Dear reader,
The fifteenth General Assembly, held from 27-30 April 2020, marked an important milestone in the headway of the Network of Associations of Local Authorities in South-East Europe (NALAS) on its path to advancing the role of local government in South-East Europe. This General Assembly was not an ordinary one. Working under the pressure to respond to all the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis, the delegates, Mayors representing NALAS member Associations, casted their votes online, deciding about important NALAS issues for the future.
Based on the rotation Presidency system, Mr. Emanuil Manolov, Mayor of Pavlikeni Municipality in Bulgaria, assumed the role of NALAS President, who will lead the Network in the next year.
Mr. Manolov is Mayor of Pavlikeni Municipality since 2011. Under his leadership, the municipality has managed to attract EU funding of 50 million euros and was twice awarded with the European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE) of the Council of Europe, while Mr. Manolov received the prestigious award "Mayor of the Month" in the categories "Agriculture" and "Water Attractions".
To find out about what are the plans of Mr. Emanuil Manolov as President of NALAS and his priorities during the next twelve months, please click HERE.
For more news from NALAS, please click HERE.
Enjoy your Digest!
 Marmara Municipalities Union
Municipalities in Marmara Region are Building Solidarity Channels Among Their Residents
 The economic situation of many has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. In these difficult times, some people have lost their jobs whereas some others have been forced to take unpaid leave. As a result, many people started to have difficulty in meeting their needs. The situation has become even worse for those who had already been suffering from economic difficulties. In order to alleviate the economic burden over the shoulder of those in need, several municipalities in Marmara Region are establishing varying solidarity channels through which the well-off residents help people in need to meet their economic needs. Some of the examples of such attempts are the followings:
- Bill on the Hook: The campaign was launched by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality on 4 May 2020, and aims to support people with financial difficulties in paying their water and gas bills. Through the website (http://askidafatura.ibb.gov.tr) the campaign anonymously matches people with outstanding utility bills with those willing to cover the cost of these bills out of an act of solidarity. As of 13 May 2020, a total of 119.610 unpaid bills have been covered within this campaign. For more information: https://www.ibb.istanbul/en/News/Detail/1521
- Solidarity Hook: Beylikdüzü and Beşiktaş Municipalities initiated this campaign with the aim of meeting the grocery needs of those with financial burdens. The campaign works in both municipalities as the followings: People are making grocery shopping through online platforms and sending the products to the municipalities. Then, the municipalities deliver products to people in need.
- Food on the Hook: Izmit Municipality started the campaign where the food expense of the needy is targeted. Within the framework of the campaign, the municipality makes an agreement with the markets which accept to have a “hook” where the extra products bought by well-off citizens are put for the needy. The foods on the hook in the markets are then collected by the municipal officials in order to be delivered to people in need.
- Food Bank: Silivri Municipality is collecting food through the Food Banks that they established and then delivers those foods to the needy.
Municipalities Preparing for Reopening
 With the decrease in the number of people died or infected, the states around the world have started to ease the restrictions. In Turkey, the malls and the barber shops are allowed to reopen their gates for their customers from 11 May 2020 onwards. Yet, the authorities are determined to be precautious and they have taken the necessary measures due to the fact that the danger is still valid since no vaccine or medication for coronavirus has been founded yet. Before reopening on Monday, the municipalities in Marmara Region such as Çekmeköy, Gaziosmanpaşa, Kağıthane, Pendik, and Büyükçekmece Municipalities disinfected the barber shops. On the other hand, some municipalities such as İznik, Eyüpsultan, Yenişehir and Ümraniye distributed face masks and hygiene products to those places.
MMU is Adapting Its Training Activities in Terms of the New Age’s Expectations
Training has always been a major activity of Marmara Municipalities Union (MMU) to serve its members. MMU has been delivering varying trainings for the municipal officials to update their skills and equip them with the latest knowledge on the areas of their expertise. These trainings have long been taken place in in-class environments where trainers and trainee physically come together.
Yet, as a response to call of the new age, MMU started to work on online learning methods within the framework of its “Local Government Academy”. With the COVID-19 outbreak where many institutions including local governments let their employees work remotely as a measure of social distancing, MMU has accelerated its online training services. MMU also diversified the channels through which it delivers its trainings by streaming training videos simultaneously on Zoom as well as MMU YouTube channel. Some of the prominent online trainings that MMU has delivered lately to its members are, among others, on sustainable cities and climate change, protocol and ceremony rules, project management, effective time management in COVID-19 process, stress management in COVID-19 process, and public procurement legislation.
MMU will continue to offer more training programs on various areas in the following days. To reach the videos of MMU’s previous trainings in Turkish, please visit the website of MMU Local Government Academy on: http://www.yerelyonetimakademisi.com
Association of Cities in the Republic of Croatia
Hackathon “The City for Youth – Križevci 2030“
The citizens of the City of Križevci showed civic activism through two digital events that took place during the last month. The first is the challenge “Today for Tomorrow “, where solutions and a vision for the city were sought after the coronavirus crisis. The second event took place last weekend, organized by the Youth Council of the City of Križevci, which recognized this format as a good opportunity to gather and empower young people to help design the city's strategy until 2030.
