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Earlier this summer, at the end of July, the Secretary General of ALDA – Antonella Valmorbida – delivered the second module of training on « participative deliberative democracy » in Sousse for participants from the cities of Kairouan and Mahdia in Tunisia. Following a prior module delivered in October 2021, this latest training saw the participation of elected officials of the municipal councils of Kairouan and Mahdia, the technical staff of both municipalities, and local civil society actors.

Conceived within the project AUTREMENT, which aims at supporting on capacity building by providing municipalities of Tunisian cities with training in local governance; the program focused on delivering tools for organizing citizen events taking as case studies both the Strasbourg’s « Marché de Noel » and Vicenza’s « Festival Biblico ».

Fostering citizen engagement through participative deliberative democracy

Furthermore, Ms. Valmorbida illustrated different options on how to foster a safe environment for dialogue and exchange between local civil society actors and elected officials. Through exercises on « participative deliberative democracy », Q&A sessions, and debates, local civil society actors raised a series of proposals and challenges they normally face in their activism while collaborating with local authorities. Similarly, elected officials managed to answer queries and provide more insights into the procedures which regulate their actions.

Hence, based on concrete and local example, the training ended with a road map on the steps which should be taken in the future to develop events such as the « The Mouled Festival ». The latter normally takes place during the holidays, and it is dedicated to the celebration of the Prophet of Islam, Mohamed. Thus, this festival in Kairouan is an opportunity for small entrepreneurs and creatives to showcase the city’s cultural heritage and promote the region’s economic development.

Overall, the module tackled many pending issues related to “The Mouled Festival” while stressing the positive impact of project AUTREMENT so far. Hence, as illustrated during the training on « participative deliberative democracy », key and crucial actors should boost moments of sharing, and exchange for the best of local communities in Tunisia.

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The AUTREMENT project addresses the challenges of sustainable urban mobility and planning in the Tunisian cities of Kairouan and Mahdia. To do so, the project also focuses on promoting the two towns by building the capacities of municipalities and civil society actors in terms of event organization and dialogue with citizens.

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ALDA, with the support of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme of the European Union, has just launched a one-of-its-kind training opportunity for ALDA members only, to get to know more about European projects promoting citizens participation and engagement, and to learn how to get the right information about European fundings.

The call gives ALDA members the chance to get a 2-day free training course on citizens’ participation and EU fundings, anywhere in Europe.

Indeed, the training course aims at providing participants with the necessary information and tools to make the first steps in the field of Citizens’ participation, European Project Development & European funds, in relation with the current programming period 2021-2027.

Book your 2-day free training course on citizens’ participation and EU fundings,anywhere in Europe!

Through attending the course, participants will:

  • learn more information about key priorities of the EU and how to develop them at the local level, including the localisation of the SDGs
  • get to know citizens’ participation principles, methods and tools
  • get to know the EU programmes
  • learn how to develop a project proposal, and implement a project

Participants will then receive a certificate of attendance awarded by ALDA, strategic partner of the European Commission and of the Council of Europe.

The training will have to take place by the end of December 2022.

Read the info pack HERE to get detailed information about the course’s programme and organisational requirements.

Please note that the training will have to take place by the end of December 2022.

If you are interested, please register HERE until 26th August 2022.

Courses will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.

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ALDA has been invited to take part in the Festival Théâtres Nomades and we could not be more excited! The event will take place from August 18 to 21, 2022 in Brussels at Bois de la Cambre and it is dedicated to street arts and theatre. Nonetheless, it is also an eclectic moment open to NGOs and associations that will share their missions and projects in a recreational way. 

This original free event offers to spectators a program of shows adapted to all audiences. It takes place every summer for 4 days and it is organised by the Compagnie des Nouveaux Disparus. Each year, thanks to its sustainable approach and varied program, it gathers a large audience from Brussels and other parts of Belgium with diverse socio-cultural backgrounds.

ALDA will be present at Festival Théâtres Nomades with a stand dedicated to the projects Climate of Change and PART-Y

ALDA has been invited by Anna Lindh Foundation, within which the Association represents a key actor for networking activities. From a general perspective, ALDA colleagues will be present with a stand dedicated to the projects Climate of Change and PART-Y. The first one focuses on finding sustainable solutions while spurring for policy change to preserve the planet for future generations, as well as to share the responsibility for the protection of the Earth fairly. In the framework of the festival, ALDA aims to help the signature collection of the petition “End Climate Change, Start Climate of Change” . 

