Organised by the European Economic and Social Committee, the Transatlantic Relations Follow-up Committee took place on March 16^th, 2022, in hybrid format.

After a discussion on the “state of play and perspectives of transatlantic trade policy”, the meeting focused on the Year of Action – the initiative called by the US President, Mr. Biden in December 2021 during the first of two Summit for Democracy.

As described by official sources, “Throughout the Year of Action, the U.S. Government will therefore encourage structured dialogue and action among governments and other stakeholders to advance commitments and initiatives announced by world leaders, and to report back on their progress at the second Summit”.(https://www.state.gov/summit-for-democracy-year-of-action-factsheet/)

Thus, the panel dedicated to the mentioned Year of Action, saw the contribution of several key stakeholder, including:

• Katalin CSEH, Member of the European Parliament
• Annika SILVA-LEANDER, Head of North America Outreach and Analysis at International IDEA
• Jacob KURTZER, Director and Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Representative from the State Department and
• Antonella Valmorbida, representing both the European Partnership for Democracy as President and ALDA as Secretary General

EPD and ALDA are proud of having contributed to the Transatlantic Relations Follow-up Committee, and more specifically to the Year of Actions, recognising it as a crucial process able to bring to the establishment of a strong international democratic alliance, in a time in which the raise of autocracies is particularly worrying the whole World.

The call organised by the Municipality of Gdansk, with the support of European organisations of mayors, including ALDA, last Monday, March 14^th, 2022, got a great success in terms of participation, with 200 mayors from the whole continent connected together to support Ukraine and ask for immediate ceasefire.

As a result of this coordinated operation, a Joint Call was issued addressed to “European governments and the European Commission on raising efforts to end the war in Europe”.

Let’s sign the Joint Call by Friday, March 18th and strongly ask for ceasefire and peace

With the above-mentioned Declaration, the Mayors unitedly “condemn Russia’s war acts and armed aggression against Ukraine. Nothing can justify Russia’s illegal use of force”, and raise 3 points to the attention of the Union and European governments, calling to:

1. Force the Russian government to open humanitarian corridors
2. European solidarity to work out and swiftly adopt decisions concerning the refugees’ capable reception and relocation in Europe
3. Stop all trade relations with Russia and Belarus until the Russian army withdraws from Ukraine

What is important at this stage is to be united: for this reason, ALDA, the Municipality of Gdansk together with European Associations of Mayors, and the hundreds of Mayors who already signed, call all Local government to Join the Call and Sign the Petition to end the war in Ukraine.

Sign the petition: www.tiny.pl/9n7nt

Let’s try to reach 1000 signatures by Friday, March 18^th!!

***

Useful Resources:

Read the Joint Declaration in English – French – Italian

On 15 March 2022 ALDA colleagues Katica Janeva – Skopje Office Coordinator – and Ivana Velkova – Project Manager – had a meeting with the Mayor of City of Bihac (BiH) Mr. Šuhret Fazlic and representatives from the Municipality.

ALDA has been engaged in the region since many years, and therefore it has great interest in further collaborate with local municipality, communities and citizens. Hence, this mission has to be understood within a broader context: the commitment of the Association in the Western Balkan.

Specifically, 15 March represented the first study visit and a possibility to personally meet the Mayor and its staff after previous exchanges and online meetings. More in depth, the objective of the visit was to assess and to see possible future cooperation especially in the field of migrants and local development.

Representatives from Bihac expressed their interested and openness for further development of our collaboration

Exchange on different topics and on the international cooperation developed by the Municipality have been among the key aspects fruitfully discussed during the meeting. Thus, representatives from Bihac expressed their interested and openness for further development of our collaboration.

Finally, in the framework of ALDA’s strategic plan for 2021-2024 and of the European Support for Local Democracy, ALDA’s Western Balkans Department seeks to consolidate its support to civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina also by potentially developing a cooperation with the City of Bihać.

After the successful initiative promoted by the Municipality of Gdansk to join forces for Ukraine among European Mayors, on March 15^th, 2022 ALDA participated to another key meeting organised by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.

The call was attended by a wide number of mayors and local authorities’ representatives connected with the Congress, including the Association of Ukrainian Cities, around possible common actions to implement to support Ukraine during this war. In light of its wide network of local authorities, ALDA joined the meeting, on behalf of its Secretary General, Antonella Valmorbida, on its experience in the Ukrainian field and presenting the key points of its action to help and support the communities hit by the conflict.

