Chisinau, 18/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - The Conference for the Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP) met in Moldova on 17 September. It called on the European Union for more direct contact, including the creation of direct access to appropriate financial instruments (European and national) for the local and regional groups of the Eastern partnership countries. “The existing instruments are not sufficient in order to ensure the effective participation of Eastern partnership countries, especially local authorities, in the European integration process”, said the CORLEAP co-chair and mayor of Chisinau, Dorin Chirtoaca. “We should be able to put in place funding opportunities to improve the efficiency of local and regional administrations in the Eastern neighbourhood”, added the other co-chair of CORLEAP and president of the Committee of the Regions, Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso. The 36 members of the Committee of the Regions and Eastern Partnership countries also ask the EU to limit, or even abolish, the requirement of co-financing for the local groups as part of the EU aid programmes.
The CORLEAP members also discussed the route to follow in their action priorities - the reform of public administration, fiscal decentralisation and territorial cooperation, which will form the subject of a report to be submitted to the next meeting in the second half of 2013. They particularly insisted on fiscal decentralisation and autonomy. In Siso's opinion, “greater political and fiscal autonomy for regional and local authorities is an important factor enabling multi-level governance to function effectively”. (CG/transl.fl)