Concerning the second initiative, the objective of promoting the PART-Y project during the event is to trigger the participation in civic life of young people (13-20 years) by fostering their inclusion in the policies decision-making process. 

Overall, the festival appears to be a unique opportunity for ALDA to raise awareness and promote its mission through these projects. Do not miss the opportunity to join, enjoying art and exhibitions in a wonderful bucolic setting in Brussels.

[Picture from Festival Theatres Nomades]

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The family theatre review Il Giardino di Alice, organised by the Vicenza-based company “exvUoto teatro” with the support of the Municipality of Vicenza, returns to Vicenza. This year the review will be divided into 10 appointments: the usual 6 Sundays at the Giardini Salvi in the morning at 9.45 a.m. will be united under the title of « Storie da Mangiare » (Stories to Eat) and, from this year, 4 free events will be held in neighbourhood playgrounds outside the city centre under the title of « Storie di fuoco di acqua di terra e di vento » (Stories of fire water earth and wind).

« We want to bring our proposal of community theatre also to the neighbourhoods, to involve the population that with more difficulty could reach the centre, » say Tommaso Franchin and Andrea Dellai of exvUoto teatro, organisers of the review.

Il Giardino di Alice: « to involve the population that with more difficulty could reach the centre »

We believe that theatre can really change places and the perception of them, and this can only be done with the support of the entire community,’ they continue. For this reason, the festival uses a well-established public-private partnership formula, and numerous companies have decided to get involved alongside the company in its realisation. Each partner has been involved in the creation of the playful workshops on the theme of food sustainability that follow the shows. Cereal Docks, Centro Ortodontico Vicentino and Birrificio Ofelia will thus take care of the creation of engaging workshops for children, but also for their parents. ALDA Europe will co-curate the 18 August event at the playground in Via Roma.

This year there is also a wonderful novelty: thanks to the support of the Culture Department and the Historic Parks Office, the Loggia Valmarana will be open to the public for the first time in years, welcoming spectators after the shows or in the event of rain.

« It is a real pleasure to open the garden and the Loggia Valmarana to families, » says the Vicenza Culture Councillor Simona Siotto, « a place that was created to host moments of culture and that is preparing to welcome spectators and to be a possible stage for the theatrical performances of the review. I also stress that teaching our children the importance of food sustainability is a fundamental educational activity, especially in this period of great climate change in which we are called upon to adopt environmentally friendly behaviour from an early age’.

ALDA is very much glad to be among the main partners of « Il Giardino di Alice » local event, engaging families, kids, citizens, authorities and everyone in Vicenza!

Upcoming events:

  1. Sunday 7 August 9:45 a.m. – Giardini Salvi – THE THREE LITTLE PIGS OF PIAN DEL PORCO – Rocking Theatre – Workshop by centro ortodontico vicentino
  2. Thursday 18 August at 18:00 – Via Roma playground – STORIES OF EARTH with Andrea Dellai and Tommaso Franchin
  3. Sunday 21 August 9:45 a.m. – Giardini Salvi – GRANDMOTHER! LIVE – TASTE STORIES – Theatre 19 – Workshop by craft brewery ofelia
  4. Saturday 27 August at 18:00 – Via Giuriato playground – San Pio X – STORIES OF WIND with Martina Pittarello and Gabriele Grotto

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Call for proposal, networking 

16 Projects were selected for the Food Wave Call for proposals directed to Municipalities and Cities! 

The Food Wave – Empowering Urban Youth for Climate Action is a project co-funded by the European Commission under the Development Education and Awareness Raising Programme and promoted by the Municipality of Milan together with 29 partners across 17 countries. It aims to create awareness of sustainable ways to consume and produce food for climate change mitigation. 

The Food Wave Call for Proposals is coordinated by ALDA with the collaboration of the project partners and in synergy with the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP) and aims to involve smaller youth organizations and local authorities in realizing actions promoting climate-friendly food consumption behaviors. It will fund the selected proposals up to 3.750 Euro, directly involving young people – between 15 and 35 years old – in nine EU countries. 

The main themes that the funded proposals will address are: sustainable diets to reduce the impact on the planet and protect human rights, fight against food waste, sustainable food education and knowledge sharing/dissemination, local alternative food systems, local producer and territorial market, fight against climate change and equal access to healthy, sustainable and fair food. 

The main activities that the municipalities will implement include, among others, communication, promotion of good practices, cooking workshops, thematic visits, flash mobs, awareness-raising public events, initiatives in schools, art contests, and initiatives against food waste.