They designed the hackathon "City for Youth - Križevci 2030" which brought together young people from Križevci to help design the city's strategy until 2030, but also to introduce to young people the existing city development strategy, action plan for energy and climate sustainable development (SECAP ) of the City of Križevci, the City Youth Program and the new National Strategy for Youth.
“This is already the second event in a series that has shown that really good ideas crystallize and show direction for further work. I am extremely glad that everyone together wants to help the people of Križevci. I believe that in the coming months, and in the years ahead, we can do a lot. The city is ready to help and provide education so that we have as many realized ideas resulting from such events as possible.” - said Mayor Mario Rajn.
“During these two days, young people developed their skills in the areas of information literacy, entrepreneurial thinking and project writing, which they will benefit from in the further development and acquisition of competencies. We managed to get information from all youth structures (high school students, students, employed and unemployed), which will certainly be very useful for the development of the City Development Strategy. I believe that this project has given inputs to the Youth Council, all teams, and especially the City and Križevci Entrepreneurship Centre for further cooperation on various projects related to making Križevci the best city to live. “- said Antonio Sirovec, President of the Youth Council of the City of Križevci.
The hackathon was attended by about twenty young people who, through various tools, visualized what the city will look like in ten years, and what actions and changes are needed to realize their vision. They also referred to the current situation in the city, and the changes they want to see and achieve themselves.
 National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria
Local Perspective of the Recovery Measures
Support for the proposals of the municipalities and readiness to unite the efforts for a quick return to the normal functioning of the state was expressed by the leaders of four parliamentary groups in an online meeting with NAMRB Managing Board.
The main reason behind the meeting with the members of the parliament is the deteriorating financial condition of the municipalities and the danger of shifting the economic burden of the crisis to the municipalities with proposals to exempt part of the business from local taxes and fees.
The Deputy Chairmen of the Association and mayors of Dimitrovgrad, Troyan and Kardzhali - Ivo Dimov, Donka Mihailova and Hassan Azis, the member of the Managing Board and mayor of Elin Pelin, Ivaylo Simeonov and NAMRB Executive Director Silvia Georgieva presented the problems and proposals for solutions from the local perspective.
They expressed the concern of the mayors in the country from the increasing pressure on the government and the MPs for amendments in normative acts, which can significantly limit the budgets of the municipalities and have a negative impact on the implementation of the normal activity of local administrations in the period until the end of the state of emergency, as well as afterwards.
Concrete steps in support of local government - this was the outcome of the meeting with the Members of Parliament from GERB (governing party). They strongly opposed the attempts of imposing a reduction in tax liabilities. MPs will be extremely careful about any proposals to reduce revenues from local taxes and fees, and called on municipalities to focus their efforts on two main issues: to give a clear signal to local people that they must fulfil their obligations as taxpayers, and to create conditions for safe and secure payment of local taxes and fees. MPs engaged themselves to communicate the proposal for using funds from deductions and guarantees under the Waste Management Act for financing other cleaning activities with the Minister of Environment and Water and the chairman of the relevant parliamentary committee.
BSP Executive Bureau (opposition party) is currently discussing measures to be proposed for the period after the end of the state of emergency. The left-wing party relaunched its idea to increase municipal budgets by another 10% with amendments to the State Budget Act. They will also insist on state compensation if measures are taken to facilitate business at the expense of municipal budgets. BSP will propose the state to increase public investment and stand behind a proposal for large-scale public investment in the water sector.
The balance of local responsibilities is crucial for exiting the crisis, this was announced by the members of MFR political party. According to them the local government must be the focus of state support, for which appropriate mechanisms can be found and the effect of this support must become clear to the people. They share the view about the multiplication of populist statements in the area of local taxes and fees, which according to them will have negative impact on the state and municipalities. MFR MPs announced they will call on the power of reason not to falter on such proposals.
United patriots’ MPs stated its support for more flexibility in local finance governance. They reassured the other participants that there is agreement in the collation government to continue the energy efficiency programme for multi-family residential buildings, for which the state has an unspent resource of about BGN 950 million. Mayor were assured that the intention of United patriots’ proposal, set in a previous submitted bill, provides that the Municipal Councils have the right to exempt from local taxes and fees citizens and companies, within their own competence, and no legislative coercion to change taxes. MPs undertook the engagement to present the position of the municipalities to their colleagues.
Representatives of all parliamentary groups participating in the debate assessed this form of interaction with the mayors as extremely productive and timely. All groups suggested that this discussions on specific topics become traditional. NAMRB will host these video meetings, which, in addition to saving time for all participants, are also very effective.
At the insistence of the MPs, the specific proposals of NAMRB, formulated in legal texts, have already been sent to the attention of the leaders of the parliamentary groups, as well as to the chairmen of the Legal, Budget and Regional Committees.
Burgas municipality will disinfect the city with a special detergent
 City of Burgas will be disinfected with a nano detergent, which provides antimicrobial protection for one year ahead. This is a product that won a prize for innovation in Germany last year in the field of "Hygiene and antimicrobial protection".
