27 May, Brussels
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) held its annual “Enlargement Days” event, during which discussions were held in various formats with a focus on the role and contribution of local government in candidate countries in the European integration process and the common challenges faced by regions and municipalities. The first inaugural meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee was attended by JCC members from our side as well as from the EU, JCC co-chairs, representatives from the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions.
The establishment of the JCC will provide a sustainable and consistent form of cooperation between local and regional authorities in Albania and their counterparts from EU Member States, under the coordination of the Committee of the Regions. The focus of the JCC’s activities will be to prepare local representatives for EU membership, assess the impact of EU policies from a local and regional perspective, create a direct flow of information on political developments in candidate and member countries, and monitor accession negotiations, focusing on areas of particular importance for local governance.
In his opening statement, Ambassador Hoxha emphasized that local and regional authorities are at the forefront of democratic transformations which makes them the authorities that translate policies into practice, deliver public services and that face the daily challenges of our societies. He added that local government units are in the best position to promote inclusive growth, to respond to local needs and to uphold the principles of transparency, accountability and citizen participation. For this reason, he considered the JCC not simply as another achievement in our book of commitments, but as a beginning, as an important forum where we can learn, exchange, support each other and grow together.
The Ambassador reiterated that Albania’s integration into the EU is a national goal, embraced by the vast majority of citizens, that can only be achieved through an inclusive process within the country – by civil society, academia, youth, business communities and, critically, by local and regional authorities. He concluded his speech by saying that Europe is not just a destination, but a collective project that we build every day, in every region and with every citizen.
