BCSDN and NALAS Workshop on EU Enlargement, Brussels, Belgium (5 March 2020)

BCSDN together with NALAS organized a workshop which gather at one place 30 representatives of EU Institutions, representatives of Local Authorities and Local Authority Associations and CSOs from the WB countries to discuss a bottom-up approach to EU Enlargement and the new Instruments for Financial support for the benefit of its future and current citizens. The first panel session of the workshop was devoted to the broader discussion about the need for a more bottom-up approach in the EU accession with more meaningful involvement of the LAs and CSOs. The second panel discussed the planning of the new IPA III highlighting the need for more meaningful financial support to LA, and support to civil society. BCSDN used the opportunity to urge the EC to take a more careful approach considerate of the challenges for civil society operating environment in the region. The workshop concluded with recommendations for all stakeholders to support cooperation between civil society and local authorities being the ones closest to the citizens on the ground. Read more here.

Source: BCSDN