In April several litres of the detergent were tested in different locations in Burgas, such as buses of the public transport, Emergency and Infectious Units at the University Hospital, several public transport stops. 20 days later the dean of the Burgas medical faculty examined samples from the treated surfaces and found that there was no development of pathogenic microorganisms on them. Considering the results and the loosening of the COVID measures, the municipality will start processing playgrounds, benches in parks, sports areas, buses and stops of the public transport with the new detergent. “Currently we are setting up the organization for disinfection of kindergartens and nurseries”, said mayor of the municipality Dimitar Nikolov.
For this purpose, in the municipality of Burgas and the disinfection station in the city the necessary quantities of the product are already ensured. The new technology follows a unique scientific approach, building long-term antimicrobial protection through a non-analogue nano-covering. Conducted studies show a reduction of microorganism, as viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae and mold to 99.9 % for more than 1 year on the treated surfaces explained representatives of the municipality. They also informed that all airports and planes in Germany are treated with the same disinfectant. In Bulgaria the Medical University of Plovdiv also shares good reviews about the use of the product. 
Association of Communes of Romania
Integrity…with celerity
On 27 April, 2020, the Association of Communes of Romania, represented by Mr. Emil DRĂGHICI, ACoR’s President and Mr. Sergiu ȚÂRA, ACoR’s Executive President and President of the National Integrity Council participated in a video show dedicated to local public administration issues in times of crisis, made by Faxmedia Consulting with the title of episode no. 8 "Integrity …with celerity".
The President of the National Integrity Council, Mr. Sergiu ȚÂRA, provided information for the first time on the results of the questionnaire provided, on assessing the needs of communes and municipalities in the 4 areas of interest of the project: "Improving access and quality of services for citizens - a transparent and accountable public administration". The study will be presented in full on the E-TIC project website in the next period ( https://e-tic.ro/2020/04/27/integritate-cu-celeritate/).
The survey, which was answered by over 700 representatives of the Association of Communes of Romania (ACoR) and the Association of Romanian Municipalities (AMR), revealed that 40% of respondents at the level of communes and 36% at the level of municipalities, don’t have sufficient knowledge of the conflict of interest. Only 19% (of the surveyed communes) and 30% (of the surveyed municipalities) requested a point of view from the National Integrity Agency (ANI). The results presented led to interesting discussions about increasing the interest of local public administration staff for information related to integrity and about ANI's mission in supporting those interested in this information.
At the same time, during the show, were discussed topics related to:
-The role of the National Integrity Council;
- The concept of integrity;
- Legislative framework on integrity - bushy and unclear;
- Prevention of corruption.
It's official! Local councilors have the right to participate in local council meetings by electronic means also
 On 12 May 2020, in the Official Monitor, the Government's Emergency Ordinance for the Completion of the Land Registry and Real Estate Advertising Act No. 7/1996 and for the amendment and completion of the Government Emergency Ordinance No. 57/2019 on the Administrative Code was published.
The normative act clarifies the right of Local Councilors to participate in local council meetings by any electronic means, and it is expressly stipulated that they are considered to be present at the meeting if they use these means.
The draft normative act was published on 06.04.2020 on the website of the Ministry of Public Works, Development and Administration (MLPDA) to be submitted to public debate.
The Association of Romanian Communes (ACoR) sent to MLPDA proposals and observations regarding this draft normative act.
One of the proposals considered aimed at amending art.134 par. (5) lit. a) and the introduction of two new letters after letter a), as follows:
a) the date and time of the conduct;
a1) the manner of development;
a2) the place of the meeting, in the case of face-to-face meetings or the electronic applications used, in the case of meetings held by electronic means;
The proposals and observations of ACoR took into account the situation we are currently facing, as well as the need to digitize and simplify the Romanian public administration.
Timiș County Branch of ACoR asks financial help for online schooling from the Ministry of Education and Research
On 5 May 2020, the Board of Directors of the Timiș County Branch of the Association of Communes of Romania, met in an extraordinary meeting by videoconference to discuss about online education and analyze requests submitted by the Timiș County School Inspectorate and the Institution of the Prefect of Timiș County.
The Timiș County Branch of the Association of Communes of Romania issued a Communiqué regarding these requests submitted by the Timiș County School Inspectorate and the Institution of the Prefect of Timiș County, made on the basis of Order No. 4135/2020 on the approval of the Instruction for the creation and/or strengthening of the capacity of the pre-university education system through online learning issued by the Ministry of Education and Research.
The communiqué reveals the conclusions of the members of the Timiș County Branch of ACoR, as follows: “It is desired that all students in the administrative-territorial units benefit from education, but sometimes state institutions at the central level push tasks to the local public administration, without ensuring the necessary material resources.”
Therefore, the request to provide students and teachers tablets or laptops, internet access and measures for the protection of personal data, involve financial resources that most administrative-territorial units cannot provide, primarily due to small budgets, secondly, due to low revenues due to the extension of deadlines for the payment of local taxes and fees and thirdly, due to many expenses incurred to combat the pandemic of Coronavirus-19 - equipment, disinfection, aid for disadvantaged people, etc.
