speeches of ALDA President Ориано Оточан and ALDA Secretary General На первой панели, followed by the reflections of an expert panel moderated by ALDA Coordinator for the Mediterranean area Джулия Состеро to analyse the topic.
The Strasbourg Municipality (Сандрин Милле & Maxime Ammendolea), AUTREMENT project leader, will contribute on its engagement in the field, and on an overview of the AUTREMENT project itself. The Mayor of Kairouan (Tunisia), Radhouene Bouden, will then bring forth its city’s commitment to sustainable development and give an overview on the expected impact of the project. On its part, ASIMA Tunis, led by MedCities (Josep Canals I Molina) and also financed under the DG DEVCO “Local authorities: partnerships for sustainable cities” programme, aims to reinforce the urban planning of Tunis in its metropolitan dimension, favouring multi-level governance systems around a concertized and participative city.
And register here: https://bit.ly/MED_ALDA20years
Looking forward to joining thoughts and forces for the next actions in the Mediterranean!
In due completion of our ALDA 20th anniversary webinar series in celebration of ALDA’s 20 years of activity for local democracy, on Wednesday, July 15th 2020 at 2 pm CEST we will be honoured to open one last panel revolving on the Mediterranean area and its sustainable cities.
ALDA’s engagement in the Mediterranean has strengthened in various ways and shapes in the past few years, one of the most significant projects undertaken in 2020 being AUTREMENT, in the framework of DG DEVCO’s programme “Local authorities: partnerships for sustainable cities”. The project’s general objective is to promote a sustainable urban development in Kairouan and Mahdia (Tunisia) and therefore to ameliorate both the citizen’s quality of life and the touristic and economic attractiveness of those cities.
With this in mind, the webinar will see the introductory and conclusive speeches of ALDA President Ориано Оточан and ALDA Secretary General На первой панели, followed by the reflections of an expert panel moderated by ALDA Coordinator for the Mediterranean area Джулия Состеро to analyse the topic.
The Strasbourg Municipality (Сандрин Милле & Maxime Ammendolea), AUTREMENT project leader, will contribute on its engagement in the field, and on an overview of the AUTREMENT project itself. The Mayor of Kairouan (Tunisia), Radhouene Bouden, will then bring forth its city’s commitment to sustainable development and give an overview on the expected impact of the project. On its part, ASIMA Tunis, led by MedCities (Josep Canals I Molina) and also financed under the DG DEVCO “Local authorities: partnerships for sustainable cities” programme, aims to reinforce the urban planning of Tunis in its metropolitan dimension, favouring multi-level governance systems around a concertized and participative city.
And register here: https://bit.ly/MED_ALDA20years
Looking forward to joining thoughts and forces for the next actions in the Mediterranean!
Autrement project: a different start from most
We recently told you about it. In fact, the AUTREMENT Project – Urban and Territorial Planning to Reinvent Mobilities
and Engage Tunisian Citizens – officially started on June 1st of this year, in a very unique way, as the world was gently
getting out of the lockdown.
The project is the result of a partnership between local authorities of the cities of Strasbourg (https://www.strasbourg.eu/)
(France), Kairouan (https://www.facebook.com/municipalite.kairouan) and Mahdia (http://www.commune-mahdia.gov.tn/en)
(Tunisia) and ALDA, with the support of the European Union. It aims at coping with something more topical than ever –
sustainable urban mobility and planning – for a period of two and a half years. The municipalities of both cities, Kairouan and
Mahdia, which is located about 100 km from Kairouan, will work together with a large consortium of civil society
organisations, including ALDA, the CODATU Association (https://www.codatu.org/) and the CEREMA research centre
(https://www.cerema.fr/fr). The project will, in addition, rely on the expertise and local roots of the Local Democracy Agency
Tunisia (https://www.alda-europe.eu/newSite/lda_dett.php?id=15).
The initiative is made up of several micro-projects (7 in Kairouan and 3 in Mahdia) to renovate and better develop both cities
at the local and urban level, which had been previously identified by the municipalities through citizen consultations and are
meant to long-term improve the daily lives of Tunisians by continuing to engage and mobilise them for their city.
Despite the unusual circumstances dictated by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, all the stakeholders involved in the
AUTREMENT Project have already started working on it ahead of the official project launch, which is expected by the fall
of this year.
Until then, we invite you to get started learning more about the issue of sustainable cities in the Mediterranean region with
our next webinar on 15 July (https://www.alda-europe.eu/public/doc/Towards_ALDA_2020_Med_Agenda.pdf). Hoping to see
you there!
We recently told you about it. In fact, the AUTREMENT Project – Urban and Territorial Planning to Reinvent Mobilities
and Engage Tunisian Citizens – officially started on June 1st of this year, in a very unique way, as the world was gently
getting out of the lockdown.
