Mr. Per Vinther, member of ALDA’s Governing Board, made last week a presentation of the activities of ALDA and the LDAs to a group of mayors from the German Land of Baden-Wuerttemberg. They appreciated an input from Civil Society rounding off their visit to EU Institutions, CEMR, the Representation Office of Baden-Wuerttemberg and other organisations represented in Brussels.
“There seemed to be an interest in developing some kind of project cooperation with ALDA in the future, possibly drawing on the expertise available in their respective municipalities to the benefit of municipalities with whom ALDA or the LDAs work” Mr. Vinther stated at the end of the meeting.
The meeting was organised by the Europe Office of the Staedtetag of Baden-Wuerttemberg, a Regional Association of Local Authorities that gather has 181 members.
In September representatives of ALDA and Europe Office of the Association will met to see how set up a system to inform selected municipalities of project opportunities, using the Europe Office as distribution channel.

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ALDA has been selected by the European Commission to be included in the next European Development Days programme. ALDA will organise a creative laboratory conceived as a learning café session aiming at brainstorming and proposing recommendations integrating the contributions of experts and practitioners on the advantages of creating real synergies between LAs and CSOs in development cooperation.
In order to achieve its main objective, the WTD-Working Together for Development learning café is structured in a dynamic and creative way, which allows not only experts but also practitioners to have a real contribution to the formulations of recommendations. The learning café method allows having informal discussions on themes that are usually threaded in a very formal way. In this manner, WTD learning café wants to formulate recommendations responding to 6 key themes identified as the main features characterising the joint involvement of LAs and CSOs in development cooperation processes.

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From the 11th to the 13th of July ALDA will be present at the Romanian Development Camp in Predeal to present the experience of WTD – Working Together for Development and to promote the NSA&LA Programme to Romania NGOs and LAs.
The event will be attended by representative of the Romanian Government, Local Authorities, Academia, NGOs and Media.
Mr Alfonso Aliberti, Project Manager of WTD, will be one of the speakers in the Working Group Local Authorities’ Engagement in Development Cooperation which will be attended by both representatives of NGOs and LAs.
ALDA continues the promotion of the WTD and awareness raising on the EU Development Policy Framework in the new member states trying to involve new actors in EU Development actions.

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In the period 9th – 13th July 2012 in the hotel Gligorov- Strumica (MK), Coalition of Youth organizations SEGA (MK) and European House from Caen (FR) are organising a joint seminar on the theme “New approaches for Youth employment” and “Inter–Municipal collaboration for encouraging social cohesion among Youth”. The representatives from the institutions working on support of youth employment in Macedonia and in Lower Normandy as well as representatives from national and local institutions from Macedonia and the Lower Normandy Region will participate on this joint event.
The aim is to affect the improvement of the social cohesion of the young people through institutional cooperation at local and national level and to discuss the current economic situation of the young people in Republic of Macedonia and in the Region Lower Normandy same as to exchange experiences for innovative approaches for salvation of the problem with youth unemployment. The seminar is offering possibility for exchange of good practices and experiences between the participants from Macedonia and the Lower Normandy Region.
This activity is part of the component: Youth, Local and European Citizenship within the Project for decentralised cooperation between Republic of Macedonia and the region of Lower Normandy – France, managed by ALDA, implemented by the Coalition of youth organizations SEGA – Macedonia and the European House of Caen – France.

Mr. Oriano Otočan, acting as Head of the International Cooperation and EU Integration of Istria in his capacity as President of the Association of Local Democracy Agencies, ALDA, on 4th July 2012 stayed in North Macedonia, where the Ministry for Local self-government of the Republic of North Macedonia attended the meeting and the signing of the Treaty on decentralised cooperation between the French Region of Lower Normandy and the Republic of North Macedonia.