Consequently, the Timis County Branch of ACoR asks the Ministry of Education and Research to offer them financial aid to be able to carry out online education and gave students the chance to learn, this financial aid being offered according to the law.
 Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia
Reimbursed costs from EUSF for municipalities due to COVID-19
 The Administration of the RS for civil protection and disaster relief (ACPDR) has sent to the Association of Municipalites and Towns of Slovenia an appeal to inform municipalites about forwarding data on costs, which have been incurred by COVID-19 measures. ACPDR will need this information to prepare a request for cost reimbursement from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF).
In accordance with the decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, the ACPDR must prepare a direct damage assessment caused by the outbreak of the COVID - 19 pandemic at the latest by 29th of May 2020. ACPDR in this way appeals municipalities to forward firstly incurred data on costs for the period from 13th March 2020 to 15th May of 2020. Municipalities must forward also costs, which are estimated or projected from now up to 12th of July 2020.
Reimbursed costs are all counted costs of implementation of emergency measures related to COVID-19, recruitment of additional stuff, emergency procurement of medical and protective equipment according to the proposed list, special forms of assistance and care for vulnerable groups, temporary accommodation of patients in quarantine, rental of storage and sanitary facilities, strengthening the capacity to inform and raise awareness of population, costs of removal of contaminated waste, etc.
According to SOS, solidarity represents one of the common values, which prevail during the pandemic between EU (member) countries and their operating within and outside borders. Solidarity should stay highlighted value in the future too.
 The Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia (SOS) has received an inquiry from one municipality about any cyber attack experiences and a method of combating it. Public employees from that municipality have one day realized that all the content on their office computers was simply encoded and, in this way, unable to function.
SOS has addressed the Ministry for Public Administration for any additional information on relevant measures of combating current or potential similar situations at municipalities in the future. SOS found out that information of cyber attack has to be forwarded to National Cyber Security Incident Response Centre, Data protection officer, the Police and Ministry for Public Administration (if the municipality uses HKOM - Central Public Administration Communication Network). The Representative from the Ministry outlined also other measures on technology, which have to be done after an attack.
Legal basis for ensuring cyber security at municipalities in Slovenia are the Information Security Act, Decree on information security in the state administration, Personal Data Protection Act and General Data Protection Regulation.
With this digest content SOS would like to raise awareness among partner municipalities to be adequately prepared to combat cyber-crime more effectively.
Association of Municipalities and Cities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Current transfers from the federal budget in the amount of 30 million km to be distributed equally to all municipalities and cities in FBIH
 On 11 May, the Presidency of the Assembly of the Association of Municipalities and Cities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SOGFBIH) on its third extraordinary online session discussed the method of distribution of recurrent transfers to municipalities and cities from the budget of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the amount of 30,000,000 BAM.
The Presidency of SOGFBiH proposed that the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in accordance with the principles of humanity and solidarity, amount of 30,000,000 BAM of current transfers, intended for municipalities and cities from the federal budget, distribute equally among local self-government unit in FBiH. That way each municipality and city will receive an equal amount of transfer funds - 375,000 BAM.
The Presidency also emphasized that municipal and city authorities should be ensured that they independently and freely dispose of the allocated funds.
Best practices in local government units (ReLOaD Project)
The Regional Program for Local Democracy in the Western Balkans (ReLOaD) in cooperation with the Association of Municipalities and Cities of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SOGFBiH) and the Association of Municipalities and Towns of Republika Srpska (ALVRS) conducts selection of best practices within ReLOaD partner local government units on the following thematic areas:
- Transparent financing of civil society organizations from the local government budget
- Involvement of citizens in decision-making processes
The aim of this activity is to identify and promote best practices and thus encourage other local governments to introduce transparent procedures in the process of allocating funds to civil society organizations (CSOs) and to encourage more active involvement of citizens in the wider decision-making process.
A commission composed of representatives of the ReLOaD project, SOGFBiH and ALVRS will evaluate the received applications in accordance with the criteria and announce results in coming weeks.
The Regional Program for Local Democracy in the Western Balkans - ReLOaD is funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Association of Albanian Municipalities
Professional Forum on Public Safety
The professional forum held with MATRA support, was organized with the participation of both local government associations and FLAG. It had the participation of representatives from 10 municipalities of Albania. Following the first meeting of the Forum in January and regional roundtables with municipalities organized in March, FLAG experts brought up for discussion the recommendations on public safety based on the issues raised by the participating municipalities.
Municipal experts shared the efforts of the municipalities in coping with the pandemic situation. Participants actively discussed and supported with ideas the recommendations on the structure of the municipality for public safety, human capacity, legal and institutional framework at the national level, financing public safety policies and increasing the role and functions of municipal associations in terms of cooperation with municipalities.
The professional form, in cooperation with the both Associations, will present and lobby these recommendations to the central institutions for implementation, thus helping the municipalities to advance their work in the field of public safety.
Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities
Solidarity is reality
On 9 May, Europe Day is celebrated. In the situation when Europe is fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, Djordje Stanicic, Secretary General of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, talked about cooperation at the local level and called for unity, solidarity and strengthening partnerships in these difficult times.
#EuropeDay
#EuropeansAgainstCovid19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYzYJhK8TcE
National coordinators of the European Mobility Week gathered on a online meeting
Considering new circumstances caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, at the initiative of the Secretariat of the European Mobility Week (EMW), an online meeting of national coordinators of the European Mobility Week was held, with the participation of more than 20 representatives - national coordinators. The topic of the meeting was the preparation for holding this year's European Mobility Week in the new circumstances and considering the possibilities for adjusting the criteria for the participation of cities and municipalities.
The message of the EMW Secretariat and the Transport Directorate of the European Commission (DG Move) for all cities and municipalities that want to organize the EMW this year, is that the event will be held this year as well, with a certain amount of flexibility. The theme of this year's European Mobility Week will be: "Pollution-free mobility for all". However, the Secretariat tells all cities and municipalities that the conditions for registration on the EMW website will be somewhat simpler than in previous years, due to unforeseen circumstances and the objective impossibility of planning activities, especially those that require gathering more people. This year, the emphasis will be on permanent measures and communication with citizens, while it is possible that mass events, such as "Car Free Day", will not be in focus that much.
Registration of cities and municipalities on the EMW website will be possible from the middle of May, and then the winners of the European Commission award for organizing last year's European Mobility Week will be known.
The online meeting was also attended by representatives of the Standing conference of towns and municipalities (SCTM) and Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure in the capacity of coordinators for the Republic of Serbia. Despite the challenges facing local governments in Serbia, it is expected that a significant number of cities and municipalities will mark the event in an appropriate way this year, in the period from 16 to 22 September 2020. Cities and municipalities interested in organizing the EMW can follow the news on this topic on the SCTM website: http://skgo.org/strane/368 and on the official website of the event: www.mobilityweek.eu.
The Municipality of Mali Zvornik will settle the April bills for garbage and water supply services and provide humanitarian packages for the most endangered citizens
At the session on Tuesday, 5 May, the Emergency Situations Headquarters of the Municipality of Mali Zvornik initiated procedures for providing direct assistance and support to the local population due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
A conclusion was adopted, which will be the basis for the request to the Municipal Administration for allocating funds from the municipal budget, in the amount of 2.700.000 dinars, for settling citizens bills with the Public Utility Company "Drina" for garbage and water supply services for April 2020.
By supplementing the previously adopted conclusion, it was determined that the Municipality of Mali Zvornik will also provide a pair of gloves and a protective mask to endangered fellow citizens, for whom the municipal commission declares that they meet the criteria for granting financial aid, in order to prevent the spread of infectious disease COVID - 19.
For the most endangered, the local self-government, in partnership with the "Duga" Association, will provide 50 humanitarian packages of basic foodstuffs. For this purpose, in accordance with the order of the Headquarters for Emergency Situations, 75.000 dinars will be allocated from the municipal budget.
Union of Municipalities of Montenegro
Video Tele-Conference of two JCC Montenegro Co-Chairs
Aleksandar Kašćelan, Mayor of the Old Royal Capital City of Cetinje, Montenegro, and Roberto Ciambetti (IT/ECR), President of the Regional Council of Veneto, the Co-Chairs of the Joint Consultative Committee of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and Montenegro (JCC Montenegro), held a video meeting on Friday, 8 May 2020.
The Co-Chairs exchanged information on corona virus pandemic. Mr Ciambetti's Veneto region was among the first and hardest hit in Europe. In Montenegro, on the other hand, the number of cases was low, and in Cetinje there were none. However, both Veneto, as the whole of Italy, and Cetinje and the whole of Montenegro, suffered heavy economic losses due to the halt of practically all economic activities during the period of confinement. National, regional, and local authorities are helping the businesses, especially small and medium ones. Both interlocutors agreed though that more help should come from the EU.
Mayor Kašćelan stated that the consequences of the corona virus pandemic will be felt most by local governments and their public companies, and that a specific support program for local governments should be considered. "I think that during the autumn session of the JCC, we should discuss the possibility of creating a specific financial support at the EU level for local self-governments in the Western Balkans" he said.
Co-Chair Ciambetti expressed readiness to co-operate with Montenegro stating that “in particular now in the phase 2 of the pandemic crisis we need to find the right solutions to mitigate the economic impact of the crisis on our territories. Our cooperation will focus on how to revamp our tourism sector after the crisis”.
This is the first meeting of JCC Montenegro Co-Chairs in the new mandate. Normally, one meeting of the JCC Montenegro is held in the first half of the year in Brussels, organised by the European Committee of the Regions together with its Enlargement Day - the main annual EU enlargement event in Brussels. The second yearly JCC Montenegro meeting takes place in Montenegro in autumn. Because of COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no large in-person conferences in Brussels during the first half of 2020, including JCC Montenegro and Enlargement Day. This makes the meeting between Ciambetti and Kašćelan even more important. The discussion included the draft five-year JCC Montenegro Work programme and the future cooperation in general.