« We are all together working with and for Ukraine, a country that exists, both geographically and politically »

Thus, Antonella Valmorbida gave an overview on the ongoing initiatives, being ALDA acting as:

• an important platform to exchange reliable information,
• facilitate connections among members and partners of its network
• support the incoming flow of refugees in the Countries where ALDA is present
• act politically to support Ukraine

During the meeting, Ms Valmorbida insisted on the importance of stating sound and clear that we are all together working with and for Ukraine, a country that exists, both geographically and politically.

“ALDA – highlighted Antonella Valmorbida – assigned its label to the two Local Democracy Agencies we have in Ukraine, where we actively and constantly work with our members and with the civil society. On the other hand – continues Ms Valmorbida – we are in touch with a great number of local authorities in order to support the spread of good information in Europe, and mostly in Russia”

ALDA looks forward to the follow-ups of this crucial meeting which, among others, contributed to reach a further level of coordination among the Congress’ network.

Further updates will surely result from the 42^nd Congress session, planned from March 22^nd to 24^th, where the situation in Ukraine, fake news and threats and violence against mayors in the current crises in Europe will be addressed too.

During such worrying days for the European continent and for the whole World, ALDA welcomes the initiative launched by its member, the Municipality of Gdansk.

The latter, together with European organisations of Mayors – namely ALDA, Eurocities, the Union of Baltic Cities, Metrex, Metropolis, Council of European Municipalities and Regions, Pact of Free Cities and Group Ukraine within the Committee of the Regions – is organising an extraordinary meeting on Monday, March 14^th, at 1pm, addressed to all the interested European Mayors.

The call has the objective of planning a concerted action to strengthen the international pressure to end the war in Europe immediately.

Read the invitation letter by the Mayor of Gdansk, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, and join the event by registering through this form: shorturl.at/crB25

A call to all European Mayors to join forces and end the war in Europe

The agenda of the call will be finalised and released on Friday, building up on the following draft agenda:

1. Welcoming words – Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, mayor of Gdansk, presidents of European local governments’ organizations (tbc)
2. Appeal on further immediate actions in defense of Ukraine – Daria Kaleniuk, International Centre for Ukrainian Victory
3. Presentation of the draft joint resolution
4. Discussion
5. Adoption of the agreed resolutions and directions of further action

The meeting will take place on the zoom. platform (Meeting ID: 946 0462 0566 – Password: 166191)

We warmly invite all local authorities’ representatives to do their best to join the meeting and take concrete, joint, steps towards the resolution of this crisis which is involving us all.

On March 11, 2022 ALDA Secretary General, Ms. Antonella Valmorbida, joined the fourth Plenary of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The Association has been fully engaged on this bottom-up exercise that not only has it animated its network to participate in the multilingual platform, but also it has played a proactive role within the Civil Society Convention on the Conference on the Future of Europe. 

Hence, both Ms. Valmorbida has been elected as member of the steering committee of the Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe; and ALDA has been appointed as responsible for the “Democracy Cluster” with ECOLISE

Ms. Valmorbida shared with the other representatives in Strasbourg the importance of including Western Balkans within the CoFoE

Yet, in light of the essence of ALDA itself, which works for the spreading of a democracy in Europe and beyond, and considering its deep and long-lasting bond with communities in the Western Balkan region, the Governing Board of the Association has published a document illustrating its position on the Western Balkan (WB) and the Conference on the Future of Europe.

With the occasion of this fourth Plenary, Ms. Valmorbida shared with the other representatives in Strasbourg the importance of including Western Balkans within the CoFoE. Based on the seven recommendations listed in the document, the Association emphasis the need to, among others: ​​

• Establish various lines of cooperation in addressing climate change and in implementing energy transition;
• Reinforce the cooperation in different field such as health, economy and digitalization;
• Continue support for the integration of the countries of Western Balkans to the European Union 

Once again, ALDA is very much committed to promote a Europe based on its citizens’ needs, ideas and inspirations, working for the establishment of an even stronger democratic stratum

***
Useful links:
Civil Society Convention

Which are the next steps that Europe is going to take? How can people be actively engaged in this process?

The Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), launched last year, was meant to animate the dialogue and reduce the gap between institutions and citizens, by allowing the latter to actively share their ideas and recommendations on the multilingual platform to shape the future of the Union.