16 Projects were selected for the Food Wave Call for proposals directed to Municipalities and Cities!

This year, the Food Wave call for proposals took place in two rounds: 

The first one was held in March and saw the selection of ten projects in five EU countries (Belgium, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary and The Netherlands), particularly related to sustainable diets, food waste, sustainable food education and equal opportunities for access to healthy and fair food. 

The second one was held in June and saw the selection of six projects in six EU countries (Italy, France, Greece, Hungary, Portugal and Spain), mainly focused on promoting sustainable practices, local alternative food systems, and knowledge sharing.

The activities carried out by the municipalities will involve a large number of stakeholders – from Universities and local schools to associations and local CSOs, effectively mobilizing and engaging more than 8.000 young people in their local communities.

Through the territorial actions promoted by the selected applicants, the project is contributing to the SDGs localization and the implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda, with a specific focus on fighting hunger (SDG 2), contributing to economic growth and decent work opportunities (SDG 8), promoting responsible consumption and production patterns (SDG 12), building sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) and contributing to the climate action starting from the territorial level (SDG 13). 

The Cities chosen for the first wave of this year’s call are: 

NameCountry and territory where the project would be implemented
City of SchaerbeekBelgium – Schaerbeek
City of TrentoItaly – Trento
City of PurmerendNetherlands – Purmerend
Municipality of 7th District of BudapestHungary – Budapest area
City of SzobHungary – Szob
City of BenediktSlovenia – Benedikt
City of RazkrižjeSlovenia – Razkrižje
City of EtterbeekBelgium – Etterbeek
City of KungotaSlovenia – Kungota
City of HajdinaSlovenia – Hajdina

The Cities chosen for the second wave of this year’s call are:

City of VimianzoSpain – Vimianzo
City of Óbuda-Békásmegyer, Budapest District IIIHungary – Budapest area
City of PollicaItaly – Pollica
City of CampolidePortugal – Campolide
City of Palaio FaliroGreece – Palaio Faliro
City of Ploeuc L’HermitageFrance – Ploeuc L’Hermitage

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On 22nd of August ALDA held the 3rd #ALDATalk dedicated to exchange ideas on Urban Migration.

Thank to the expertise of some Members and speakers, this third webinar has been the perfect occasion to further develop knowledge on the strict bond which stands among migration and urbanism: Hence, as already testified by the experience of EPIC -European Platform of Integrating Cities – Project, these two aspects do have lot in common and a holistic approach need to be pursue in order to boost integration.

More in concrete, among the keynote speakers, joining the event:

  • Ms Burcuhan ŞENER, Migration Policy Center Director from Marmara Municipalities Union (MMU), presented the current migration context in Turkey and specifically in Istanbul and Marmara Region.
  • Ms. Cloé Saint-Nom, Coordinator of the Rights and Justice Unit and Cristina Idone Befecadu shared their best practices in the migration and integration policies and projects based on examples of work of CESIE on the inclusion of migrant women survivors of trafficking

Third ALDATalk: on Urban Migration!

Thus, benefitting from their insights and comments, the audience had the opportunity to learn from the best practices presented; while having the chance to reflect on what should be done in the future to improve the migration and integration policies.

Finally, ALDA would like to thank the members who participated, and looks forward the upcoming Talk!

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Discover the various and innovative activities on « Schuman Declaration » done by the DESIRE project partners in Italy, Bulgaria, Portugal, Serbia, North Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia and Croatia!

After many events, meetings, the publication of the e-book and many other activities, DESIRE partners are now sharing another key documents, which collects together a great number of information on the different initiatives implemented within the project.

Willing to know more on « European Remembrance » for example?  Check it here as strand one of the project!

Discover the various and innovative activities done by the DESIRE project partners

About the DESIRE project

DEclaration of Schuman: Initiative for Revitalizing Europe (DESIRE) is a Europe for Citizens funded project. The project aims to raise people and especially youth’s awareness on the historical importance and the meaning of the Declaration of Schuman for the EU. The objective is to actively involve youth in approaching history in a proactive way. Through the co-creation of artistic tools, as videos, theatre, games, audio narratives, partners will accompany groups of youth citizens in re-discovering history and in debating on EU values as intercultural dialogue, peace and solidarity. The consortium is leading by Comune di Lavarone (Italy) and composed by Fondazione Belvedere-Gschwent (Italy), Union of bulgarian black sea local authorities (Bulgaria), Municipio de Valongo (Portugal), Danube 1245 (Serbia), Zdruzenie Institut za razvoj na zaednicata (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), Administration Communale de Grez-Doiceau (Belgium), The Boter Institute (Slovenia), Kulturni centar Osijek (Croatia), ALDA (France).

