Strengthening Institutional Frameworks for Local Governance Programme

Programme news

Back Study visit on sharing inter-municipal co-operation experience

A delegation of representatives of central and local public authorities from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Belarus participated in a study visit in Bilbao (Spain) on 26-28 June 2017.

The participants were acquainted with the Spanish experience in developing inter-municipal co-operation (IMC), management of policies for public services among municipalities and relevant practices. Specifically, they learnt about services and competencies of municipalities within La Cuadrilla de Rioja Alavesa (a consortium of municipalities), urban transformation of Bilbao, about how Basque Association of Municipalities works and other. The delegation also visited several public services such as that of water management delivered by Bizkaia Water Consortium, collection of tyre waste managed by Galdakao municipality and social services provided by Donostia-San Sebastian municipality. The group had the opportunity to compare this experience to that from their own countries, especially given the ongoing implementation of IMC initiatives started with the support of the Council of Europe.

The event was carried out within the Thematic Programme “Strengthening institutional frameworks for local governance” implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform, under the European Union/Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance in the Eastern Partnership countries.

Bilbao, Spain 26-28 June 2017

Diminuer la taille du texte
Augmenter la taille du texte
Imprimer la page

Publications

Territorial Amalgamation Toolkit

Inter-Municipal CooperationToolkit in Ukraine

Local Finance Benchmarking Toolkit: piloting and lessons learned. Geogia. Phase I

Local Finance Benchmarking Toolkit: piloting and lessons learned. Republic of Moldova

Local Finance Benchmarking Toolkit: piloting and lessons learned. Armenia

Mapping obstacles to Inter-Municipal Cooperation in Eastern Partnership counties

Local finance benchmarking: a shared tool for improved financial management

Study on roles and responsibilities of mayors and local councillors in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus

Mayors and local councillors play a vital leadership role in promoting the principles of local democracy in their communities. The study takes an integral look at the execution of roles and functions of local elected representatives, the division and scope of their responsibilities, the situation of local finances and the quality of local democracy. It is developed with the aim to strengthen the local leaders in order for them to further contribute to the development of local democratic governance.

Download the study : English - Russian

Handbooks on Transparency and Citizen participation

Reducing corruption risks, promoting citizen participation, and developing effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels are key components of just and inclusive societies. These country-specific handbooks provide practical guidance on transparency policies and citizen participation mechanisms, and identify the most prevalent corruption risks. They identify the relevant international standards and national legislation and provide case-law examples and best practices which local and regional authorities are recommended to promote and apply.

ARMENIA: English - Armenian
GEORGIA: English - Georgian
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA: English – Romanian
UKRAINE: English - Ukrainian

Study on institutionalised citizen participation: assessment of existing mechanisms in Georgia

Through an approach involving in-depth interviews and desk surveys, with the support of local authorities and civil society organisations, this comprehensive overview sets out the main directions for improvement of citizen participation in Georgia. It is comprised of three parts: evaluation of the existing legal bases, description of the challenges and successes in practice, with regard to the implementation of existing mechanisms in practice, and recommendations to improve the current situation.

Download the study : English - Georgian

Management of change: a tool guide for local and regional authorities

This tool provides step-by-step guidance for local authorities towards the successful assessment of local policies’ efficiency and effective management of change. It aims to support local public administrations in leading in a more informed manner, addressing the needs of their communities, and developing demand-driven and responsive policies.

Download the tool guide : English - Armenian - Georgian - Romanian - Ukrainian

About the Programme

Programme summary

The programme is being implemented by Council of Europe

The programme “Strengthening institutional frameworks for local governance” is being implemented by the Council of Europe Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform, Directorate General of Democracy and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

Funding

This programme is funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Council of Europe

This programme is funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe through the Programmatic Co-operation Framework (PCF) for 2015-2017 for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. The total budget of the programme is € 2,570,000.

Expected results

streamlining new by-laws in at least three beneficiary countries and to develop targeted recommendations;
foster a more efficient, transparent and ethical governance at the local level in at least three beneficiary countries;
develop and adapt the European standard local finance benchmarking tool to the specific countries so as to improve legislation and local regulations.

Objectives

To strengthen institutional frameworks for local governance in the Eastern Partnership countries

support the on-going process of reform of local government in participating countries

promote ethical behaviour by locally elected representatives of the region

support the improvement of financial and human resources management of local administrations based on European standards and benchmarking processes.

Main activities

Comparative studies on the role and responsibilities of mayors and councillors

Comparative studies on the role and responsibilities of mayors and councillors, on inter-municipal cooperation and local finance benchmarking, conferences, workshops, bilateral round tables, training sessions, legal expertise, development of recommendations for reform, peer-to-peer exchanges, study visits for beneficiaries from participating countries, awareness raising and visibility actions, country-specific studies and publications, etc.