Building citizens trust in public decision-making is essential to improving the quality and transparency of governance. The General Secretariat of the Government of Romania recently requested accreditation to deliver the European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE) in Romania with the aim of increasing the quality of public administration at all levels of government in Romania and responding to the needs of citizens. The ELoGE project was presented to interested municipalities and stakeholders at a hybrid event in Bucharest today (4 May 2022).

Head of the Democracy and Governance Department of the Council of Europe, Mr Daniel Popescu, noted how Romania was joining an increasing number of member states in launching ELoGE as a means of promoting good democratic governance at local level. Following recent launch events in Italy, Latvia, and Bosnia Herzegovina, it was the turn of the Romanian authorities to invite their municipalities to apply for the coveted dodecahedron. Representatives from municipalities and civil society from all across Romania joined the event in person or online to hear how they could participate in raising awareness of the 12 Principles of Good Democratic Governance.

ELoGE is based on self-assessment of municipalities by local officials, elected councillors and citizens. It is imperative to recognise that the journey towards ELoGE is as important as the destination. In making a commitment to apply the Benchmark, municipalities are agreeing to measure their performance against each of the 12 Principles. They are also offering citizens a platform through which to appraise the performance of their local authority. The officials and citizens in all municipalities participating in the ELoGE programme will have a greater understanding of good democratic governance which, in itself, will contribute to improved governance practice in Romania.