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This month, ALDA was invited by Istanbul Metropolis and the Istanbul Planning Agency to the Launch event of the Istanbul Vision 2050 Plan release and opening of the IPA Campus.

Istanbul 2050 is the new strategic and policy plan envisioned by the city of Istanbul for the year 2050 to be more sustainable, inclusive and resilient. It is the result of a participatory, interdisciplinary, and scientific process of more than 2 years carried out in cooperation with the citizens and various local, national and international stakeholders.

Building on the various international instruments, trends and approaches in terms of sustainable development and adapted to the priority issues, objectives, and potential problems of Istanbul, the plan focuses on 7 main pillars which are:

  1. Climate and Environment,
  2. Transformative and Resilient Economy,
  3. Accessible and Fair Urban Amenities for All,
  4. Vibrant and Sensible Spaces Assuring Good Living for All,
  5. Effective and Inclusive Mobility,
  6. Integrated and Smart Infrastructure Systems, and
  7. Equal and Free Society.

ALDA was invited by Istanbul Metropolis to the Launch event of the Istanbul Vision 2050 Plan

This event was therefore a milestone, being the first occasion to present the plan to the citizens and the international community, introduced by all the actors who have worked on it and by the Mayor of Istanbul, M. Ekrem İmamoğlu. Held on the 5th and 6th July in the newly inaugurated Istanbul Planning Agency Florya Campus, the event brought together hundreds of national and international experts, numerous workshops, conferences, activities and side events and gathered a considerable number of participants.

Our colleague Ms. Apolline Bonfils, project officer of the Middle East and Africa department, intervened in the panel “A discussion on The Role of the Cities in Sustainable Development Agenda Beyond 2030” during the first day of the inauguration which aimed to identify the challenges and opportunities of international sustainability frameworks for cities. The evening and the second day were dedicated to the presentation and screening of the Istanbul Vision 2050 Plan from different perspectives.

This framework drawn up by Istanbul provides a valuable and concrete example for other cities of how to adapt to the current challenges of globalisation through effective policies at local level. ALDA is grateful to the Metropolis for having made it part of the reflections on this plan, and sends its encouragement to all the Istanbul stakeholders involved in its development and implementation.

Learn more about the Istanbul Vision 2050 Plan

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It has started! With much enthusiasm ALDA team welcomed, in Villa Angaran, the selected Lighting Europe Democracy (LED) volunteers, who will join the Association for the next upcoming months.

Starting from Monday 11 July 2022, nine young freshly degreed students have been attending two-weeks in depth training tackling most of the different activities, and thus meeting several ALDA colleagues.

From a general perspective, this year project, developed together the Municipality of Cremona within the Italian “Universal Civil Service” Programme , focuses on promoting peace among people, and cooperation. Hence, the volunteers will follow how the general target of the project is translated into daily actions within ALDA.

Villa Angaran is now hosting in-depth trainings for this year Civil Service volunteers

With this is mind, the trainings that are now taking place in the peaceful and beautiful surrounding of Villa Angaran in Bassano del Grappa (Italy), allow participants to find out more on:

  • Participatory processes
  • How to develop a project
  • How to communicate and disseminate
  • The logistic side on organising projects’ meetings
  • The financial management

Divided into small working groups LED volunteers actively took part in the trainings, by drafting – for example – a communication plan, or an event budget.

Activities will continue for another week, then LED participants will reach ALDA offices in Brussels, Strasbourg and Skopje. ALDA team wishes all the best, waiting for upcoming news and updates!

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On the 4th and 5th of July, CAMELOT partners gathered in Gdansk (Poland) for the Steering committee and the international conference at the European Solidarity Centre (ESC).

On the first day, the meeting was structured as a roundtable where all the partners shared their experience on urban and metropolitan EU cohesion policies, mainly by talking about the actions undertaken to tackle climate change and its consequences. 

The following day, CAMELOT partners joined the 3rd Pomeranian Climate Solidarity Forum in the ESC. The forum was  devoted to energy transition, environmental issues, renewable energy sources and adaptation to climate change. The forum began by talking of the current war in Ukraine and its implication in the energy sector.

