4th Forum of Cities and Regions of South-East Europe (10th Economic Forum) Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 22 - 23 September 2003 - CG (11) 8 Part II

Rapporteurs :
Stefan Sofianski, Bulgaria
Chamber of Local Authorities
Political Group, EPP/DC

Nenad Polic, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Chamber of Regions
Political Group, NR

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

Introduction

The Prijedor Forum (Bosnia & Herzegovina) was held on 22 and 23 September 2003. It was the 4th Forum of Cities and Regions of South-East Europe, continuing the series of economic Forums organised since 1996 by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, in conjunction with the Foundation for the Economy and Sustainable Development of European Regions (FEDRE).

The Prijedor Forum, following the three Forums held in Skopje (16-18 November 2000), Istanbul (2-3 November 2001) and Novi Sad (18-20 April 2002), was a further contribution to the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe. Although the Congress organised other major activities in South-East Europe, the Forum was its most important contribution to the Stability Pact in 2003.

The Prijedor Forum, like the previous events in Skopje, Istanbul and Novi Sad, benefited from the support of the coordinators of the Stability Pact for South Eastern-Europe. The Rapporteurs wish to thank the Stability Pact for its support for and cooperation with Congress activities aimed at promoting local and regional democracy.
Organisation of the Prijedor Forum

The Rapporteurs wish to thank the Mayor of Prijedor, Mrs Nada Sevo, for hosting the Forum, and pays tribute to her personal commitment and that of her staff, which provided optimal conditions for the Forum.
Preparation of the Prijedor Forum

Unlike the previous events which had been supervised by the Bureau of the Congress, the Prijedor Forum was supervised by the ad hoc Working Group of local and regional representatives of South-East Europe, specially set up in 2003 by the Bureau under Article 10. § 2 of the Congress Charter.

The Group, which meets three times a year, during the spring and autumn plenary sessions of the Congress, voices the common interests of local and regional authorities in South-East Europe within the Congress. Several meetings were held in Strasbourg to prepare the Forum, notably in May 2003, when the conclusions of the preparatory visit to Prijedor of Congress Secretariat staff and FEDRE representatives were examined.

These meetings made it possible, in collaboration with the authorities of the host country, to identify the main themes of the draft project programme, namely:

Follow-up to the Forums held in Istanbul (2-3 November 2001) and Novi Sad (18-20 April 2002)

Following the Forums in Istanbul (November 2001) andovi Sad (April 2002), the Congress adopted Recommendation 112 (2002) and Resolution 135 (2002) at its 9th plenary session (May 2002). On 12 February 2004 the Ministers' Deputies adopted a reply to Recommendation 112 (cf. appendix).

The Prijedor Forum in the context of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe

The main aim of the four Forums (Skopje, Istanbul, Novi Sad and Prijedor) was to develop partnerships with the cities and regions of South-East Europe and to bring together European local and regional elected representatives to debate topical issues (cf.: explanatory memorandum for the Forums held in Istanbul and Novi Sad  - Rapporteurs: Mr Claude HAEGI (Switzerland) and Yavuz MILDON (Turkey): CG (9) 8 Part II – 23 April 2002).

The Congress has since striven to ensure that "local and regional democracy" in South-East Europe and transfrontier cooperation remain priorities for Working Table I of the Stability Pact and the donors. Over the years these Forums of cities and regions have become major events in South-East Europe, with an ever-growing number of participants, particularly from local and regional government.

The Rapporteurs wish to thank Mrs Elizabeth Rehn, Stability Pact Chair of Working Table I - Democratisation and Human Rights – who made a long statement at the opening session, spelling out the key role that could and had to be played by local and regional authorities in developing democracy to foster stability in the countries of South-East Europe. Mrs Vera Budway, a Stability Pact Expert, took part in the Forum's closing session. She has also contributed to other Congress activities in South-East Europe, particularly the NALAS network.

Participants

The Forum was attended by over 500 participants on its first day, the largest ever number recorded for a Forum of Cities and Regions of South-East Europe.

Alongside the Mayor of the host city, Mrs Nada Sevo, a number of eminent figures honoured the Forum with their presence. Without being able to list them all, the Rapporteurs would like to mention:

§ Giovanni DI STASI, President of the Chamber of Regions of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe

§ Dragan CAVIC, President of the Republika Srpska, Bosnia & Herzegovina

§ Donald S. HAYS, Ambassador, Principal Deputy High Representative in Bosnia & Herzegovina (OHR)

§ Fuad SABETA, Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia & Herzegovina

§ Robert BEECROFT, Ambassador, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia & Herzegovina

§ Claire FROMENTIN-KULJANINOVIC, Head of the European Commission Office in Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina

As the Forum programme appended to this report shows, there was a wide range of participants and speakers from the 25 Council of Europe member States in attendance, mainly from South-East Europe:

- Representatives of governmental and national authorities, administrative authorities and the entities of Bosnia & Herzegovina, European and international organisations (Office of the High Representative, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, European Commission, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS);
- Mayors and regional leaders and members of national and regional associations of local and regional authorities of South-East Europe;
- Members of the Congress;
- Representatives of local and international non-governmental organisations, including the Foundation for the Economy and Sustainable Development of European Regions (FEDRE), the Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA) and the European Network of Training Organisations for local and regional authorities (ENTO), and Syni Lausanne, co-initiator of the SEDECO Project (Service for Decentralised Cooperation in Europe) with the Congress and UNOPS;

- Players from civil society and economic spheres.

