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Local authorities seek better access to EU Neighbourhood funding in bid to step up EuroMed cohesion policy

31-01-2012

Better access of local and regional authorities to European Neighbourhood Policy funding, the extension of the Covenant of Mayors to Southern Mediterranean cities and regions, and the enforcement of territorial cooperation in strategic fields like sustainability and energy infrastructures can open the way to an innovative Euro-Mediterranean cohesion policy. This was the ambitious message delivered on Monday by regional and local representative from more than 30 countries, gathering in Bari for the third plenary of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM).
 
"A year after the start of the Arab spring, ARLEM has succeeded in clarifying how the EU can better support local communities in the southern Mediterranean area during this delicate transition and how new cooperation opportunities are being brought about by the regionalisation and devolution of powers to local authorities undertaken in crucial states like Tunisia," said Mercedes Bresso, president of the Committee of the Regions and co-president of ARLEM. She was speaking after the adoption of the annual report on the territorial dimension of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), which was drafted by ARLEM co-presidents.
 
"These efforts will assist in the implementation of an innovative regional and cohesion policy aimed at supporting the convergence of the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean in creating a sustainable development model based on a transparent and efficient administration, as well as a more open and dynamic business environment and, overall, on concrete improvements in the quality of life and in the opportunities offered to citizens," concluded Bresso.
 
"From the Bari plenary came a strong encouragement for the Egyptian democratic transition," said Ali Abdelrahman, governor of Giza (Egypt), who was elected as new ARLEM co-president by the Southern Mediterranean members, with a mandate starting in August 2012, together with Ramon Luis Valcárcel Siso, president of Murcia (Spain).
 
With the adoption of reports on climate change and desertification and on renewable energy in the Mediterranean, ARLEM members made clear that a concrete, joint commitment in the field of sustainability could dramatically accelerate the improvement of services like water and waste management, energy and local transport, which are key factors in the quality of life of millions of citizens of the area.
 
Green growth and jobs are also among the objectives of the report on the role of small and medium enterprises in the Mediterranean presented to the plenary, while the preservation and enhancement of cultural heritage in the Mediterranean was the topic of a fourth report submitted.
 
ARLEM is a consultative assembly, which aims at bringing a regional and local dimension to the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. It gathers 84 members from the EU and its 16 Mediterranean partners who are representatives of regions and local bodies holding a regional or local authority mandate. (ENPI Info Centre)
 
Read more
 
Press release
 
Meeting agenda and documents
 
ARLEM – webpage
 
ARLEM – FAQ
 
ENPI Info Centre webpage – Civil society and local authorities
 

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