Pristina Declaration on Renewing Commitment to Fiscal Decentralization in South East Europe

The Seventh NALAS General Assembly Meeting took place in Prishtina, on 29th and 30th March 2012. Over 100 participants from SouthEast Europe and beyond - mayors, municipal officials, experts and guest - participated at the events and contributed in the joint call for renewing commitment to fiscal decentralization.

The economic turbulence of the last five years has impacted the economies of South East Europe. In general, the period has not been a good one for local governments in the region and it has led to local governments and their leaders to call their central governments for renewing the commitment to fiscal decentralization.

This call was presented at the VII General Assembly Meeting of the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South East Europe (NALAS) organized on 30 March 2012, in Pristina. The co-host of the event was the Mayor of Pristina and the Vice President of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities Mr Isa Mustafa. The Association of Kosovo Municipalities was a co-organiser of this General Assembly of NALAS.

The Declaration on Renewing Commitment to Fiscal Decentralization in South East Europe which was adopted by the General Assembly calls the central governments “to systematically review the operation and functioning of intergovernmental grant and transfer mechanisms and to focus particular attention on improving equalization mechanisms which are weak in most of the region”.

NALAS Prishtina Declaration

NEXPO Declaration of Local Governments Facing the Future

Almost 200 mayors from South East Europe used the occasion of NEXPO 2011 to discuss common challenges, present innovative approaches and agree together upon a joint Declaration on Local Governments Facing the Future: Good Governance, Social Inclusion and European Integration. This Declaration is addressed to the European Union, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the national governments in SEE, the associations of local authorities and their networks and recommends a stronger role of local governments and their associations in the EU integration process, and in the utilisation of the IPA and other funding mechanisms.

Declaration

Sofia Declaration on Enforcing the political neutrality and independence of Local Government Associations

In some coun­tries in South East Europe the unity of national associations was chal­lenged in the past few months: new associations were established, while the national associations, members of NALAS network, lost considerable part of their membership. Therefore, the Presidents at their meeting in Sofia expressed their concern about such tendencies of fragmentation of national associa­tions in the region. A political declaration was adopted by the Presidents who agreed that the message coming from NALAS should be widely disseminated in all SEE countries.

NALAS Sofia Declaration

NALAS Declaration on Active Involvement of Local Authorities of South East Europe in EU Integration Process

During its 5th general assembly held in Istanbul on December 11, 2009, NALAS, the network of 15 local governments’ associations of South East Europe, adopted a declaration addressing the role of the local authorities of South East Europe in the EU Integration Process. This declaration is a result of a continuous commitment of NALAS and its members to an effective process of EU integration and a round table discussion at the NALAS General Assembly meeting.

NALAS Istanbul Declaration

Dubrovnik Declaration of NALAS Local Government Associations

Over the course of the last eight months, the global economic crisis has begun to hit local governments throughout South-East Europe (SEE) with increasing intensity. NALAS has been monitoring and analyzing the situation in SEE since the beginning of the crisis. At the meeting of NALAS Presidents during 11-13 July 2009 in Dubrovnik, the Associations of Local Governments of South East Europe adopted a declaration addressing the national and local governments of South East Europe towards taking actions for mitigating the crisis.

NALAS Dubrovnik Declaration

Local Governments of South East Europe Respond to Global Economic Crisis

NALAS members, executives of local government associations, distinguished experts in macroeconomics and Mayors from the South East Europe discussed the possible consequences of the global economic crisis on the local governments in SEE in November 2008. It was initially assessed that the spill-over effects of the global crisis are not yet strongly felt by most of the local governments in SEE. While the countries with more developed economies are already in recession, other economies might also be dragged in through reduced Foreign Direct Investments, liquidation of local assets, weaker net exports, lower remittances, exchange rates, decline of property value, etc. The discussion led to recommendations given in this policy brief.

NALAS Recommendations

Municipal Budget Negotiations

Presidents and executives of NALAS Member Associations met in Budva on 27-28 June 2008 to discuss the role of Local Government Associations in negotiating better fiscal policies with their central government authorities. The Minister of Finance of Montenegro, Mr Igor Luksic and the Minister of Interior and Public Administration, Mr Jusuf Kalamperovic were guest speakers. The NALAS members presidents endorsed the draft municipal negotiation, which is the first product of the NALAS Task Force on Fiscal Decentralization. They shared their experiences in budget negotiations and developed several recommendations for follow up activities.

The Budva Declaration (.pdf)