EU Delegations Cluster Meeting: Advancing Decentralised Development Cooperation and EU-CELAC Partnerships
On 5 December, members of the EU Delegations Cluster gathered online to discuss key updates, collaborative opportunities, and strategic priorities for advancing decentralised development cooperation while strengthening relations between the European Union (EU) and Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States (CELAC). The meeting featured engaging presentations, robust discussions and the exchange of best practices, aiming to align local and regional efforts with global policy objectives.
Fernando Arnaiz Ramos, head of the European office of the Latin American Federation of Municipalities (FLACMA), highlighted the active participation of 33 national associations across Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) framing sustainable development as a shared responsibility.
Several ambitious projects were shared during the presentation, including:
- Latin-American House Agency: A proposed coordination hub aimed at delivering sustainable housing solutions;
- Capacity Building for Public Servants: Training programs designed to align local governance with global agendas;
- Climate Change Mitigation: Programs promoting local sustainable development through sustainable tourism.
He emphasised the necessity of designing strategic roadmaps to ensure alignment between funding mechanisms and regional goals. He highlighted the capacity of FLACMA to directly liaise with local government associations to advance these goals effectively.
Showcasing local success stories and challenges
Participants shared concrete examples of decentralised cooperation during the session. In Costa Rica, there was interest for resuming funding for public transport projects. Local authorities also engaged on issues like water sanitation and security with strong support from EU Delegations (EUDs).
Participants also shared experiences of navigating the complexities of engaging EUDs and central governments in Morocco and Senegal. While Senegal showcased a positive decentralisation model, Morocco highlighted challenges with power re-centralisation.
The PLATFORMA secretariat shared information on the ongoing update of the study on EU Delegations, including the methodology, the timeline and the draft survey.
