Decentralisation

"Decentralisation is a political process. It is a means but not an end. The end is to ensure a better quality of life for our citizens," said Mayor of Premià de Mar, Miquel Buch, during a session on the status of decentralisation in the world, held on 27 September 2012.

"The path towards decentralisation is not over yet", declared the mayor of Cumpăna and first vice-president of the Romanian Association of Communes, Mariana Gaju. "We need to establish a permanent communication between local representatives and the central government. Associations of local and regional authorities have a key role to play in this process".

Decentralisation applies in particular to cooperation between European and African elected representatives. "Schools, integration, water, housing, we all have the same concerns", explains Pierre Schapira, deputy mayor of Paris and spokesperson for PLATFORMA. "Faced with similar problems, European and African mayors understand each other; such is the strength of decentralisation".

Please note the report on decentralisation in the world, produced by the world association of local governments, UCLG. The GOLD II report points out the limitations of the process of decentralisation, caused by gaps between the transfer of competencies and the transfer of resources in countries where the process occurred recently.

This session was organised in cooperation with PLATFORMA, the voice of Local and Regional authorities for development, at the occasion of the General Assembly of European Municipalities and Regions.