In Gdansk to experience on urban and metropolitan EU cohesion policies

In the introduction, the Secretary General of ALDA, Ms. Antonella Valmorbida, took part in the panel discussion alongside the Mayor of Gdansk, Ms. Aleksandra Dulkiewicz. Valmorbida talked about the role of Local Democracy Agencies in Ukraine and the importance of European solidarity to the country, then she explained how ALDA and its network are bringing EU funded projects to Ukraine and how to keep fostering the alliance. The forum continued with 3 debates on:

  • winter energy, 
  • climate change in metropolitan areas (in which the CAMELOT project described its outcome) and 
  • climate impact on agriculture.

Overall, the meeting was a successful moment of mutual exchange among partners on how to localise at metropolitan level the cohesion policy.

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From the 12th to the 18th of June 2022, a delegation of high level officials from national and Local Authorities (LAs) from Türkiye, participated in the cross-border study visit on local governance-related issues in Austria and Croatia.

Organized by ALDA +  and UNDP Türkiye, and  within the framework of LAR III Project, this third study visit enabled the participants to deepen their knowledge on local administration capacity of the two-above mentioned EU Member States; benefiting from several meetings with Austrian and Croatian high level representatives from Ministries, Regional and Local Authorities.

The visit began from Vienna. During the first day, the delegation was granted audience with the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Service and Sport. The day after they were welcomed in the beautiful venue of the City of Vienna before moving to Graz.

Within LAR III project, the delegation from Türkiye visited Austria and Croatia institutions

There, for instance, the Turkish delegation had the opportunity to meet representatives of the City of Graz and of the Province of Styria. The latter shared examples of both best practices, and experience in the field of performance management; as well as Austrian lobbying activities in Brussels, while offering a guided tour through the streets of  the medieval old town.

Moreover, to end on a high note, Pula hosted the final meetings with Croatian LAs. Hence, the Director of the Regional Coordinator of the Istrian County for European Programs and Funds and a representative of the Istrian Development Agency welcomed the LAR III Turkish delegation, providing good knowledge and tools on participatory local governance.

Finally, participants traveled to Zagreb where they exchanged experiences with representatives from the Ministry of Justice and Administration, the City of Zagreb and while meeting the President of Croatian-Turkish Friendship Association and visiting the exhibition for 30 years of Cooperation between Türkiye and Croatia.

Overall, it was a in-depth, very useful week and intense … but surely an enriching experience!

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REAL DEAL is a recently-launched research project, funded by the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme, that aims at reshaping the active participation of citizens and stakeholders around the European Green Deal (EGD).

Building on recent experiences of pan-European deliberation processes, such as the Conference on the Future of Europe, the REAL DEAL’s main research objective is to analyse, test and validate innovative citizens’ participation and deliberation tools, formats and processes in the context of the green and just transition. 

The research partners have started to lay out the conceptual foundations for a future protocol for deliberative decision-making at European and country-level in the context of the European Green Deal. This will be followed by a test and validation of innovative deliberative formats and tools across 13 countries and at EU level, including digital, hybrid and physical events and processes.

Sign up here and join the #RealDealEu community!

In parallel, the REAL DEAL partners have started to identify and mobilise a pan-European network of stakeholders, with more than 500 organisations working in the areas of deliberative democracy and climate action across Europe. The first meeting of this stakeholder network took place during the “Civil Society Forum for Sustainability: Shaping the European Green Deal”, starting on June 9th in Brussels (Belgium).

The project has a dedicated transdisciplinary approach, a co-lead in the project coordination, and a co-creation of the whole work from the beginning and throughout: from the proposal to refining the research questions, the work in the work packages and task up to the internal review, all is done in joint work between researchers and civil society organisations. From a citizen outreach perspective, the REAL DEAL is set to engage with citizens and other stakeholders by building a community of Europeans who promote participation and deliberation in the green and just transition. The digital hub where citizens can get involved and take action is: www.realdeal.eu.

To meet the ambitious objectives for its research and citizen outreach activities, REAL DEAL brings together 16 (sixteen) partners, including researchers of deliberative democracy  and Europe’s largest civil society organisations (CSOs). 

The project is jointly coordinated by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), a research organisation, and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), a civil society organisation. 

The REAL DEAL research project involves: 

  • Researchers and practitioners of deliberative democracy from a wide range of fields, including sustainability studies, participatory democracy, environmental rights and the law of public participation, ethics and responsible innovation, gender studies and ecofeminism, psychology, geography, urban planning.
  • Europe’s largest civil society networks advocating on the environment, climate, sustainable development, women’s rights, local and European democracy and youth environmental organization

ALDA is looking for the implementation of this project, while promoting active participation within the green transition! 