Zagreb EU - Western Balkans Summit, which was held as a videoconference on 6 May, discussed and encouraged Montenegro's and other Western Balkans countries' EU accession process and the EU's package of post-corona economic help to the Western Balkans.
The interlocutors decided to continue contacts before the next JCC Montenegro meeting, which may lead to concrete joint actions. Mr Ciambetti also invited his Montenegrin counterpart to visit him in Veneto when the circumstances allow, and Mr Kašćelan gladly accepted the invitation.
Association of Kosovo Municipalities
The Director of the AKM visited the Municipality of Suhareka
 The Executive Director of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) Mr. Sazan Ibrahimi visited the Municipality of Suhareka where he was received by the Mayor Mr. Bali Muharremaj.
Mayor Muharremaj informed the Director of AKM about the situation in the Municipality of Suhareka regarding COVID-19 and generally about the work and commitment of the Municipal Emergency Headquarters about the Municipal Action Plan for the Prevention of COVID-19.
On the other hand, Director Ibrahimi informed Mayor Muharremaj about the activities of the AKM in supporting municipalities in terms of coordination with the central level and the for the beginning of the implementation of the Emergency Fiscal Package for Municipalities.
At the end of the meeting, Mr. Muharremaj thanked Mr. Ibrahimi for the activities of the AKM and as a sign of gratitude handed an acknowledgment for support and coordination of commitments during this time of COVID-19 pandemic . "We will continue the inter-institutional cooperation, for the benefit of citizens" - said Mayor Muharremaj.
With the proposal and request of AKM, there will be no fines for non-payment of Property Tax for 2020
At the proposal and request of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, the Ministry of Finance and Transfers (MFT) has issued a decision to suspend the application of the calculation of interest for non-payment of Property Tax.
The Association of Kosovo Municipalities addressed a letter to Mr. Besnik Bislimi - Minister of Finance and Transfers on April 27, 2020 with a proposal and request regarding the possibility of taking measures not to apply interest-delay and fine for unpaid tax at the time of this tax year (2020), throughout the year 2020.
The letter said, among other things, that "this situation with pandemic COVID-19 requires careful assessment by the Ministry of Finance and Transfers also in terms of property tax liabilities, in order to take measures and minimize as much as possible the consequences of the crisis for the citizens and businesses of Kosovo.
We are aware that due to the slowdown in the work of PTK and the Municipalities where we work with reduced staff, restricting the movement of citizens, etc., the distribution of property tax invoices, this tax year, will take more time. Invoices may not reach a large number of taxpayers in time, which is a real obstacle to the timely fulfilment of obligations by taxpayers.
Moreover, a large proportion of businesses have been forced to suspend their operations, and many citizens may have lower incomes this year. As a result, a significant part of taxpayers will find themselves in objective impossibility to pay property tax liabilities within the deadlines set for this tax year (June 30 and September 30), which has led by law the application of interest on arrears and fines on unpaid tax.
Therefore, the Association of Kosovo Municipalities recommends to the Ministry of Finance and Transfers to consider the possibility of taking measures not to apply interest on arrears and fines for unpaid tax during this tax year (2020), throughout 2020 "- said in the letter of the AKM signed by Mr. Xhafer Gashi - Vice President of the AKM.
In response of the Property Tax Department (PTD) within the MFT, where the decision of the Minister Mr. Besnik Bislimi is attached, it is stated:
"I would like to inform you that after receiving your request, immediately as a PTD, together with the Cabinet of the Minister and the Legal Department, we proposed to the Minister to issue a decision to suspend the application of interest calculation (interest rate) and fine for non-payment of property tax, according to Article 36, paragraph 6, of Law No. 06 / L-005 on Real Estate Tax, until 31 December 2020".
The Director of the AKM visited the Municipality of Istog
 The Executive Director of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) Mr. Sazan Ibrahimi visited the Municipality of Istog where he was received by the Mayor Mr. Haki Rugova.
Mayor Rugova informed the Director of the AKM about the situation in the Municipality of Istog regarding COVID-19 and in general about the work and commitment of the Municipal Emergency Headquarters.
On the other hand, Director Ibrahimi informed Mayor Rugova about the activities of the AKM in supporting municipalities in terms of coordination with the central level and the beginning of the implementation of the Emergency Fiscal Package for municipalities.
The Mayor of Istog, Mr. Haki Rugova, highly praised the work and commitment of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, especially at this time of pandemic Covid-9.  The Executive Director of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) Mr. Sazan Ibrahimi visited the Municipality of Skenderaj where he was received by the Mayor Mr. Bekim Jashari, the Deputy Mayor Mr. Nuredin Lushtaku and the Director of Culture Mr. Abdyl Imeri. Mayor Jashari informed the Director of the AKM about the situation in the Municipality of Skenderaj regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and in general about the work and commitment of the Municipal Emergency Headquarters.