These representatives presented statements during the Forum, which allowed each organisation, region or municipality to report its experiences and problems. The ultimate goal of the Prijedor Forum, and of the previous Forums, was to enable a large number of participants directly concerned by and involved in the development of local and regional democracy in South-East Europe to convey their views and experience, so that a network may be developed around the main local and regional players in South-East Europe. The rapporteur believes that, on this count, the Prijedor Forum very much fulfilled its objective.

Main conclusions of the Forum

The Forum's main conclusions are set out in the Final Declaration of the Prijedor Forum, unanimously adopted by the participants at the closing sitting on 23 September 2003, chaired by Mr Di Stasi, President of the Chamber of Regions of the Congress (in the presence of Mrs Sevo, Mayor of Prijedor).

The key issues identified by the Forum are embodied in the draft Recommendation and Resolution to be submitted to the Congress at the 11th plenary session (25-27 May 2004):

1. Concrete measures and strong commitment from local, regional and national authorities to foster the sustainable return of refugees, in close collaboration with international organisations, local NGOs and economic players 

The sustainable return of refugees and displaced persons in all the countries of South-East Europe, and more specifically in Bosnia & Herzegovina, was the main theme of the Prijedor Forum.
During the debates, Giovanni Di Stasi, President of the Chamber of Regions of the Congress, called for the stepping up of dialogue and cooperation between communities, full reconciliation and a successful transition period. He saw local and regional authorities as having a key role to play in facilitating the return of refugees and enabling them to reintegrate by injecting new life into local economic development, while ensuring respect of human rights for all the communities and the development of true local democracy.
The governments concerned, in view of the difficulties experienced by municipalities in providing refugees with practical assistance and access to social rights (health, education, housing, pensions),  were asked to encourage the return of refugees by giving local and regional authorities the requisite resources for establishing the conditions for permanent return, including the essential conditions for security.

Many speakers, including Mrs Nada Sevo, Mayor of Prijedor, and Mr Pushkar Bhattarai, Representative of the UNHCR, stressed that it was essential that the South-East European local and regional authorities concerned strive, in collaboration with international organisations and local NGOs, to facilitate the reintegration of returnees in their original places of domicile, and grant refugees and/or displaced persons in their current place of residence non-discriminatory access to social rights (health, housing, employment, education, social welfare/pensions).

Local and regional authorities were also asked to do their utmost to ensure that the living conditions of the local community were preserved. In particular they were encouraged to employ returnees at all levels of public administration, in local public bodies and also in the police authorities. In addition, since access to employment is indispensable to sustainable return, the role and contribution of economic players was seen as crucial to the entire process.
The Congress will pursue its activities and its specific initiatives to aid refugees in South-East Europe and the Committee on Social Cohesion will propose initiatives in its report on "migratory flows and social cohesion in South-East Europe: the role of local and regional authorities".

2. Development of the local and regional economy through a renewed privatisation drive and increased efforts to combat corruption and organised crime

Together with a number of participants, we ourselves emphasised the need to involve local and regional authorities in the management of privatisation, which must be characterised by transparency and adequate public information.
At the close of discussion, the governments of South-East Europe were invited to grant local authorities powers to administer public property in their respective municipalities, including properties that may be subject to privatisation but excluding properties of interest to national governments.
There were also calls for a review of anti-corruption legislation and the adoption of new measures aimed at encouraging and attracting investment at local and regional levels.

Specific programmes combating corruption within local and regional authorities in South-East Europe should be devised; these should include an ongoing civic education drive.

It was also proposed to set up a local and regional anti-corruption network linking up the different services involved and responsible for activities related to combating corruption within the different local and regional authorities of South-East Europe.

3. Reinforcing and institutionalising the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS)

This Network project was launched at the Skopje Forum and took shape in Istanbul and Novi Sad. Since then it has acquired a Secretariat, provided in rotation by one of the member associations, and has now moved into a phase of institutionalisation, with the adoption of legal statutes and the recruitment of a project manager.

Since 2001, over 15 technical seminars for national Network coordinators have been held, chiefly in South-East Europe. The Network has for main objective to enable associations of local authorities of South-East Europe to strengthen their role vis-à-vis central government, to improve their ability to provide services for their members, and to contribute to the development of local self-government and financial and fiscal decentralisation in the different countries of South-East Europe. 