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From the 28th of June until the 1st of July 2022 the partners of the #EuSAVE project held the 6th international event in Concello de Vimianzo, Spain. The meeting was organised by the latter who is also the leader of the project. The title of the meeting was “Designing new and innovative joint development strategies for EU smart and sustainable historic villages”. The project includes partners from Italy, Croatia, Portugal, North Macedonia, Latvia and Bulgaria: 

On the first day the partners were invited to a Welcome Dinner, to which also the Mayoress of Concello de Vimianzo Mónica Rodríguez Ordóñez joined. 

The morning of the second day, the 29th of June 2022, was dedicated to the 6th transnational coordination meeting which took place at the house of culture in Vimianzo. 

In the afternoon the group immersed themselves in the cultural and natural heritage of the Death Coast by visiting the church of Saint James of Cereixo, the fulling mills of O Mosquetín as well as the coastal towns Fisterra and Muxía. The outdoor lunch was accompanied by a musical performance of the well-known galician singer Inma Macías. The association Partido de Corcubión which consists of galician immigrants living in Argentina joined some of the activities during the international event

« Designing new and innovative joint development strategies for EU smart and sustainable historic villages » at the centre of EuSAVE meeting in Concello de Vimianzo

On the 30th of June some partners strolled through the village market of Vimianzo in the morning.after The Transnational Info Day took place in the house of culture during the whole afternoon. The Mayoress of Vimianzo Mónica Rodríguez Ordóñez officially started with welcoming words followed by presentations of each partner country about the project, its results, a virtual itinerary through each territory and lessons learned. On behalf of ALDA, Alessia Marzotto and Ingrid Nazarenus held a presentation about, ALDA’s  role in the the #EuSAVE project

The Transnational Info Day continued with a presentation about the cultural heritage of Vimianzo held by the cultural heritage specialist Manuel Rias Santos. After a medieval banquet in the Castle of Vimianzo and a spontaneous music performance from the association Partido de Corcubión, the Transnational Info Day went on with a presentation about “The Way of St. James in Galicia and the Death Coast” by the journalist and historian Antón Pombo. 

Further presentations were held about the “Initiatives to enhance the value of the cultural heritage on the Death Coast” by the Vice President of the Galician Tourism Cluster Jesús Picallo, the “Importance of the heritage in the rural tourism” by the president of FEGATUR Francisco Xabier Alumíña Chorén and the “Initiatives to enhance the value of the cultural heritage on the Ribeira Sacra“ by the Manager of the Ribeira Sacra Tourism Consortium Alexandra Seara Sobrino.

During the thematic breakfast on the last day of the International meeting, the 1st of July 2022, the project partners learned more about the typical Galician finger food “Pinchos Irmandiños” from Carlos Gómez. After that, the partners met in the house of culture. The Municipality of Bolyarovo presented “Joint Strategies for smart and sustainable historical villages in the EU”, after which Cecilia Meledandri and Silvia Piccoli from ALDA talked about “The New Multi-annual Financial Framework 2021-2027 and the Next Generation EU. Tailor-made processes with different duration”. 

After a coffee break, the Transnational workshop proceeded with a presentation of the Municipality of Vimianzo about the “Sustainability and Transfer Plan of the #EuSAVE network” and a workshop about proposals for the continuity and sustainability of the #EuSAVE network. The International event of the project concluded with a farewell dinner with costumes and a concert in the village of Vimianzo. 

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More information about the #EuSAVE project can be found on the Website as well as on the Facebook and Instagram pages of the project:

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The city of Verona welcomed the Award Ceremony of the “Diventiamo Cittadini Europei” [“Let’s become European Citizens”] students contest, promoted by European Federalist Movement (EFM), on 30th June 2022, and as for the previous editions, ALDA joined it with enthusiasm.

Professor, G. Anselmi, on behalf of EFM, introduced the overall theoretical framework of the contest, welcoming the students, their families and teachers. “How do you see the European Union in 2050?” a participant at the “Ventotene Seminar” asked to the Italian President – Mr. Mattarella – in August 2019, as recalled by Mr. Anselmi. “I am convinced” – replied the President – “that in 2050 the Union will have achieved, and fully expressed that horizon of freedom as indicated in the Ventotene Manifesto”

On this very same question, the participants of the 2022 “Diventiamo Cittadini Europei” contest based their works. Organised by the European Federalist Movement (EFM) in Verona, together with both public and private partners, the competition is intended to engage young people to get closer to the European Union, and to the policies and issues. On the latter for example, several students analysed and worked on the transport and railway system across Europe.