The project is the result of a partnership between local authorities of the cities of Strasbourg (https://www.strasbourg.eu/)
(France), Kairouan (https://www.facebook.com/municipalite.kairouan) and Mahdia (http://www.commune-mahdia.gov.tn/en)
(Tunisia) and ALDA, with the support of the European Union. It aims at coping with something more topical than ever –
sustainable urban mobility and planning – for a period of two and a half years. The municipalities of both cities, Kairouan and
Mahdia, which is located about 100 km from Kairouan, will work together with a large consortium of civil society
organisations, including ALDA, the CODATU Association (https://www.codatu.org/) and the CEREMA research centre
(https://www.cerema.fr/fr). The project will, in addition, rely on the expertise and local roots of the Local Democracy Agency
Tunisia (https://www.alda-europe.eu/newSite/lda_dett.php?id=15).
The initiative is made up of several micro-projects (7 in Kairouan and 3 in Mahdia) to renovate and better develop both cities
at the local and urban level, which had been previously identified by the municipalities through citizen consultations and are
meant to long-term improve the daily lives of Tunisians by continuing to engage and mobilise them for their city.
Despite the unusual circumstances dictated by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, all the stakeholders involved in the
AUTREMENT Project have already started working on it ahead of the official project launch, which is expected by the fall
of this year.
Until then, we invite you to get started learning more about the issue of sustainable cities in the Mediterranean region with
our next webinar on 15 July (https://www.alda-europe.eu/public/doc/Towards_ALDA_2020_Med_Agenda.pdf). Hoping to see
you there!
Western Balkans' local authorities in EU accession and the Berlin process
After the sessions on the Eastern Partnership (https://www.alda-europe.eu/newSite/news_dett.php?id=2723) area and on
Europe (https://www.alda-europe.eu/newSite/news_dett.php?id=2724), on Friday, July 10th 2020 at 2 pm CEST the 3rd
event in our ALDa 20th anniversary webinar series will centre on the Western Balkans as key area of action for local
democracy in ALDA’s activities.
Despite the changing geo-political context and diverse obstacles encountered, the EU integration process remains a
priority in the Region, in relation to which the Berlin process was launched in 2014 as an initiative to encourage regional
cooperation between Western Balkan countries to facilitate reconciliation and good neighborly relations as pre-conditions for
EU accession.
While the process has been to date quite successful with many stakeholders, the channels of direct communication between
the EU institutions and Local Authorities in the Western Balkans remain very limited and rarely functional. In this light, the
webinar will aim to answer what is the role of Local Authorities in the EU accession process of Western Balkans, how they
can play a more significant role in regional cooperation, and how the EU can improve dialogue with local decision makers.
Alongside the introductory and conclusive speeches of ALDA President Oriano Otočan and ALDA Secretary General
Antonella Valmorbida, the event will be moderated by Ivana Petrovska, ALDA Director of Skopje office & SEE Regional
Programmes Coordinator, with the intervention of the following high-level speakers:
Andrej Zernovski, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia
Colin Wolfe, Head of Unit WB Regional Cooperation and Programmes (DG NEAR)
Nataša Vučković, Director, Foundation Center for Democracy
Nikola Dobroslavić, President of the Croatian Delegation to the European Committee of the Regions, member of the CIVEX
and COTER commissions and Prefect of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County.
Please find the complete agenda of the event HERE (https://www.alda-
europe.eu/public/doc/Webinar%203_WB_July2020.pdf).
And register here: https://bit.ly/WB_ALDA20years (https://bit.ly/WB_ALDA20years)
Looking forward to seeing you there and discussing together the future of the Western Balkans!
After the sessions on the Eastern Partnership (https://www.alda-europe.eu/newSite/news_dett.php?id=2723) area and on
Europe (https://www.alda-europe.eu/newSite/news_dett.php?id=2724), on Friday, July 10th 2020 at 2 pm CEST the 3rd
event in our ALDa 20th anniversary webinar series will centre on the Western Balkans as key area of action for local
democracy in ALDA’s activities.
Despite the changing geo-political context and diverse obstacles encountered, the EU integration process remains a
priority in the Region, in relation to which the Berlin process was launched in 2014 as an initiative to encourage regional
cooperation between Western Balkan countries to facilitate reconciliation and good neighborly relations as pre-conditions for
EU accession.
While the process has been to date quite successful with many stakeholders, the channels of direct communication between
the EU institutions and Local Authorities in the Western Balkans remain very limited and rarely functional. In this light, the
webinar will aim to answer what is the role of Local Authorities in the EU accession process of Western Balkans, how they
can play a more significant role in regional cooperation, and how the EU can improve dialogue with local decision makers.
Alongside the introductory and conclusive speeches of ALDA President Oriano Otočan and ALDA Secretary General
Antonella Valmorbida, the event will be moderated by Ivana Petrovska, ALDA Director of Skopje office & SEE Regional
Programmes Coordinator, with the intervention of the following high-level speakers:
Andrej Zernovski, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia
Colin Wolfe, Head of Unit WB Regional Cooperation and Programmes (DG NEAR)
Nataša Vučković, Director, Foundation Center for Democracy
Nikola Dobroslavić, President of the Croatian Delegation to the European Committee of the Regions, member of the CIVEX
and COTER commissions and Prefect of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County.
Please find the complete agenda of the event HERE (https://www.alda-
europe.eu/public/doc/Webinar%203_WB_July2020.pdf).
And register here: https://bit.ly/WB_ALDA20years (https://bit.ly/WB_ALDA20years)
Looking forward to seeing you there and discussing together the future of the Western Balkans!