The Rapporteurs regard this as one of the most tangible achievements of the four Forums and ask the donor countries and bodies involved in the Stability Pact to maintain their funding for this project, which is one of the priority projects of Working Table I.

4. Development of the SEDECO Project (Service for European Decentralised Cooperation) to promote partnerships with the cities and regions of South-East Europe

Developing partnerships between European local and regional authorities, particularly in South-East Europe, was the starting objective which has been pursued at all four Forums. The conclusions and studies produced nevertheless showed that, despite the efforts made, the partnership development process could be given stronger impetus and better coordinated. This was the ambitious objective set for the SEDECO Project, initiated by the Congress with the backing of the Syni Programme of the city of Lausanne and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

The various analyses and statements presented at the Forums by different players in decentralised cooperation (representatives of the cities of Dortmund, Sarajevo, Barcelona, Stockholm, Association of LDAs, Eurocities) made it clear that new tools for developing exchanges and partnerships between European local and regional authorities should be made available. The participants in the Forums, including Mr Martini, President of the Association of LDAs, stressed in particular the importance of setting up a database containing all the existing partnership arrangements as well as offers of and requests for new partnerships, accessible via the Internet to all European local and regional authorities and all those involved in decentralised cooperation1 in Europe. The Rapporteurs of the Istanbul and Novi Sad Forums had pointed out at the time that a database of this kind, continually updated, would be a means of assessing needs and proposals for partnerships.

Bearing this in mind, and also that a database cannot be viable without a structure to maintain and expand it, the initiators of SEDECO developed the idea, at the Novi Sad Forum, of setting up a service to promote and support partnerships, equipped not only with a database but also with an Internet Portal providing a wide range of functionalities for all those involved in decentralised cooperation in Europe. The Service and its Internet Portal would be dedicated to all European local or regional authorities and all the players in decentralised cooperation keen to develop exchanges, practical and lasting partnerships and ad hoc projects.

The project was launched in April 2003 and its initial results were presented at the Prijedor Forum. A prototype of the SEDECO Internet Portal was prepared by the members of the project team made available by Syni. The portal functionalities, namely an on-line inventory of partnership offers and requests, as well as existing partnerships plus access to a wealth of information on decentralised cooperation and also the services on offer from SEDECO, are now being tested on a sample group of French, Swiss and Bulgarian authorities. If the results are conclusive and funding is found to create at least one permanent staff post (remunerated from the SEDECO budget, as staff provided under the Syni Programme are seconded for a maximum of 6 months), the final version of the Internet Portal could be operational by January 2005. The portal would offer a number of additional functionalities with which to communicate and prepare, monitor and manage exchange and partnership projects.

5. Development of transfrontier cooperation between local and regional authorities in South-East Europe

The proposal for a multilateral agreement between the governments concerned, launched at the Conference of border regions in Timisoara in 1999, and reiterated at the Skopje and Istanbul Forums, was given tangible form in Novi Sad. The adoption, in response to Recommendation 112 (2002) on the Forums of cities and regions of South-Eastern Europe (8th and 9th Economic Forums) in Istanbul and Novi Sad (November 2001 and April 2002),  of the "Chisinau Political Declaration on Transfrontier and Interterritorial Cooperation between States in South-Eastern Europe" by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers on 5 and 6 November 2003 in Moldova, was a positive sign. However, the drawing up of a multilateral agreement on the development of transfrontier and interterritorial cooperation between local and regional authorities in South-East Europe remains a major objective yet to be attained.

The Rapporteurs back this idea and asks the Bureau of the Congress that the ad hoc Working Group of local and regional representatives of South-East Europe be further instructed to supervise this important initiative entrusted to the Congress, in collaboration with the competent Council of Europe committee of experts (Select Committee of Experts on transfrontier cooperation: LR-R-CT).

Obviously, this activity would be based on the principles set out in the European Outline Convention on transfrontier cooperation between territorial communities or authorities concerning interterritorial cooperation and its two additional protocols.

For their part, those responsible for the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) and the East-West Institute are invited to continue to support the different initiatives aimed at developing transfrontier cooperation between local authorities in South-East Europe, particularly through the development of operational Euro-regions, which are a useful tool for strengthening neighbourly relations.

Finally, the Forum participants thought it necessary to introduce a simplified visa regime and other measures geared to establishing transfrontier cooperation zones in order to avoid the creation of new dividing lines in Europe, thereby creating conditions for successful implementation of transfrontier cooperation between the countries of South-East Europe and the European Union.

6. Increased cooperation with the Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA) and the ENTO Network

The Forum also enabled the Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA) to present an activity report, marking its 10th anniversary (1993-2003), and its delegates to make contact with potential new partners. This was a further opportunity to emphasise the steering role played by the LDAs over the last ten years in promoting local democracy, transfrontier and regional cooperation, intercultural dialogue and local economic development in the countries of South-East Europe.