Award Ceremony of the “Let’s become European Citizens” students contest, promoted by European Federalist Movement (EFM)

Almost 30 students from different schools located in the Veneto Region won the competition, and they will, thus, take part at the summer school in Canazei (Trento), during which they will be able to deepen their knowledge on the Union, while creating solid bonds and engage in peer-to-peer dialogues.

At the Award Ceremony, hold at the “Loggia di Fra’ Giocondo” of the historic halls within the Verona Province Headquarter, the President of the Verona Province, Mr. Scalzotto, congratulated students while sharing his experience during the Erasmus period in Passau (Germany). Similarly,   Prof. Coccia, from Institute “San Pio V” in Rome, gave his compliments to the winners, while  Christian Verzé, from Europe Direct Verona, guided the ceremony showing the work of the centre as well as the papers handled in by the participants. In addition, Mr. Farina, on behalf of the “Rotary Club” – Verona Section, stressed the importance of these moments as occasion on growth and share.

ALDA joined the event, expressing the key aspects of stimulating the culture of dialogue, of traveling and of mutual exchange, as a necessity for growth and development of the democratic realities in which we are living.

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The Booklet “Towards an European standard forestry curricula – Forestry Operators Reflecting on Equalising Skills and Training” aims to provide a summary of the information and comparative analyses carried out within the FOREST project, as well as to suggest some specific reflections on the importance of moving towards a harmonisation of forestry education.

Read it here

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Organised by ALDA, Veneto Agricoltura hosted the final event of “Forest Project” in Cansiglio – Italy – on 23rd and 24th June 2022 – at its “Hangar” office. The latter, more specifically, is a beautiful location, built on a dismissed NATO military base. 

More in depth on the event itself, the members of the four European organisations from Slovenia, Romania and Croatia that collaborated on the project attended the event:

The first day was dedicated to the project management meeting, where the partners discussed the results of the project exchanging opinions about the situations in their home countries and talked together about a possible future cooperation.

On the 24th June 2022, the FOREST final public conference started at 10 a.m. in the Hangar in Cansiglio. Almost 40 participants joined the conference, among forest owners, operators and educators.

The event started with a general presentation of the project by Nadia Di Iulio from ALDA and Federico Correale from Veneto Agricoltura, followed by  Alessandra Brigo, Project Manager from ALDA, and Ana Dijan’s, from Croatian Wood Cluster, presentation of the  Booklet « Towards an European standard forestry curricula », developed within  this project. Hence, as  illustrated by Alessandra Brigo, this document aims to provide a summary of the information and comparative analyses carried out within the project, as well as to suggest some specific reflections on the importance of moving towards a harmonisation of forestry education. 

In addition, Ana Dijan showed and commented on the main results obtained by the comparative analysis run in 5 countries (Italy, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania).

 FOREST final event:  a great opportunity for everybody to exchange opinions, experiences and different points of view

For instance, the survey results depend on the country, its legislative framework and state-of-art forestry. Although the education and training systems are different in each country, the results show that almost half of the participants (46%) are not satisfied with the organisation of the education system, in particular with the number of hours dedicated to practice during the training period. Approximately 60% of the polled  confirm that they are not familiar with the European chainsaw certificate but at the same time the majority (64%) support the idea of introducing the European chainsaw certificate as a mandatory requirement in the employment process. However, almost two-thirds of respondents (68%) favour experienced workers over holders of European chainsaw certificates when hiring.

Besides, relevant Italian regional representatives also contributed to the conference:

  • Isabella Pasutto (Veneto Region) illustrated an overview of the Forestry Training Session in Veneto Region. 
  • Valerio Motta Frè (Piedmont Region) and Pierpaolo Brenta (IPLA) followed with the presentation of a national and successful standardisation initiative: “The For.Italy Project: an Experience of standardisation of forestry training on a national scale”. 

Finally, project partners took the floor starting with Martin Krondorfer from Forstliche Ausbildungsstätte Pichl. He talked about Safety in forest work, explaining the tools needed to reduce the of the accidents in the forests such as equipment for the forestry workers. 

Barbara Turk from GRM Novo Mesto – center biotehnike in turizma, Slovenia, showed a presentation related to the legislative framework, certifications and qualifications about every country, explaining the differences between them.

After a coffee break, the meeting continued with two speeches from Ana Vorovenci and Diana Bacircea, from the Asociatia Nationala a femeilor din mediul rural, focused on the woman inclusion in the forestry. The Asociatia underlines how the forest sector is still considered ”a man’s world” and it is one of the most segregated gender activities. Indeed, the goals of this association are encouraging forest women owners’ involvement in forestry entrepreneurship and supporting women in attending forestry training/certification.  Lastly, Ana Dijan from Croatian Wood Cluster intervened to give an overview of sustainability as part of safety on work. 