ALDA as part of this program for five years provided technical assistance in the implementation of decentralized cooperation projects aimed at strengthening local government, local development and citizen participation in decision making at the local level.  Macedonian representatives met with the delegation of Lower Normandy Region, led by Vice President Corinne Ferret, in a meeting during which they discussed about the cooperation between ALDA and the Region, but also about the possibilities of cooperation between Istria and Lower Normandy, in particular with the aim of education on the use of Structural Funds, and cooperation the formation of the Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality in the city, a collaboration of the Office in Brussels and the development of other joint projects in Southeast Europe. Mr. Oriano Otočan had a chance to talk with the Macedonian Minister for Local self-government Nevzat Bejta, and had a joint meeting with French Ambassador in North Macedonia, Jean-Claude Schlumberger at a reception at his residence. He visited the Association of the units of local self government of the Republic of North Macedonia, where he met the Director Mss. Perisic and talked about the problems of decentralization and the possibility of strengthening the role of local authorities. He also visited the city administration of Skopje with the aim of developing cooperation between Istria and Skopje.  Following the visit he met with representatives from SEGA – Coalition of youth organizations, and representatives of CIRa – Center for Institutional Development, an organization that provides support to civil society. Both organizations are ALDA members.

The Minister of Local Self-Government of Macedonia, Nevzat Bejta and the Vice-President of the Region Lower Normandy, Corinne Feret, signed on July 4th in Skopje an agreement for resuming the bilateral cooperation.
In the presence of the French diplomatic core, represented by the French Embassy in Macedonia and the Ambassador, Jean-Claude Schlumberger, as well as representatives from ALDA, such as the President Oriano Otočan, both the Minister Bejta and the Vice-President Feret expressed their positive attitude towards the cooperation.
The Decentralised cooperation between the Region Lower Normandy and Republic of Macedonia officially started in October of 2009. Since then the two territories have continuous and successful cooperation that unites more than hundred actors both from France and Macedonia, as well as from other countries.
“The cooperation will enable Macedonia to learn from French experience on empowering the decentralisation process, which is to bring benefit to the state and its citizens,” said the Minister Bejta. He pointed out that Macedonia’s main goal is to complete the decentralisation process and he expressed his belief in the future progress and development of Macedonian regions: “I believe they will develop as the French ones, in particular as Lower Normandy. We shall set up a working group to cooperate with the Lower Normandy administration. Our goal is for Macedonia to become a full-fledged EU member,” Bejta said.
Mme Feret said she was pleased with the development of Macedonia-Lower Normandy cooperation. “The cooperation agreement covers numerous activities, especially in regard to the power decentralisation process, which we have conducted together for the benefit of Macedonia’s citizens,” Feret said.
Since 2009, the Programme for Decentralised cooperation between Lower Normandy and Macedonia is coordinated by ALDA, the Association of Local Democracy Agencies. The two territories are cooperating on many components such as IT and Human Rights, Cultural Heritage and Inventory, Youth and Active Citizenship, Cultural Policies and Development of Tourism, as well as Agriculture.
Town twinning on the other hand, as a segment in the Decentralised cooperation builds up contacts and friendship with communities from the two territories and promotes better understanding. Several Macedonian and Lower Normandy municipalities are cooperating under the town twinning concept.

Local Democracy Agencies from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Citizen Front of Others fully support the efforts of the European Union, all relevant international institutions as well as all associations and activists who advocate that the verdict of the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg in the Case of Sejdić-Finci be put into practice.
Equality of rights between the citizens is the corner stone of the relations the EU insists upon.
Amendment of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Constitution is necessary so to enable equality of all citizens of BiH in order for our country to become, after decades of conflict and political instability, a more just society and join the large European family.
We welcome the agreement between the European Commissioner Štefan Füle and political leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina who have unanimously accepted the Road Map to EU and submission of the request for EU candidacy status by 30 November 2012.
This agreement dictates Bosnia and Herzegovina fulfilment of certain obligations among which the implementation of the Strasbourg Court Decision fills a significant position.
Only when they are equal, citizens can mobilise all of their strengths and talents so to make the society they live in more democratic, prosperous and better. It is our wish that Bosnia and Herzegovina becomes such a place as soon as possible.

