Brussels, 22/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - The Council is convinced that local authorities have a key role to play in reducing poverty and in promoting human rights, democracy, good governance and sustainable development at local level in developing countries. It will, therefore, support the efforts made by the public authorities in these countries to help make these regional and local actors more efficient by providing them with appropriate resources.
The Foreign Affairs Council conclusions welcomed the European Commission's communication of last May, “Empowering Local Authorities in partner countries for enhanced governance and more effective development outcomes” (see EUROPE 10848).
The Council also backs the idea of multilevel cooperation at sub-national, national, regional and international levels with associations of local authorities and the proposals for greater involvement with governments and the local authorities of the partner countries to create a legal and political environment that is propitious to decentralisation and thus promote the EU's development priorities.
The EU should invest in capacity-strengthening activities to ensure that local authorities and their associations can assume their institutional and operational responsibilities, laying stress on transparency and accountability at the local level - two key requirements to help to support local leadership tackle corruption, strengthen institutions and guard against financial mismanagement, states the Council. To this end, the European Commission is called on to explore new and innovative funding arrangements.
The Council emphasises that, in states which are in fragile, conflict, and crisis-prone situations, EU dialogue with and support to local authorities is particularly important.
In order to implement these recommendations, the Council is calling on the EU and its member states to cooperate with the Committee of the Regions to take into account the points of view and experience of the local authorities in partner countries and to support their representation in discussions at national and international levels, particularly those on the post-2015 development agenda. (AN/transl.fl)