The European Network of Training Organisations for local and regional authorities (ENTO) was invited in the Final Declaration of the Prijedor Forum to prepare a framework training programme for the staff of associations of local authorities in South-East Europe, in close cooperation with the Network of Associations of Local Authorities in South-East Europe (NALAS), and to deepen its cooperation with the Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA).

7. Promoting the financing mechanisms proposed by the Council of Europe Development Bank

There was strong demand at the Prijedor Forum, as at the previous Forums, for the Bank to gear its loans to assisting the local and regional authorities of South-East Europe. The Congress was invited to organise, in cooperation with the Council of Europe Development Bank, information seminars in the different South-East European countries in order to publicise the financing mechanisms offered by the Development Bank, the Council of Europe's social policy instrument. This question could be the focus of a specific session at the next Forum in Budva.

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Conclusions

The Prijedor Forum was undeniably a success, in terms of the number of participants, the quality of the contributions and the interest value of the topics examined.

The Rapporteurs believe that the Congress must now give appropriate follow-up to the different projects launched at the past four Forums. The forthcoming Forums should examine topics of strong relevance to the host cities and seek to cater for the expectations and priorities of local and regional authorities in South-East Europe.

Consequently, they ask the Congress to give close consideration to the programme of the 5th Forum of Cities and Regions of South-East Europe to be held in Budva, Montenegro, on 11 and 12 October 2004, with a view to identifying the most relevant topics.

In line with requests from the coordinators of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, the Rapporteurs think that the Forums should increasingly result in tangible projects with an impact that is as measurable as possible and be devised in direct collaboration with those active in civil society and, where necessary, with the main economic players concerned.

APPENDICES

4th FORUM OF CITIES AND REGIONS
OF SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
10th ECONOMIC FORUM
PRIJEDOR, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA, 22 and 23 SEPTEMBER 2003

PRIJEDOR DECLARATION
Adopted unanimously on 23 September 2003

The participants at the 4th Forum of Cities and Regions of South-East Europe meeting in Prijedor on 22 and 23 September 2003 at the invitation of the City of Prijedor and at the initiative of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE) as part of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe, and in co-operation with the Foundation for the Economy and Sustainable Development of the Regions of Europe (FEDRE);

1. Extend their thanks to the Municipality of Prijedor for its warm welcome and the Prijedor LDA for its contribution to the Forum;

2. At the political level:

2.1 Welcome the accession of Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Council of Europe on 24 April 2002 and of Serbia and Montenegro on 3 April 2003, and the efforts of the Council of Europe to promote local and regional democracy in South-East Europe;

2.2 Denounce the violence in recent months in Kosovo, the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and southern Serbia, as factors creating political instability and as obstacles to the economic development of these regions; full respect for minority rights is an indispensable factor for civic peace and stability.

2.3 Support efforts of the Council of Europe on decentralisation in Kosovo and express the hope that the proposals put forward will facilitate an acceptable political development for the various communities in the spirit of the European Charter of Local Self-Government and the European Convention for Human rights;

2.4 Encourage the Belgrade and Priština authorities to initiate immediate dialogue aimed at improving living conditions for all communities in Kosovo;

2.5 Reaffirm the essential role that local and regional authorities must play in establishing peace, reconciling the communities still marked by the wars in former Yugoslavia, and promoting political stability and economic development in South-East Europe towards European integration ;

2.6 Back the European Union’s efforts to enhance the role played by local and regional authorities in EU countries in the process of consolidating democracy in the West Balkan region, as well as the work of the Committee of the Regions in this field, and encourage the European Commission to support and intensify initiatives on behalf of local authorities, particularly under the CARDS Programme;

2.7 Note with satisfaction that the European Charter of Local Self-Government has been ratified by a large majority of Southern and East European countries, and therefore invite Serbia and Montenegro to ratify the European Charter of Local Self-Government as soon as possible; contracting parties should make efforts to implement the Charter; the Congress should regularly monitor this implementation in South-East Europe.

2.8 Encourage the Council of Europe to develop, in each country of South East Europe, training strategies for elected representatives and personnel of local and regional authorities as well as strategies for local democracy development;

2.9 Note that the implementation of the European Charter is not effective in SEE, and consequently invite the governments of the region to intensify their efforts to promote the decentralisation reforms, in line with the commitments entered into on their accession to the Council of Europe;

2.10 Request the setting up of platforms for dialogue among central, local and regional authorities and their associations as well as international partners on promoting decentralisation reforms and regionalisation in SEE.