At the initiative of UNDP and the programme Art Gold, ALDA will be present at the United Nations event on Development that will take place on the 5th and 6th of July 2012, in New York.
ALDA will be portrayed among Territorial Answers to Global Challenges – Innovative multi-level partnerships for development effectiveness (Friday, 6th of July), in the framework of the Third Biennial High Level Development Cooperation Forum.
ALDA started, with the programme Non State Actors/Local Authorities an important activity in promoting development based on the joint initiative of Local Authorities and Civil Society. The programmes are very much developed in Eastern Partnership countries like Belarus, Armenia and Georgia. In those last ones, ALDA is developing its methodology thanks to the Local Democracy Agencies. In Belarus, ALDA works with local partners with success, despite the difficulties.
A programme – WTD, Working Together for Development – has been launched last year, joining the efforts of 25 partners (local authorities and civil society networks) in promoting – jointly – initiatives for development and improved impact of cooperation actions.
Working locally, with local authorities and civil society, will be presented at the Side Event dedicated to innovative methodologies, at the UN conference, on the 6th of July, by the Director of ALDA, Antonella Valmorbida. This event represents a further step of cooperation with UNDP and in particular with the Art Gold programme.

Territorial Answers to Global Challenges – Innovative multi-level partnerships for development effectiveness – New York, 6th July 2012
An event organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through the ART Initiative, in collaboration with the Forum of Global Association of Regions (ORU-FOGAR) and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)

CIVICUS Board of Directors has formally communicated that Antonella Valmorbida, Director of ALDA, has been welcomed as a new co-opted member of CIVICUS International Board.
CIVICUS is an international alliance dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world.
The term of Antonella Valmorbida Board membership will be one year and three months, until the Board meeting in September 2013, when all of the current Board members’ terms will expire.
Among the forthcoming engagements as member of CIVICUS Board is the attendance of the Board meeting in September during the CIVICUS World Assembly in Montreal, 3-7 September 2012.

CIVICUS, World Alliance for Citizen Participation, is an international alliance of members and partners which constitutes an influential network of organisations at the local, national, regional and international levels, and spans the spectrum of civil society. CIVICUS includes the following in its definition of civil society: civil society networks and organisations; trade unions; faith-based networks; professional associations; NGO capacity development organisations; philanthropic foundations and other funding bodies.
CIVICUS has worked for nearly two decades to strengthen citizen action and civil society throughout the world, especially in areas where participatory democracy and citizens’ freedom of association are threatened. CIVICUS has a vision of a global community of active, engaged citizens committed to the creation of a more just and equitable world. This is based on the belief that the health of societies exists in direct proportion to the degree of balance between the state, the private sector and civil society.
CIVICUS provides a focal point for knowledge-sharing, common interest representation, global institution-building and engagement among these disparate sectors. It acts as an advocate for citizen participation as an essential component of governance and democracy worldwide. CIVICUS seeks to amplify the voices and opinions of ordinary people and it gives expression to the enormous creative energy of the burgeoning sector of civil society.

PRINCE project “Civil Trust Building” partners, Western Balkan contact points representatives and the internees who participated in preparation of the National Citizen Consultations held in EU project countries had a joint mid-term evaluation meeting in Vienna, 24/25 June. The meeting was hosted by the World of NGO-s/Austria and organised by the lead applicant – European House – Hungary.
ALDA – acting as the contact point coordinator has been involved in selection of internees, preparing news and updates on EU integration from seven countries included.
During this meeting specific attention was given to possibilities for further involvement of the internees in the project follow-up activities and to preparations for the highlight of the project: BUS TOUR – ENLARGEMENT LABYRINTH which will take place between 8-15 September 2012.
It is designed as a series of awareness raising actions in main city squares of Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Ljubljana and Udine of EU enlargement, including the setting up of EU enlargement labyrinth, distribution of Balkan countries’ profiles, country specific illustrations of natural beauties, traditional recipes, quiz games, questionnaires on EU enlargement..
Excellent interaction, optimistic views and creativity prevailed among the participants willing to promote their countries during the tour.
LDA-s acting as Western Balkan contact points are: Sladjan Ilic, Kerim Medjedovic, Sasha Marinkov, Liridona Ponosheci, Klotilda Tavani, Angel Cabarkapa, Sreten Koceski who will participate in the forthcoming tour.