On the other hand, Director Ibrahimi informed Mayor Jashari about the activities of the AKM in supporting municipalities in terms of coordination with the central level. The Mayor of Skenderaj, Mr. Bekim Jashari, praised the work and commitment of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, especially at this time of pandemic COVID-19.
The Director of the AKM visited the Municipality of Ferizaj
 The Executive Director of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) Mr. Sazan Ibrahimi visited the Municipality of Ferizaj where he was received by Mayor Mr. Agim Aliu and the Municipal Director of Education Mr. Afrim Llabjani.
Mayor Aliu informed the Director of the AKM about the situation in the Municipality of Ferizaj regarding the pandemic COVID-19 and in general about the work of the Municipal Emergency Headquarters about the Municipal Action Plan for the Prevention of COVID-19.
On the other hand, Director Ibrahimi informed Mayor Aliu and Director Llabjani about the activities of the AKM in supporting municipalities in terms of coordination with the central level. The Mayor of Ferizaj, Mr. Agim Aliu, at the end of the meeting thanked Director Ibrahimi for the activities of the AKM and as a sign of gratitude handed an acknowledgment for support and coordination of commitments during this time of COVID-19 pandemic.
The request of the AKM for the Municipal Assemblies to start organizing regular meetings is approved
The Ministry of Local Government Administration (MLGA), in consultation with the Ministry of Health and the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH), approved the request of the Association of Municipalities to organize meetings of the Municipal Assemblies.
Days ago, AKM addressed the request of the municipalities to start organising meetings of the Municipal Assemblies. "We request and think that the time has come for the municipalities to be allowed to organize regular meetings of the Municipal Assemblies because we have many different issues and in order for these to find solutions, decisions of the Municipal Assemblies are also required. In this case, we ask the MLGA to start reviewing the legality of the decisions of the Municipal Assemblies”- it was said in the request of the Municipalities addressed through the Association of Municipalities to the central institutions of Kosovo*.
After consulting with the Ministry of Health and the National Institute of Public Health, the MLGA has responded to the Mayors: “Municipal Assemblies may start implementing their work plan approved for 2020, i.e. may start with meetings of Municipal Assemblies. These activities can be carried out by the Municipal Assemblies through video conferences, where possible, meanwhile, if necessary actions are taken due to the emergency situation, the meetings can take place in suitable environments but also open and well ventilated, at a distance from each other, in full compliance with WHO standards".
This means that municipalities are obliged to correctly observe the measures set by the National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo and the Ministry of Health, such as: measures of physical distancing, when holding meetings of Municipal Assemblies , wearing masks and gloves, disinfecting public spaces where Assembly meetings are held, etc. ”
The MLGA has also announced that it will begin an administrative review of municipal acts - in connection with our request in this matter.
The Director of the AKM visited the Municipality of Peja
The Executive Director of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) Mr. Sazan Ibrahimi visited the Municipality of Peja where he was received by the Mayor Mr. Gazmend Muhaxheri with his associates, Deputy Mayor Mr. Fatmir Asllani, Director of Budget and Finance Mr. Jeton Abazaj, Director of Education Mr. Besim Avdimetaj and Director of Culture, Youth and Sports Mr. Engelbert Zefaj.
Mayor Muhaxheri informed the Director of the AKM about the situation in the Municipality of Peja regarding the pandemic COVID-19 and in general for the work of the Municipal Emergency Headquarters about the Municipal Action Plan for the Prevention of COVID-19.
On the other hand, Director Ibrahimi informed Mayor Muhaxheri and his associates about the activities of the AKM in supporting municipalities in terms of coordination with the central level. The Mayor of Peja, Mr. Gazmend Muhaxheri, at the end of the meeting thanked the Association of Kosovo Municipalities and Director Ibrahimi for supporting the municipality during this pandemic, the support which has been very fruitful.
The Association of Municipalities will analyse the situation on the emergency needs of Municipalities after COVID-19
For your information, the Association of Kosovo Municipalities in support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) will conduct a study on the emergency needs and socio-economic impact of COVID-19 in Kosovo municipalities.
The Association of Kosovo Municipalities, through this study, aims to understand the current socio-economic impact of COVID-19 in Kosovo municipalities, as well as identify emergency needs for the respective municipalities.
The results of this research will help:
• identify the current socio-economic impact of COVID-19, among vulnerable groups, in the local level;
• identify the current capacity of municipalities to manage the situation with COVID-19;
• identify the challenges and obstacles of the municipalities, in terms of performing their tasks and managing the situation with COVID-19;
• identify emergency needs of municipalities to manage the situation and mitigate the consequences of COVID-19;
• identify and present the immediate measures to be undertaken by relevant stakeholders, in order to help municipalities, manage the situation and mitigate the consequences of COVID-19;
• identify and present the needs for capacity building and other forms of support, especially in terms of legislation (advocacy towards central institutions).
Congress of Local Authorities from Moldova
CALM and My Community Program support local public authorities in the process of organizing remote work during the pandemicOn 12 May, the online webinar entitled "Working remotely and online communication of LPAs' took place. The event organized by the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova (CALM) and My Community Program was attended by 100 representatives of local authorities, thus registering a maximum number of people who can connect to the video platform.