3. Regarding the socio-economic situation at local and regional level in South-East Europe:

3.1 Are convinced that improving economic conditions at the local and regional level is an essential, an indispensable factor for the development of democratic institutions in South-East Europe;

3.2 Firmly believe that an integrated local development requires a co-ordinated action of the different institutional international, national and local actors;

3.3 Equally, the setting up of democratic institutions and the respect for Rule of Law enabling the establishment of a stable environment, a necessity for economic development;

3.4 Stress that the very high level of unemployment in many South-East European municipalities is a major factor in destabilising the region;

3.5 Consider that the limited resources available at present to local authorities make it difficult to pursue consistent priorities and policies. Therefore central and regional/cantonal authorities should grant competences and sufficient financial resources to local authorities, in the spirit of the European Charter of Local Self-Government;

3.6 Stress the importance of gathering more information on economic matters, including demographic developments, the development of the private sector, infrastructure needs in rural areas which are linked to providing energy, management of water and waste in rural and urban areas, analysis of needs and the available competences;

3.7 Request governments of SEE to provide local authorities with competences to administer public property in their respective municipalities, including properties which may be subject to privatisation. This will not apply to those properties that are of interest to national governments;

3.8 Recommend to the regional authorities to use the opportunity to introduce themselves and search for economic partners through the Internet yearbook of regions of Europe www.fedre.org that was created by the FEDRE in partnership with the CLRAE.

4. Regarding measures to combat corruption:

4.1 Engage and participate actively in the work of the international and European organisations, particularly the Council of Europe's technical co-operation programme against corruption and organised crime in Europe;

4.2 Consider that basic legislation on action against corruption may need to be revised and new legislation introduced as well as measures to implement such legislation in order to encourage and attract investments at local and regional levels ;

4.3 Propose establishing comprehensive specific programmes and activities to combat corruption in SEE local and regional authorities; including a permanent process of civic education;

4.4 Call for full application and implementation of the European Code of Conduct on the political integrity of local and regional elected representatives, adopted by the Congress in 1999;

4.5 Propose setting up a local and regional anti-corruption network linking up those various departments, agencies, offices that will carry on anti-corruption-related activities and in respective South-East Europe local and regional authorities;

5. Regarding refugees:

5.1 Call on the governments concerned, in view of the problems faced by municipalities in providing refugees with practical assistance and access to social rights (health, education, housing and retirement pensions), to encourage the return of refugees by granting local and regional authorities the requisite resources for establishing the conditions for permanent return, including the essential conditions for security;

5.2 Call on the SEE local and regional authorities concerned to do their utmost in providing reintegration of returnees in their original places of residence. Concerning refugees and/or displaced persons in their present places of residence, we support non-discriminatory access to social rights for such persons (healthcare, education and social welfare/pensions) and removing possible administrative obstacles. This should not have negative effects on the restitution of property to the legitimate owners. Appropriate legislation should be adopted in this respect. At all times local authorities should make every effort in ensuring that the living conditions of the local population are respected.

5.3 Encourage the international community to do its utmost to speed up its efforts to the sustainable return of refugees and to support the necessary reconstruction where needed.

5.4 Invite the CLRAE to continue its work and practical activities on behalf of refugees in South-East Europe, and encourage the Committee on Social Cohesion to propose activities when preparing its report on “Migration flows and social cohesion: the role of local and regional authorities”;

5.5 Encourage local authorities in South-East Europe to have recourse to the facilities provided by the Council of Europe Development Bank;

5.6 Invite the CLRAE to organise, in co-operation with the Council of Europe Development Bank, information seminars in the different SEE countries in order to publicise the financing mechanisms offered by the Development Bank, the Council of Europe’s social policy instrument;

5.7 Encourage local authorities to employ returnees at all levels of public administrations, local public organs as well as in the police administration

5.8 Eliminate all elements of segregation in legislations of South-East Europe countries (in particular laws on civil victims)

6. Regarding transfrontier co-operation:

6.1 Welcome the agreements signed in Brcko on 7 May 2003 on the ″Drina-Sava–Majevica″ Euroregion and in Sofia on 21 September 2003 on the “Sofia-Nis-Skopje” Euroregion;

6.2 Invite the Stability Pact and the East-West Institute to continue to support the different initiatives aimed at developing transfrontier co-operation among local authorities in South-East Europe, notably by developing operational Euroregions, which are a useful tool for reinforcing neighbourly relations;

6.3 Support the preparation by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe of a draft Political Declaration on transfrontier co-operation by SEE local authorities, and express the sincere hope that this text will be adopted at the next Committee of Ministers session in Moldova in November 2003;

6.4 Encourage the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) to step up its action in South-East Europe and make its expertise available in the field of creating and operating Euroregions, notably by setting up partnerships between different Euroregions;

6.5 Invite the States of South-East Europe to sign and/or ratify the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities (ETS 106) and the two Additional Protocols thereto;

6.6 In that spirit, request the governments concerned to harmonise their respective legislations also with a view to reaching European Union standards.