ALDA will hold 2 Sessions of 5 days intensive training course on the themes of “Citizens participation and funding opportunities to support participative initiatives”, that will take place in Strasbourg, the “Capital of Europe”, 14-18 January 2013 and 11 – 15 March 2013.
Eligible applicants are citizens of EU 27 Countries, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, Croatia and Macedonia.
The course aims at deepen knowledge about the concept of active citizenship and participation in the European context, encouraging participants to take part to the social and political life of their communities with a stronger commitment and more efficient means.
The course foresees to give, as well as theoretical contents, practical notions on the funding opportunities available to support community sector. The participants are expected during the activities to learn how to develop a successful project in the framework of the different actions of the Europe for Citizens Programme and other funding sources related to citizens initiatives.
The course is open to a variety of participants among which professionals and volunteers involved in organisations/institutions management, trainers, careers officer, managers of schools/organisations offering adult education, non-teaching administrative staff, members of students/teachers councils in adult education, inspectors, teachers ect.
The initiative is recognised by the European Union as a Grundtvig in Service Training Course. The participants are therefore warmly invited to apply for a Grundtvig grant, which would enable them to cover their travel, accommodation and course fees expenses.
Soon more information in the homepage of www.alda-europe.eu

ALDA Alliance WTD, Working Together for Development, has been selected by the European Commission to be included in the next European Development Days programme. EDD 2012 will take place at the Tour & Taxis venue in Brussels, Belgium (16-17 October 2012).
ALDA will organise a creative laboratory conceived as a learning café session aiming at brainstorming and proposing recommendations integrating the contributions of experts and practitioners on the advantages of creating real synergies between LAs and CSOs in development cooperation.In order to achieve its main objective, the WTD Working Together for Development learning café is structured in a dynamic and creative way, which allows not only experts but also practitioners to have a real contribution to the formulations of recommendations. The learning café method allows having informal discussions on themes that are usually threaded in a very formal way. In this manner, WTD learning café wants to formulate recommendations responding to 6 key themes identified as the main features characterising the joint involvement of LAs and CSOs in development cooperation processes.

Supported by the British Council and in cooperation with its Azerbaijan member, the Economic Research Center from Baku, ALDA took part in the Training of Trainers for Local Authorities and Civil Society in Baku (Azerbaijan) from the 18th to the 22n of June 2012. Mrs. Antonella Valmorbida, Director of ALDA, was the main trainer.
The programme is developing the capacities of LAs and CSOs representatives engaged in a programme that aims to strength NGO/municipal cooperation. The five days training was based on shared experiences from the ALDA network and European best practices of Citizens’ participation. A particular attention was given to the opportunities offered by the Code of Good Practices on Citizens’ participation of the Conference of the INGOs of the Council of Europe. The participants were engaged in active exercises to improve their skills as trainers, too.
The programme is included, for ALDA, in the general activities to strengthen local democracy and governance and citizens’ participation in Southern Caucasus. Since 2010, ALDA is promoting initiatives to develop a possible Local Democracy Agency programme in Azerbaijan.