Thus, focusing on the needs coming from local realities is crucial when setting the scene for future paths and actions. In light of this, ALDA Conference on the Future of Europe and followers to actively join the platform; and it is part of the Civil Society Convention on the CoFoE.

Yet, how far have the neighboring countries, such as the Western Balkans (WB), been able to make their voices heard, and join the process?

 ALDA further stresses its position on the WB, while making itself available as a strategic player for the future of both Europe and the Western Balkans

Unfortunately, the above-mentioned area has face not few difficulties in accessing the debate on the future of Europe. Yet, ALDA has developed many activities in and with WB Countries, gaining a very much solid and well-rooted expertise in the region.

In light of this, ALDA has drafted a formal document, stating its position as far as the Western Balkan and the Conference on the Future of Europe concern. As mentioned in the documents, seven recommendations have been made, among which:

• Support for the integration of the Western Balkan in the European Union;
• Foster youth involvement in the Western Balkans;
• Promote the cooperation between local authorities and civil society

Thanks to this decisions, which has been presented also during the event “Euroscepticism at the gates of Europe”,  ALDA further stresses its position on the WB, while making itself available as a strategic player for the future of both Europe and the Western Balkans.

***

Useful links:

Read the “Position of ALDA on CoFoE and Western Balkans” 

Read the article on ALDA’s role in the Civil Society Convention on the CoFoE 

Trieste: the headquarters of CEI – Central European Initiative – hosted, on 4 March 2022, the meeting of the international Governing Board of ALDA.

The President O. Otočan, together with the Members and A.Valmorbida, Secretary General, discussed the statement in support of Ukraine. As previously said, ALDA “call for the EU to continue having an even more engaged role to end the military invasion of Ukraine and start a peace process”. At the same time, the four ways implemented by ALDA to support colleagues, friends and people of Ukraine were further analyzed and discussed among the participants.

In addition, the board went through some technical aspects of the Association itself, from the participation and animation of ALDA Members, to the role of Local Democracy Agencies. 

 President O. Otočan, together with the Members and A.Valmorbida, Secretary General, discussed the statement in support of Ukraine

Moreover, considering the upcoming event related to Euroscepticism, with a special focus to the Balkan region. The latter is also at the centre of a specific strategy developed by the Association, based on its long experience in the area.

Last but not least, the Board discussed the role of the Conference on the Future of Europe, as an opportunity to further better the next steps of the Union itself. 

In lights of the tremendous days in which people of Ukraine are living in, ALDA is constantly in touch with friends and colleagues in Mariupol, Dnipro, Kiev, the district of Odessa, Vinnitsa and other parts of the country. Thus, ALDA Secretary General, Ms. Valmorbida and Mr. Alexandru Coica, the head of Eastern Partnership Unit had today a call with the two Local Democracy Agencies located in Ukraine.

Following the Association’s statement, released right after the Russian invasion, the commitment of ALDA’s Governing Board Members and staff is constant and concrete. Hence, the Association is in touch not only with the LDAs  in Mariupol and Dnipro, but also with the respective municipalities. The city of Mariupol is now experiencing a very hard situation and conditions, which forced people and the whole team of the LDA to move West in search of a safer place. For Mariupol, they call for a humanitarian corridor to bring food and medicines and to be protected from airstrikes. The city is badly hit, house by house in the outskirts.

ALDA is working on an emergency mode, specifically dedicated to closely follow all the aspects and updates of the war in Ukraine

Therefore, the General Management office of ALDA has decided to define and emergency unit, specifically dedicated to closely follow all the aspects and updates of the war in Ukraine. ALDA regional office in Chisinau is on the front line, providing news, help and support..

#ALDAforUkraine

On Wednesday 23rd February 2022  ALDA was in Rome at the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies to discuss the outcome of the BRIGHT project with local and national authorities, NGOs and the civil society!

The final conference of the project was an outstanding chance to share ideas and encourage the authorities to adopt more sustainable systems of governance, while explaining the methodology used in the project to co-plan welfare public services. 

The final conference of the project was an outstanding chance to share ideas and encourage the authorities to adopt more sustainable systems of governance

Several high-level speakers took part in the BRIGHT conference, as well as the women leaders, who described their experience and they stood out the results obtained in the South of Italy.

The BRIGHT’s final conference gave the possibility to highlight the outcomes of the project, while being an opportunity to think about the next steps and what is still yet to do to tackle the challenges for women inclusion in decision making processes.