6.7 In order to provide conditions for successful implementation of transfrontier co-operation between the countries of South-East Europe and the European Union it will be necessary to introduce a facilitated visa regime and other measures which will support the establishment of transfrontier co-operation zones in order to avoid the creation of new dividing lines in Europe;

7. Regarding the Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA):

7.1 Stress the pilot role played for the past ten years by the LDAs in promoting local democracy, transfrontier and regional co-operation, intercultural dialogue, respect of human rights and local economic development in the countries of South-East Europe;

7.2 Welcome the new policy thrusts adopted by the ALDA on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the LDA Programme (Subotica, 18 July 2003), being convinced that these Agencies will play a useful role in reinforcing the Stabilisation and Association process launched by the European Union in the Western Balkans;

7.3 Consider that the working methods of the LDAs, which are based on partnerships with European cities and NGOs, have proved their worth over the last ten years;

7.4 Invite donors to continue to support this Association, in the framework of the Stability Pact, which currently comprises ten agencies in four different counties (Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, including Kosovo, and the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia");

7.5 Welcome the forthcoming opening of a new LDA in Mostar, and the plans to set up an LDA in Georgia; encourages FEDRE to continue and develop its work with all the ADLs in the framework of the programme it initiated with them in favour of stability.

8. Regarding the Network of National Associations of Local Authorities in South-East Europe (NALAS-SEE):

8.1 Welcome the developments and activities carried out so far by the NALAS Network, which was launched at the Skopje Forum;

8.2 Support the institutionalisation of this Network on the basis of CLRAE Resolution 155 (2003) (adopted in May 2003);

8.3 Invite the donor countries of the Stability Pact to grant financial support to the priority projects defined by the NALAS Network at the Durrës Seminar (September 2003);

8.4 Consider that the Network should enable the Associations of local and regional authorities of South-East Europe to reinforce their role in relation to central government, improve their ability to provide services to their members and help to develop local self-government and financial and fiscal decentralisation in the different countries of South-East Europe;

9. Invite the European Network of Training Organisation for Local and Regional Authorities (ENTO) to prepare a framework training programme for the staff of associations of local authorities in South-East Europe, in close co-operation with the Network of National Associations of Local Authorities in South-East Europe (NALAS-SEE), and to deepen its co-operation with the Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA);

10. Regarding the SEDECO (Service for European Decentralised Co-operation):

10.1 Congratulates the Congress on the launching of this project aimed at stimulating the development of partnerships between European local and regional authorities;

10.2 Thank the Syni Programme from the City of Lausanne and UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services) for their support in initiating the project the first phase of which was presented at this Forum, and back the plan for establishing this Service on a formal basis;

10.3 Request all European associations of local and regional authorities and all those involved in decentralised co-operation to support this project by acting as relays vis-à-vis the local and regional authorities in their respective countries;

10.4 Invite potential donors to support this project.


Congrès des Pouvoirs Locaux et Régionaux de l'Europe
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe
Council of Europe/Conseil de l’Europe
F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex
Tel : + 33 (0) 3 88 41 20 00
Fax: + 33 (0) 3 88 41 27 51/ + 33 (0) 3 88 41 37 47
http://www.coe.int/cplre/

Strasbourg, 30 September 2003 CG/Forum Prijedor (10) 1 rev.

4th FORUM OF CITIES AND REGIONS
OF SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
10TH ECONOMIC FORUM

Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 22 - 23 September 2003

PROGRAMME

Venue: Hotel Prijedor

Forum organised in the framework of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe
by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE)
in co-operation with the City of Prijedor and the
Foundation for the Economy and Sustainable Development of the Regions of Europe (FEDRE)

Monday 22 September 2003

8:00 – 9:00 am Registration of participants (Hotel Prijedor)

9:00 – 10:30 am Welcoming address by Nada SEVO, Mayor of the City of Prijedor, Vice-Chair of the Association of Municipalities and Towns of Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina

10:30 – 11:00 am Coffee break
11:00 – 1:00 pm Socio-Economic situation - at local and regional level - in South-East Europe

1:00 – 2:30pm Lunch

2:30 – 4:30 pm 2.1. Consequences - at local and regional level - of privatisation of:

4:30 – 5:00 pm Coffee break

5:00 – 6:30 pm 2.2. Role of local and regional authorities in the fight against corruption

Tuesday 23 September 2003
9:00 - 12:30 am Sustainable return of refugees: Role of central, local and regional authorities

9:00 – 10:30 am 1. Access of refugees to social rights: Needs for an increased decentralisation of powers

10:30-11:00 am Coffee break

11:00-1:00 pm. 2. Return of refugees: Case studies

1:00 pm Press conference

1:00 – 2:15 pm Lunch

2:15 – 4:30 pm Partnerships with towns and regions of South-East Europe

2.15 - 3.30 pm 1. Current trends of partnerships in South-East Europe on a global scale