The itinerary tour “On Albert Londres’ footsteps” will take place in August 2012 in several Balkan countries. This events is dedicated to promote reporting journalism among dispriviledged youth from France and Balkan countries. On 13 June, the France Balkans Network gathered in Saint-Denis, France, to discuss this forthcoming activity of the network.
This project is organised within the multilateral decentralised cooperation programme for good governance in South-East Europe supported by the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. The lead partners are the County Pays Vichy Auvergne and ALDA, the Association of Local Democracy Agencies. The main objective of this project is to revive Albert Londres’ (1884-1932) experience, born in Vichy, father of modern journalism and reporting, during his numerous investigation trips in the Balkans at the beginning of the 20th century. His story is aimed at stimulating the taste of adventure, curiosity and openness to other cultures among young people with talent for reporting but who do not have the opportunity to travel much and put their knowledge in reporting.
By enabling local authorities, civil society organisations and territories from France and the Balkans to meet and exchange on joint projects, this programme supports the values of peace and intercultural dialogue, as well as promotes European integration of all the countries from South East Europe.
Other partners which are involved in this adventure are the Regional Council of Auvergne, the Regional Council of Lower-Normandy, Maison de l’Europe in Caen, the General Council of the Hautes Alpes, CRET Hautes Alpes, the city of Dijon, the City of Saint-Denis and their counterparts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Romania as well as the Local Democracy Agencies in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, the French and Macedonian ALDA offices as well as two Italian partners.
Regional and national journalists and several associations (France Television, the National Association for the promotion and defence of press youth initiative, the Association of European Journalists) are also partners in the operation, which receives funding communities, the MAE, Foundations and probably Europe.
Then forty young French and Balkan bloggers, young and amateur journalists aged between 18 and 30, were selected to travel in the Balkans for two weeks and report about the current political, social, economic and environmental situation in the Balkans via different means of reporting (old and new technologies) and reflect upon the overall situation in Europe.
In preparation to this meeting, ALDA organised a meeting on 6 June with the Local Democracy Agencies involved in the project.

ALDA is now implementing in the city of Arzignanothe seminar “NEW”, first phase of the one-year project “New Entrepreneurs Ways”. The topic of the project, developedin the framework of the Youth in Action Programme and led by the Municipality of Arzignano, is youth entrepreneurship.

The second step of “New Entrepreneurs Ways” will consist of six National Youth Initiatives (one for each partner country), that will make young people be directly and actively involved in activities managed by themselves for developing their initiatives, entrepreneurial spirit and creativity. 
The third phase of the project will consist of a trans-national Youth Exchange in Pelhrimov, Czech Republic: through “discovery visits”, workshops, debates and role playing activities it will provide the participants with a concrete experience about the situation of work, employment and entrepreneurship in Europe. At the end of the project, a publication will be produced to promote its tangible results and outcomes.
The seminar, organized by ALDA and Cooperativa Studio Progetto, is seeing the participation of young people from Czech Republic, France, Greece,Italy and Malta. The participants are being involved in debating about entrepreneurship and youth employment with a creative and international approach.
The active collaboration of the local economic fabric has allowed the development of some strongly formative activities, such as the round table “NEW entrepreneurship today: utopia or reality?”, in which various local entrepreneurs and experts on company start-up were involved: Andrew Arduini from Editrice Millennium, Alessandro Fracasso from Italian Power Company, FilippoStorti from Manostorti, PatriziaBernardini from Centro di Produttività Veneto, Massimo Avantaggiato from UNISCO and professor Roberto Ricciuti from the University of Verona.  The round table was organized by Marco Boaria from ALDA and Andrea Rilievo and Lara Lupo from Cooperativa Studio Progetto, and was centered around the meaning of being an entrepreneur today and the role of politics in supporting new entrepreneurship.  

Making elderly active in the society is a fundamental tool to fight against their isolations and give to the community the opportunity of not losing a big resource. This is one of the main indications emerged by the international conference organised by ALDA within the project VIT on 8th June in Udine (Italy).
Around 150 people from all Europe and neighbouring countries attended the conference with title “Active Ageing and Local Governance: How to involve elderly as active citizens in their local communities”.
Per Vinther, as former President of ALDA, opened the conference with a detailed presentation of the project VIT and an introduction to the conference.