 Mayors and other LPA representatives had the opportunity to learn about new ways of working remotely, what are the tools needed in this process, types of online communication, activity planning, electronic archiving of documents, other technical and security issues. In this regard, several examples of applications and programs that can be used in the process of working and online communication, as well as the organization and storage of information were provided.
Speaking about the possibility of organizing online meetings of local councils, the executive director of CALM Viorel Furdui mentioned that there is a legislative initiative that intends to regulate this process by law.
Among the difficulties stated by the participants of the webinar in the process of acquiring these skills was the lack in many town halls of IT infrastructure and specialists in this field. Speaking about the solutions, the executive director of CALM reiterated the need to offer the possibility to the local public authorities to hire specialists and to decide their salary. Given that the mayor's offices have very few employees, another solution would be to provide services through cooperation, a practice successfully implemented in Romania, etc.
LPA representatives said that working remotely offers many advantages, but more thorough knowledge in the IT field is needed. The participants requested the regular organization of similar events, with themes that would allow the acquisition of more distance work skills. At the same time, the participants in the event completed an event evaluation questionnaire developed by the My Community Program.
My Community Program Director Daniel Șerban stated that this is the first event held in collaboration with CALM and supported the idea of continuing these trainings through online communication platforms.
My Community program is funded by USAID Moldova and implemented by IREX in Moldova in order to support local public authorities in Moldova to become more efficient, transparent and accountable to citizens. Currently, 46 communities and LPAs in the country are supported by the program. More than 350 LPA partner employees participated in various skills training and events to improve administrative services and facilitate citizens' access to information, and nine communities in the program began implementing infrastructure projects to improve the quality of life at the local level.
We “give back” to our home village what we took away when we left
What do communities of Moldova have in common? In each of these, the exodus of one third of the population is felt in the shortage of human resources and expertise in various areas. Cotiujenii Mari, the largest village in Soldanesti district, is no exception to this.
Miles and miles apart, but close in thoughts and deeds
The village has over 3,000 inhabitants and includes the communities Cuselauca, Gara Cobilea and Cotiujenii Mari. The village has always had schools, kindergartens, music school, as well as a centre of arts for children, with specialized teachers. This helped bring up generations of educated people, who went to study further on and built careers in various fields. However, for years and years these people native from this village would only return home as sons and daughters who missed their parents and homeland, without realising how valuable their expertise could be for their home village.
Something new happened after 30 years of Cotiujeni inhabitants leaving the village. For the first time, 15 natives of Cotiujeni, with diverse areas of expertise, took part in the meeting “Promoters for HOME” – a campaign launched by the UNDP’s “Migration and Local Development” Project in its 35 partner communities.
As it happened during the pandemic, the natives could come home only on-line. They came together from all over the world: Ireland, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, France, Russian Federation, but also from other communities of Moldova. The purpose of the gathering was not just to say how much they miss home, but also to discuss common plans for the community based on the expertise that each and every one of them has in such areas as economy, social work, education, medicine, justice, logistics and transport, banking, tourism, trade, IT, interior design, etc. They have thus set a joint purpose: to develop their home community. The most important, however, was that these promoters of local development planned the interventions while communicating directly with the mayor of the village and local leaders.
250 local initiatives could be implemented by transferring the knowledge of the natives to 35 home communities
The meeting in Cotiujenii Mari was not the only one. Other 34 communities around the country organized such meetings during the time of Easter holidays — as part of the national campaign “Promoters for home”.
These meetings involved approx. 350 natives with professional expertise in various areas, settled in over 20 countries. They came up with over 250 initiatives, which they will implement at home in such areas as IT, economy, tourism, organic agriculture, health, PR and communication, project writing and management, construction, education and sports, culture and history, etc.
“For the Republic of Moldova in general, but also for every community in particular, it is important to attract expertise of the highest level. This is often much more important than the financial contributions. It is important for the 35 communities to be open to make use of this human capital. We are sure this way the 35 communities can become role models for all other communities of the country,” said Zinaida Adam, manager of the Migration and Local Development Project.
The natives proved to be open and interested in becoming “promoters for home”. At the same time, they admitted it was a great responsibility to engage in initiatives for their home communities.
The first hometown associations were established in the Republic of Moldova in 2016, with the aim to involve natives in local development. Currently there are over 200 hometown associations in the country.
Ongoing Activities
- NALAS e-Academy: Disaster Risk Management
- NALAS e-Academy: Introduction to Asset Management in the Water Sector
- NALAS e-Academy: Introduction to Gender Mainstreaming at Local Level
Upcoming Events
- 20 May 2020, 14:00 CET - NALAS Webinar : Continuity of the waste management business operations during the COVID-19 crisis
- 27 May 2020, 14:00 CET - NALAS Webinar: Waste management, work safety and protection of public health within the pandemic crisis
- 3 June 2020, 14:00 CET - NALAS Webinar: Resilience of the waste management services, present and future.
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