STRASBOURG – The Local Observatory on Reform Agendas Implementation (LORAI), a joint initiative between the European Commission and the Council of Europe, was launched at a high-level ceremony on the margins of the 50th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, which took place on 1 April in Strasbourg. LORAI will support local authorities in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia in contributing to the implementation and monitoring of reform agendas under the EU’s Reform and Growth Facility, which are central to the region’s progress towards EU accession.
The programme will be implemented by the Congress in partnership with the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS), the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and local government associations. It will deliver targeted activities to strengthen local governments’ capacity for monitoring reforms, engaging in policy dialogue, and promoting good democratic governance.
The launching event brought together representatives of the European Union, NALAS, CEMR, local government associations from across the Western Balkans, and Congress members.
Addressing the event, Congress President Gunn Marit Helgesen stated: “With its unparalleled convening power among local and regional authorities, this partnership will deliver real benefits for the citizens of Western Balkans. Real change happens when local governments are active shapers of reform, we must enable their meaningful participation in the reform process”.
Valentina Superti, Director for the Western Balkans at of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood stated the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans supports reforms that accelerate the convergence of the region with the EU.
“For citizens, progress must be visible and tangible. The Local Observatory on Reform Agendas Implementation, LORAI, plays a key role in empowering local authorities to turn reform commitments into concrete results for communities and citizens to actively influence the monitoring of reforms. Today marks the beginning of a fruitful collaboration”, Superti noted.