He stressed the importance of town twinning for the construction of an open-minded and peaceful Europe and the strong necessity to support active citizenship and European values in the enlarged Europe. He explained that the project VIT has the ambition to match with the priorities of the European Union and European Years during the last of the project. Therefore in 2012 in Udine, one of the two international conferences organised within the project VIT focused on the field of Active Ageing referring to the European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. More precisely, the conference aimed at speaking about Active Ageing in the prism of town-twinning and local governance with special focus on the importance of volunteering and citizens’ participation from younger to older at local level for good local governance and an inclusive society. Franco Iacop, Vice President of the V Permanent Commission of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Council, moderated this conference and explained that, as public administrator, he has been dealing with these issues for a long time and knows the crucial importance to make elderly active in the society and to fight against their isolations.

After a short presentation of the agenda, speakers entered in the body of the subject and Marco Boaria, Resource and Development Unit Coordinator from the Association of Local Democracy Agencies, started with a presentation of the Europe for Citizens Programme stressing the fact that this programme contribute to make elderly active as well as all citizens whatever their ages. Marco Boaria made this presentation instead and on behalf of Mrs Leila Giuseppina Nista, from Europe for Citizens Point Italy, who cannot attend the conference due to other commitments.
Then Alice Sinigaglia, coordinator of the coalition and campaign of the 2012 European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, presented to participants the platform, its goal and work as well as the European Year 2012. For Mrs Sinigaglia, the European Year aims at raising the awareness on demographic change and to see it as an opportunity and not a challenge. She explained that the Platform aims at creating age-friendly environnements, which play a crucial role in enabling older people to remain healthy and actively involved in their communities. In particular, the platform is a Coalition of more than 50 stakeholders working together to promote a society for all ages. The European Year 2012 campaign is based on two central points: the joint Manifesto for an Age-Friendly EU by 2020 calling for a Covenant of Mayors on demographic change and a EU Network on Age-Friendly Environments and the joint Roadmap with concrete actions to be implemented in 2012.
The moderator Franco Iacop insisted on the crucial importance of solidarity between generations as glue for the society.
After these general and introductory presentations, the public had the chance to assist to a concert of a choir called “Coro Danito Dobrina”, nationally recognised since they sang for the Pope at the occasion of the birthday of Roma. They interpreted four songs and finished with the Anthem of Europe, the “Ode to Joy” based on the final movement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
After this emotional moment, Professor Furio Honsell, Mayor of Udine took the floor to present to the public, in a very interesting and interactive way, the experience and vision of the City of Udine on senior policies. He started by stressing on the importance of the equality and the consequences of inequality in our societies in term of health notably. He showed that the City of Udine is very involved in helping elderly to stay active in the society and to fight against their isolation. He precised that the City of Udine is member of covenant of Mayors and of the Healthy Cities European Networks, which is a project of the World Health Organisation. He finally presented numerous activities organised by the City of Udine for increasing active citizenship among all generations and for facilitating the exchange between generations.

The second part of the conference was dedicated to good practices from VIT international partners and local actors from the Region Friuli Venezia Giulia on the ways to involve elderly in their communities. A large space was given to partners of the VIT project to make them able to share with participants the results of the local event they have already organised within the above-mentioned project. Firstly, Dorothee Fischer from the Spanish association RECREATURA presented the results of the event on “Volunteering in times of crisis” the association organised within the project VIT in Valencia on March 2012.Then Agnieszka Dybowska from the Municipality of Bydgoszcz (Poland) exposed the good practices of the Municipality of Bydgoszcz on the field of seniors’ policies and the ways and means to use the town twinnings, in which the Municipality of Bydgoszcz is involved, as a tool for active ageing. Mrs Dybowska talked particularly about the town twinning her Municipality developed with German Cities. Thirdly, Mirela Muca from the Association of Albanian Municipalities gave the conclusions and recommendations developed during the conference on “The Role of the Local Government Authorities Units in Offering Social Services – Ageing” organised in Tirana on 9th-10th May 2012 within the project VIT. Mrs Muca sayed that this conference had an important echo and aroused a strong interest of public and private organisations in Albania since it was the first event organised on these tackled issues.She also presented good practices on senior policies in two Albanian municipalities: Tirana and Kamza. Finally, Kristine Kulite, specialist of foreign affairs in Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments, and Dianela Stanculescu, from the Association of Romanian Municipalities, shared good practices of Latvian and Romanian Municipalities respectively to enhance active ageing and fight against senior’s isolation through different kind of activities and public policies.

