Viewing EU integration from the local perspective

TIRANA, Nov. 3 – The Association of Albanian Municipalities (AAM) organized on Nov. 2 and 3 a seminar addressing the issues and challenges for the local administrative organizations during the process of European Union (EU) integration. The seminar entitled “Albanian Municipalities on the way to EU” was a joint project of the AAM, the Centre for Public Administration Research in Vienna, its parent organization the Austrian Association of Cities and Towns and the “Hanns Seidel” Foundation. The event collected representatives from municipalities throughout Albania in a round table where discussions, workshops and trainings were organized throughout the two days. Fatos Hodaj, head of the AAM, emphasized that this initiative came at a time when the central government was in the process of applying the Stabilization and Association Agreement it signed with EU in June, while the local level is left at the margins. Experience has shown that when it comes to implementing the EU law, the local government has to take responsibility for more than 2/3 of the legal body. The main goals of that event were to strengthen the voice of the local government and to raise its awareness about the potential implications that the accession process brings along. Hodaj brought an interesting example from the experience of the Austrian local government, which was fined after entering the EU due to irregularities in the implementation of rules and regulations required by Brussels. It is precisely because the local government was dimly aware of the entire complex procedure that the mistake happened. It is this valuable experience that the member countries can bring to the aspiring ones. Soon the local governments, by forming regional alliances, will be eligible to require special funds from Brussels. This feature, according to Hodaj, should be addressed carefully because the local requests should match the general national strategy. Hence, there is a need to coordinate the efforts with the central governmental authorities. The main trainer Thomas Prorok took part to share his extensive experience from Austria, a member of the EU since 1995. He works as a counselor associated with LOGON- the Local Government Network, which is running in Austria since 1999. Prorok explained that some of the required standards of the EU, for example, environmental regulation are costly procedures. If the municipalities are not aware in advance of what they should expect they will not be efficient in realizing their plans. Prorok schematized the aim of the seminar in three levels. First of all, the municipalities should be aware of all the knots and bolts of the process of integration and especially the specifics related to their role. Second, they should be able to voice their concerns properly. Finally, the local and the national government should lobby together in Brussels with a common strategy that maximizes their chances for an efficient integration. Arben Kashahu, from the Ministry of Integration addressed the seminar by applauding the initiative of the organizers. The next activity of AAM will be on November 17-19 and it is a specific training for human resources management, according to Hodaj.