In the afternoon of Monday 6 September was held, at the Council Chamber of the Town Hall of Thiene, a training event on the Conference on the Future of Europe and the annexed presentation of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, organised by SEI – European Intermunicipal Service with the collaboration of ALDA+, ALDA’s Benefit Company, which has been working for over 20 years in favour of local realities in Italy and across Europe, promoting the active participation of citizens and helping administrations and associations to access the funding tools offered by the European Union, and beyond.
After the welcome by the local authorities, the meeting opened with a speech by Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA on the Conference on the Future of Europe. Valmorbida offered participants a comprehensive overview not only of the meaning and importance of the Conference as a unique opportunity for citizens from all over Europe to freely express opinions and suggestions that will shape European policies in the coming years. More importantly, the Secretary General of ALDA offered a practical demonstration on the use of the online platform that allows citizens to interact, showing them how to register, write their ideas and discuss those of others, search for events in their surroundings.
Since its foundation, ALDA+ supports municipalities in accessing EU and non EU funding for the good of local communities
The conference continued on a European note with the presentation of the New Multiannual Financial Framework of the European Union, by Marco Boaria, Director of Programmes & Development Department of ALDA and CEO of ALDA+. This investment plan sets out the budget and priorities on which the European Union wants to invest from now until 2027 – explained Boaria – adding that it is an unprecedented economic investment plan, which together with the 750 billion euro “Next Generation EU” recovery tool, should represent a valuable instrument for the recovery from the covid-19 pandemic.
Finally, Marco Boaria presented the new funding programmes, which municipalities will be able to try to access and obtain precious funds for the realisation of works useful to the territory and citizens.
The meeting was addressed – among others – to the municipalities of the upper Vicenza area active in SEI, the Intermunicipal European Service coordinated by the Municipality of Thiene and involving Breganze, Marano Vicentino, Villaverla and Zugliano – as well as to the Municipality of Malo, interested in actively cooperating with SEI in the near future. The seminar was an opportunity to get informed about the news related to the new programming, in order to plan the SEI’s project activities in the coming months.