After the lunch, the partners and conference participants joined a study tour through the Cansiglio forests and visited the botanical garden, guided by Veneto Agricoltura. Concluding, a debate between the participants and the FOREST project partners was a great opportunity for everybody to exchange opinions, experiences and different points of view according to the main topic of the conference.

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After six months, from January 2022 to June 2022, France is now handing on the baton to Czech Republic. Thus, it is now the time to welcome the Czech Presidency of the European Council, until December 2022

As already mentioned, Czech Republic is the second States of the trio, composed together with France and Sweden, to lead the European Council until 2023.Hence, these three Countries have set a series of goals to reach as a group; be they “protecting citizens and freedoms”; based on European values; or “building a greener and more socially equitable Europe”.

Welcome the Czech Presidency of the European Council until December 2022

Yet, the Czech Presidency has further developed these goals, by narrowing them down into five aspects:

  1. Managing the refugee crisis and post-war reconstruction of Ukraine
  2. Energy security
  3. Strengthening European defence capabilities and cybersecurity
  4. Strategic resilience of the European economy
  5. Resilience of democratic institutions

Especially on the first aim, Petr Fiala, Czech Prime Minister, stated – in his message – “the Russian invasion of Ukraine has shown us that our freedom and security are as threatened today as they were in the past. The fight for freedom never ends.” It is clear that in the upcoming six month the commitment of the Presidency will be devoted to closely follow the current situation in Ukraine.

ALDA warmly welcomes the Presidency, willing to support it in turning its goals in actions, while encouraging the Presidency to keep on with helping Ukrainian citizens and people.

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[Picture credits: Czech Republic Presidency Twitter account]

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On 28 and 29 June 2022, 16 partners from 8 different countries met (both in person and virtually) for the official launch of the new Horizon Europe NEVERMORE project.

The project, in which ALDA is a partner, is determined to support excellence in research on climate science and climate policy. The focus is on the modeling theory in order to take a significant step forward to overcome the current silo approach* in favour of an integrated assessment one for evaluating impacts, risks and interactions of climate change across sectors; as well as adaptation and mitigation strategies towards a climate neutral and resilience society, relying on the multiple feedbacks that occur between the variables involved in climate change.

During these two days of intense work in Trento at the headquarters of the Bruno Kessler Foundation, leader of the project, the partners discussed future steps to be taken and exchanged their project ideas and vision.

More specifically,  ALDA, in particular, will be responsible for developing an effective project communication and dissemination strategy. The latter will also include the creation and  engagement of five local and one transnational Stakeholder Councils that will be the meeting point between the project and society. Thus, the above-mentioned Councils are going to involve all those actors who are concretely involved within climate change and the related policies.

NEVERMORE: supporting excellence in research on climate science and climate policy

During the meeting, the NEVERMORE project partners presented their actions for the next 4 years and the geographical areas of the 5 case studies that will be followed throughout this period.                                  

  1. Sitia, Crete Island (EL), a place that thrives on agriculture and tourism and where the main problems are: the rise of the sea level; flooding and droughts; the necessity to preserve biodiversity; and the food chain & archaeology.
  2. The Trentino region (IT), a mountainous region whose main policy areas are tourism (mainly winter) and energy and where the most important challenges to be addressed lie in the  rising temperature, unpredictable precipitation  patterns, and modified seasonal climate dynamics.
  3. The Boreal region of Västerbotten  and Norrbotten Counties (SE), region characterised by energy production, tourism and reindeer herding, and which is now witnessing an increase in temperature, causing unpredictable precipitation patterns, while modifying seasonal climate dynamics.
  4. Murcia region (ES), a Mediterranean region with a socio-economic context characterised by agriculture, tourism and industry that is witnessing desertification due to soil erosion in agricultural systems, and required a more sustainable water management system.
  5. The wetland in the Danube Delta (RO) where agriculture, low levels of education, and economic dependence are the overall framework of the area. Hence, there is a need to protect the environment and ethnic wealth, promote sustainable tourism and eco-agriculture, and better land management.

Overall, these two days have proven to be a successful beginning, and a good synergy was born, paving the way for the next 4 years of the project.

Stay tuned and follow NEVERMORE’s social pages: TWITTER| INSTAGRAM| YOUTUBE|

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NEVERMORE Horizon Eu project includes the follows in the partners:

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