3.30 - 5.00 pm 2. Round Table: Development of partnerships and transfrontier co-operation between local and regional authorities

5:00 - 5.30 pm Coffee break
5:30-6:30 pm General conclusions of the Forum and Adoption of the Final Declaration

REPLY BY THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS TO
RECOMMANDATION 112 (2002) OF THE CONGRÈSS

872nd meeting – 12 February 2004

Forums of Cities and Regions of South-eastern Europe
(8th and 9th Economic Forums)
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Recommendation 112 (2002)
(Reply adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 12 February 2004 at the 872nd meeting of the Ministers' Deputies)
1. The Committee of Ministers has noted with interest Recommendation 112 (2002) on the Forums of Cities and Regions of South-eastern Europe.
2. It wishes firstly to congratulate the Congress on its initiative, which aims to bring local elected representatives from South-East Europe together on a regular basis to discuss topical issues and develop co-operation between cities in the region. The holding of these meetings and the conclusions arising therefrom help to establish close co-operation between elected representatives and contribute to the strengthening of local democracy in the region.
3. With regard to the proposals set out in paragraph 9 of the Recommendation, the Committee of Ministers wishes to inform the Congress that it has scrutinised them closely. At the invitation of its Rapporteur on local and regional authorities, representatives of states in the region and representatives of other interested states have met on several occasions to exchange views on their policies in the field of transfrontier co-operation between local and territorial authorities.
4. These exchanges of views led to a consensus in favour of drawing up a Political Declaration on transfrontier and inter-territorial co-operation between states in South-eastern Europe, which was adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 6 November 2003 in Chişinău, at its 113th session.
5. In the Declaration, the Committee of Ministers declares inter alia that it is willing to provide member states with assistance in order to facilitate their accession to the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities.
6. In addition, states in the region and any neighbouring states which so wish will be able to receive Council of Europe assistance with a view to concluding any interstate agreements designed to enhance transfrontier and inter-territorial co-operation, having regard to the model agreements appended to the Madrid Outline Convention.
7. The Committee of Ministers wishes to draw the Congress's attention to the Appendix to the Political Declaration, which contains the principles that should guide interstate agreements and mentions areas where such agreements might, inter alia, be concluded. These include the lifting of visa requirements and the replacement of passports by identity cards, with due regard for states' international obligations.
8. The Committee of Ministers believes that the Chişinău Declaration reflects the willingness of all the member states to support the efforts of a number of states with a view to ratifying the Madrid Outline Convention and its protocols and concluding subsequent agreements inter se.
9. The Committee of Experts on transfrontier co-operation (LR-CT) can provide the technical forum within which such agreements may be discussed and drafted, at the instigation of the states concerned and with the support of the Secretariat.
10. As regards allocating “more resources” to developing local democracy and civil society, the Committee of Ministers recognises that, in a difficult budgetary environment the funds directly assigned in the ordinary budget for 2003 to co-operation projects in the field of local democracy are lower than in 2002. On the other hand, this reduction has been offset by an increase in the funds allocated to “local democracy” in joint programmes with the European Commission.
11. For 2004, the Committee of Ministers encourages member states to make voluntary contributions in support of local and regional democracy or transfrontier co-operation projects.
12. The Committee of Ministers wishes to point out that the assistance programmes for the countries of South-East Europe and in particular the “post-accession” programmes for Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina are continuing and expanding. The Committee of Ministers is pleased to note that the Council of Europe's activities are gaining a firm foothold in the region, are increasingly being deployed on the basis of long-term, national strategies and are attracting support from other international organisations and institutions. These synergies make it possible to provide better-targeted, more effective aid.
13. The Committee of Ministers is aware of the importance of enhanced local democracy for democratic stability and social and economic development. It will continue its efforts to ensure the availability of resources so that the Council of Europe can satisfy the demand for assistance in this priority area and play its role to the full.
14. The Committee of Ministers appreciates the Congress's work in establishing and strengthening the Network of Associations of Local and Regional Authorities of South-East Europe. It urges member states and the other institutional partners, such as the national associations of local authorities, to assist the operation of this network and to support its activities.
15. The Committee of Ministers wishes finally to inform the Congress that it has forwarded Recommendation 112 (2002) to the member states and to the European Commission as well as to the Council of Europe's Social Development Bank and the Steering Committee on Local and Regional Democracy (CDLR), for information.

A BRIEF SURVEY OF THE IMPACT OF THE PRIJEDOR FORUM ON LOCAL NGOs2

The Prijedor Local Democracy Agency (LDA) has ascertained that there are 35 local NGOs, which it brings together in a permanent Forum. Of these NGOs, 15 took part in the fourth Forum of Cities and Regions of South-East Europe, which took place in Prijedor in September 2003, most of them by taking an exhibition stand.