The last part of the conference was dedicated to local good practices on active ageing. Mr Ugo Lupatelli, President of the University of Third Age of Trieste, took the floor to introduce his organisation created in 1982 and aiming at maintaining elderly active in their communities through numerous and diversified activities. Then Mattia Vinzi, President of the association Exist, showed a short video on the project “Together we grow”, granted by the Europe for Citizens Programme under the action 4-Remembrance, and which gathered people of all ages around the idea to keep together people, facts and memories from the Cross Border Regions of the Eastern Border and to reflect about the everyday life on the borders facing with the crimes of Nazism and Stalinism.

Finally Antonella Valmorbida, Director of the Association of Local Democracy Agencies, concluded and sayed that the need of exchange of good practices and experiences is very pregnant especially on the field of active ageing, that is the project VIT is so much important. Several attending person took the microphone to express their gratitude to organisers for having chosen this subject and stressed again the important role of Local Authorities and Civil Society Organisations in making elderly active in their local communities.

Oriano Otočan is the new President of ALDA, the Association of Local Democracy Agencies. He represents The Istria Region, Croatia, where he served first as a Member of the Regional Government, and afterwards as Director of Department in charge of international cooperation and European integration.
He has been elected by the Governing Board of ALDA, that has been renewed by the General Assembly the of the Association.

In the Bureau, with Otočan, has been elected also Imislawa Gorska, Principal of the International School of Bydgoszcz, Poland, Vice president, Alessandro Perelli, Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Italy, Vice president, Paula Rauzan, Delegate of the local Democracy Agency of Sisak, Croatia, Secretary, and Roger Lawrence, Municipality of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom, Treasurer.
Other elected members of the Governing Board will be for the next four years also Per Vinther, past President, Alain Tourret, Vice president of Lower Normandy Region, Mircea Cosma, President of Prahova County, Romania, Valery Deschamps, President of the Association “Maison de l’Europe”, Caen, France, Dobrica Milovanovic, Deputy Mayor of the City of Kragujevac, Serbia, Ruggiero Mennea, Councillor of Apulia Region, Italy, and Lucio Gregoretti, Municipality of Monfalcone, Italy.
“It is important to continue the ALDA activities in the countries of South East Europe – stated Oriano Otočan, new ALDA President – because, if it is true that Croatia will be soon an EU member, is also true that other countries are still too much centralised, and have in front other steps toward the EU integration. ALDA can be surely an actor in this path and can be helpful to provide and support these countries in achieving the necessary requests.
Also thanks to its experiences in Croatia, ALDA will work to guarantee a stronger citizen participation, the strengthening of local authorities and a development that meets the needs of citizens”.

Strengthening citizens’ and local authorities’ role in the good local governance of all the European and neighbouring countries and facilitate cooperation between local authorities and civil society.
These will be the objectives of ALDA’s activity also for the next years. ALDA members are discussing the future strategies and programmes of the Association in the General Assembly that is taking place in Udine (Italy), hosted by Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and Udine Municipality.
ALDA members have elected the new Governing Board that will lead the Association for the next four years.
The new Governing Board will be presented tomorrow, during the second session of the General Assembly.
Members have also debated and approved the balance and the activity programme for 2012.
Tomorrow (8 June), the General Assembly will discuss ALDA strategy 2020 and multiannual programmes.