ALDA General Assembly 2016: Building a bottom-up Europe is possible, thanks to the cooperation of local authorities and civil society
ALDA counts today over 200 members among local authorities, associations of local authorities, and civil society organizations and their networks in the enlarged Europe. Over 80 members attended the event, this year focused on decentralized cooperation and on its potential as a tool to enhance good local governance.

The partnership and support of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the partnership with the Art Initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and with the French Association of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (AFCCRE), transformed the day and all related events into high-level debates, while constituting the occasion for ALDA’s members to decide and live the Association strategic choices.

On top of approving the accounts, the activity report, and the programme, the General Assembly 2016 elected the new Governing Board, which will lead the activities of ALDA during the next four years. The former President Oriano Otočan, representative of the Croatian Region Istria, was confirmed, thus proving his engagement and vision supporting the association expansion.

The Assembly decided on the status of the three former Local Democracy Agencies in Croatia (Verteneglio/Brtonigla, Osijek, and Sisak), which are now Operational Partners of ALDA (see change to ALDA Statute approved). The Assembly also approved the recommendations on tackling migration arising from the initiative on the topic and on the inquiry run by ALDA and the LADDER consortium.

“Witnessing the increase in our members’ participation year after year cannot but fill us with pride and hope” stated Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA. “The new Governing Board is a perfect synthesis of ALDA’s soul – local authorities and civil society, women and man, European Union, Balkans, Eastern Partnership, and Mediterranean area. They all share knowledge, skills, and the wish to promote local democracy, improving their citizens’ lives, and building a bottom-up Europe. I am extremely confident they – we – will do a great work”, concluded Mrs Valmorbida.

As part of the event, the 4th edition of the annual scholarship Gianfranco Martini was awarded to Eva Komlossyova and Lenka Dušková of the Palacký University of Olomouc, in Czech Republic, for their study project titled “Assessing Impact of Local Democracy Agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina”.

“Migration initiative” recommendations adopted by ALDA General Assembly

Given the increasing number of migrants arriving to European Union, ALDA and the LADDER consortium adopted, during the General Assembly, some recommendations following the “Migration Initiative” with the aim of addressing this issue.

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Due to various reasons such as conflicts, dictatorships, poverty, hunger, lack of jobs opportunities, increasing numbers of migrants are fleeing their countries and trying to reach the European Union. During the last few years this phenomenon has reached an incredible proportion and has often been accompanied by dramatic humanitarian issues, including shipwrecks, high numbers of deaths and illegal smuggling of human beings. Furthermore, the increasing flow of migrants and refugees managing to reach Europe contributed to awaken dangerous movements with racist and xenophobic connotations, questioning European values such as integration and tolerance.

ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy – has elaborated an analysis on the root causes of migration in the last decade and on the level of civic participation of migrants in local communities across Europe. The document aimed at collecting the voice of migrants already living in Europe in order to better understand the obstacles faced in their integration process and promote evidence based policies capable of addressing the current crisis within a long term perspective. The document has been presented on the occasion of the General Assembly in Paris last 12 May and a set of recommendations have been adopted, which highlight the role of local authorities in policy making and implementation, call for effective aid and migrants integration in the local communities, and stress the importance of migration as a driver for development.

Read the recommendations adopted on Migration

Read the full document on results of the survey on migration