At FEDRE’s initiative, and with a view to assessing the impact of the Forum on local NGOs, a questionnaire was drawn up and, with the help of the LDA, circulated to these 15 organisations. Seven of them completed and returned their questionnaires (ie 47%, a highly representative sample). Those which did so were:
- "Manifest", an association of artists;
- the Omarska neighbourhood youth centre;
- "Familija", a family association;
- "Zdravo da ste", a humanitarian association;
- an association which helps the mentally handicapped;
- UPP, an association of agricultural producers;
- the "D Puharska" cultural association.

There were five questions on the questionnaire. The first asked the NGOs' opinion of the Forum, while the second dealt with the exhibition held on the occasion of the Forum, in which they had played a direct part. The third asked whether the NGOs considered that their participation had been useful to them. The fourth concerned the results which they had expected for themselves from their participation, while the fifth asked whether they had been able to make new contacts at the Forum.

We shall look briefly at the replies, taking them in the order in which the questions were included on the questionnaire.

The NGOs' opinion of the Prijedor Forum

The general opinion was highly positive, something which could not be taken for granted from the outset, as the replies came from local players, giving their opinion of an event which was international, rather than local.

The view was expressed that the themes had been well chosen, being important for the region, and generally having been dealt with by competent and interesting speakers. The opportunity provided to share other experiences was considered enriching and very valuable. It was also very clear that there was pride in the hosting by the City of Prijedor of such a major international event, an honour which clearly also reflected onto the local NGOs.

The small number of reservations or critical comments centred on certain speakers' departure from their subject in order to indulge in what was perceived as a kind of promotion of their own activities.

The NGOs' opinion of the exhibition

The opinions expressed were very positive on this question as well. The NGOs regarded the exhibition as a unique opportunity to present their programmes, activities or products at an international event they deemed to be important, even prestigious. It was also felt that this exhibition reflected a willingness to open the Forum to local society, something which was viewed very favourably.

While the main feeling expressed was unanimous gratitude that local NGOs had not been "forgotten", a few also expressed the view that the place given to them was still insufficient. Looking at more practical aspects, some expressed the opinion that time should have been set aside during the Forum itself for the local NGOs to introduce themselves. Another subject of criticism was the under-representation of youth associations.

The usefulness of the Forum for the local NGOs

Nor was this question self-evident, for the reasons already referred to. All the local NGOs which replied, however, thought that their participation in the Forum had been useful to them.

The Prijedor NGOs considered that it had given them an opportunity to explain to both speakers and participants the work they did in the field. This was regarded as all the more useful for the fact that these NGOs generally felt that they lacked resources and had few contacts abroad. The view was taken that foreigners had thus been able to get a more accurate and more tangible picture of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was of course a positive element.

Certain speakers' and participants' lack of interest in the exhibition as such was nevertheless criticised, as was (as already stated in the replies to the previous question) the insufficient integration of exhibitors in the programme of the Forum itself.

The expected results of participation in the Forum

Almost all the respondents said that they had had certain expectations of their participation in the Forum. They had, in particular, hoped to acquire new knowledge and useful experience with a view to making progress in their work.

The contacts made had also been viewed as valuable, especially where they were with organisations working in the same sector. The idea was also expressed that some of these contacts might lead to support being given.

Only one organisation said that it had had no expectations, for mere participation in the Forum was an experience it regarded as enough. This reply cannot therefore be considered negative.

The making of new contacts during the Forum

Every single reply to this question was affirmative. All the NGOs considered that they had been able to develop new contacts by participating in the Forum, a highly appreciable success.

A number of these contacts had of course given rise to expectations of future collaboration.

One small reservation was that it was felt that contacts had been easier to make for those NGOs which were working on subjects directly related to the themes dealt with during the Forum (this is basically fairly logical).

A brief conclusion

Generally speaking, the integration of local civil society had gone well and been very much appreciated. This was encouraging, and thought needed to be given to this aspect so as to develop it more systematically in future.

Leaving aside the dimension of the exhibition, particular thought should be given to ways of better integrating local NGOs into the programme of future Forums of Cities and Regions of South-East Europe, the main wish to emerge from our small-scale survey.

This is not anecdotal, for the challenge is to strengthen such an essential link with the "field" and all those involved, who play a major role in the activities carried out at local and regional level in south-eastern Europe.

 

1 Under law no. 92-125 of 6 February 1992 setting out general principles for the territorial administration of the French Republic, "decentralised cooperation shall be taken to mean the development by one (or several) French local authority/-ies of relations with one (or several) foreign local authority/-ies: this may entail establishing friendly relations or twinning arrangements with foreign local authorities, promotion campaigns abroad, development assistance for local and regional authorities in certain countries, technical assistance, humanitarian aid, the joint management of assets and services, as well as transfrontier cooperation and interregional  cooperation".

2 Survey conducted by the FEDRE Foundation (Geneva), joint organiser of the Forums of Cities and Regions of South-Eastern Europe.