Brussels, 05/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - Local authorities do not intend to be sidelined in the multi-player strategy recommended by the Commission in its development cooperation policy. The Council of Communes and Regions of Europe (CCRE), speaking through the Plateforma, a European platform of local and regional development authorities, has expressed its concern. It is all the more important to bring this subject up as the Commission is opening consultation with the multi-player development partners, only taking civil society organisations into account. Before this can result in a communication this autumn, Plateforma states it is concerned that local authorities will be excluded out of hand from multi-player partnerships, which could even break with the multi-player approach of structured dialogue, some protagonists say. Further to a forum organised on 2 and 3 April by the platform in question, local authorities are calling on the Commission to clarify its multi-player approach and its way of working with the local and regional authorities on development cooperation.
Plateforma also underlines to the Parliament and Council that the thematic programme of non-state players and local development authorities should be maintained as the Commission advocates, and that its budget should be reviewed upward - from €1.3 billion to €2 billion for the next financial planning period 2014-2020. (MD/transl.jl)